2007年VOA标准英语-Buddhist Leader Returns to Vietnam to Heal War

By Matt Steinglass
Ho Chi Minh City
22 February 2007

The renowned¹ Zen Buddhist² monk³ Thich Nhat Hanh has returned to his native Vietnam. Hanh, who has tens of thousands of followers⁴ in France and the United States, plans to conduct mass prayer ceremonies. It is Hanh's second trip back to his homeland since the 1960s, when he was exiled from what was then South Vietnam due to his anti-war views. In Ho Chi Minh City, Matt Steinglass has more, with additional reporting by Pham Van Trang.

Vietnamese Monk Thich Nhat Hanh talks during an interview in Hanoi, Vietnam (File photo - 29 March 2005)

Hundreds of supporters from Vietnam and overseas were on hand at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City to greet the arrival of Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh.

The Hanh, 80, and his entourage have come to Vietnam to conduct three large ceremonies, which he calls requiem⁵ masses, to honor the country's war dead. One will be held in each of Vietnam's major cities of Ho Chi Minh City, Hue⁶, and Hanoi.

Thich Phuoc Chi is a monk at Phap Van pagoda⁷ in Ho Chi Minh City, where Hanh will stay. He explains the goal of the ceremonies.

Chi says the ceremonies are a Vietnamese family ritual, which Thich Nhat Hanh has carried to a national level. He says they will honor the soldiers who fell on both sides of the Vietnam War, to eradicate⁸ hatred⁹ and to clear the false accusations¹⁰ against the dead.

Hanh moved to the West after being exiled from South Vietnam in 1966. He was a leader in the Buddhist Peace Movement that opposed the Vietnam War. In the United States, he became close to anti-war religious figures such as civil rights activist¹¹ Martin Luther King.

In the West, Hanh developed a large following with an accessible version of Zen focusing on mindfulness or concentrating thoughts and actions on the present moment. His monastic group, the Order of Interbeing, has thousands of members, with centers in France, Vermont and California, and his books have sold millions of copies.

His works were banned in Vietnam until two years ago, when he reached an agreement with the government. He returned for the first time in February 2005 and lectured to thousands of curious Vietnamese monks¹² and lay people.

Since then, Hanh's influence among Vietnamese Buddhists¹³ has grown. Thich Huan is another monk at the Phap Van pagoda, says both clergy¹⁴ and lay people read Hanh's books widely.

Thich Dam Nguyen, a monk at the Yen¹⁵ Tu pagoda in northern Vietnam, explains that Hanh's form of Zen is something new, especially in northern Vietnam.

Nguyen says Northerners traditionally practice an intensive sitting meditation¹⁶ called Tinh Do, whereas Hanh's Zen method can be practiced while walking around. Nguyen says he used to be afraid of Zen, but since Hanh's visit, he has begun to enjoy it.

Hanh's returns to Vietnam have provoked some dissension among Vietnamese Buddhists. Many of the monks Hanh started out with are now leaders of the Unification Buddhist Church of Vietnam, which is banned by the government.

The UBCV's leaders, Thich Quang Do and Thich Huyen Quang, have spent years in prison and under house arrest. Thich Quang Do refused to meet with Hanh when he returned in 2005, fearing the Vietnamese government would use Hanh's trip as propaganda.

In Paris, the UBCV spokesman, Vo Van Ai, said he was shocked that Hanh would visit Vietnam while UBCV leaders are under house arrest.

"I believe Thich Nhat Hanh's trip is manipulated by the Hanoi government to hide its repression¹⁷ of the UBCV and create a false impression of religious freedom in Vietnam," he said.

But the Vietnamese government has raised its own objections to Hanh's ceremonies, which are normally called "giai oan".

Chi says that the phrase "giai oan" means absolving¹⁸ people of false charges. But in the case of those who fought for South Vietnam, the government considers them guilty of betraying the Vietnamese people for what it calls an U.S. puppet regime.

Due to the sensitivity of the term "giai oan", Thich Nhat Hanh's deputy, Brother Phap An, says they have decided¹⁹ to call the rituals "equalization ceremonies".

1 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

2 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

3 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

4 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。

5 requiem   

n.安魂曲，安灵曲

参考例句：

• I will sing a requiem for the land walkers.我会给陆地上走的人唱首安魂曲。
• The Requiem is on the list for today's concert.《安魂曲》是这次音乐会的演出曲目之一。

6 hue   

n.色度；色调；样子

参考例句：

• The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
• The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。

7 pagoda   

n.宝塔（尤指印度和远东的多层宝塔），（印度教或佛教的）塔式庙宇

参考例句：

• The ancient pagoda is undergoing repairs.那座古塔正在修缮中。
• The pagoda is reflected upside down in the water.宝塔影子倒立在水里。

8 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

9 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

10 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

11 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

12 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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

14 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

15 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

16 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

17 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

18 absolving   

宣告…无罪，赦免…的罪行，宽恕…的罪行( absolve的现在分词 )； 不受责难，免除责任 [义务] ,开脱（罪责）

参考例句：

• I'm not absolving myself from blame just because I was not playing. 我不是只是因为我没有参加比赛就把自己从责任中开脱出去。
• The method of culturing treepeony containerized seedlings and absolving epicotyl dormancy of treepeony seeds. 笔者探索了牡丹容器育苗的方法和解除牡丹种子上胚轴休眠的方法。

19 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。