世界小史 第99期:主人

 　　I can already hear you saying: "That's all very well, but people can't help wanting things!" The Buddha¹ thought otherwise.

　　我已经听到你说的：“说得不错。但是人们对自己的欲望是无能为力的呀。” 释迦牟尼不这样认为。

　　He said that it is possible to control our desires, but to do so we need to work on ourselves, perhaps even for years,他说控制我们的欲望是可能的，但做到这些我们需要自我修炼，也许要修炼数年，so that in the end we only have the desires we want to have.

　　所以到最后我们只有我们需要什么的欲望。

　　In other words, we can become masters of ourselves, in the same way that an elephant driver learns to control his elephant.

　　换言之，我们可以成为我们自己的主人，像驭象人驾驭象那样驾驭自己的欲望。

　　A person's highest achievement on earth is to reach the point at which he or she no longer has any desires.

　　一个人在尘世所能达到的最高境界是没有任何欲望。

　　This is the Buddha's 'inner calm', the blissful peace of someone who no longer has any wishes, someone who is kind to everyone and demands nothing.

　　这就是释迦牟尼所说的“内心清静”，一个在尘世无所渴求的人至高无上的、宁静的欢乐，此人对一切人都同样仁慈，对谁也无所要求。

　　The Buddha also taught that a person who is master of all his wishes will no longer be reborn after his death.

　　释迦牟尼还教导说谁这样驾驭了一切愿望，他死后将不会转世。

　　Only souls which cling to life are reborn – or so the Buddha's followers² believe.

　　只有留恋生命的灵魂才会转世——释迦牟尼的信徒大概相信这些。

　　He who no longer clings to life is released from the unending cycle of birth and death, and is at last freed from all suffering.

　　谁不再留恋生命，谁就在死后不再进入无尽的生死循环，最终他就摆脱了苦难。

　　Buddhists³ call this state "Nirvana".

　　佛教称这种境界为“涅槃 ”。

 

1 Buddha   

n.佛；佛像；佛陀

参考例句：

• Several women knelt down before the statue of Buddha and prayed.几个妇女跪在佛像前祈祷。
• He has kept the figure of Buddha for luck.为了图吉利他一直保存着这尊佛像。

2 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

3 Buddhists   

n.佛教徒( Buddhist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Jesuits in a phase of ascendancy, persecuted and insulted the Buddhists with great acrimony. 处于地位上升阶段的耶稣会修士迫害佛教徒，用尖刻的语言辱骂他们。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The return of Saivite rule to central Java had brought no antagonism between Buddhists and Hindus. 湿婆教在中爪哇恢复统治后，并没有导致佛教徒与印度教徒之间的对立。 来自辞典例句