纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 059婆罗浮屠佛陀头像（8）

 

I'm now standing¹ in front of the one of the reliefs at Borobudur that gives us the best possible, and most vivid, evidence for this kind of seaborne contact. It's a superb carved panel, showing a ship of around 800, and it's one of several you can find here at Borobudur. It's an image of great vigour² and skill, deeply carved, with a lot of energy, and indeed humour - because right at the front, at the bows under the figurehead, you can see a sailor grimly clinging on to the anchor. But above all, it offers us visual evidence for the kind of ship that was able to make these long sea journeys, with multiple sails and masts - a kind of ship perfectly³ able to make those long sea runs from China and Vietnam to Java, Sri Lanka and India.

I suppose it's true of all great religious buildings, but at Borobudur I was particularly struck by what I think is a universal paradox⁴: you need huge material wealth, acquired only through intense engagement with the affairs of the world, to build monuments that inspire us to abandon wealth and to leave the world behind. Here's the Buddhist⁵ teacher and writer Stephen Bachelor:

婆罗浮屠的某一块浮雕上刻了一艘公元八百年前后的船只，这是对海路贸易最直接生动、最有说服力的证据。浮雕所用的技法高明，造型生动，刻痕极深，充满活力乃至幽默—一画面最左端的船头之下，有一位船员死死地抱住船锚。最重要的是，它提供了可视的证据，让我们了解当时已有足以胜任长途旅行的船舶。这种桅杆林立、风帆众多的船只能够从中国、越南漂洋过海地来到爪哇、斯里兰卡、印度以及东非。

我一向认为，宏伟的宗教建筑中普遍存在着一种矛盾，而参观婆罗浮屠让我对这一观点有了前所未有的感触：修建这样一座建筑需要大量的物力，需要深涉种种俗世事务，但修建目的却是要启发我们放弃身外之物、与世无争。佛学教师与作家史蒂芬·巴彻勒对此表示赞同：

 

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 vigour   

（=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力

参考例句：

• She is full of vigour and enthusiasm.她有热情，有朝气。
• At 40,he was in his prime and full of vigour.他40岁时正年富力强。

3 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

4 paradox   

n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物)

参考例句：

• The story contains many levels of paradox.这个故事存在多重悖论。
• The paradox is that Japan does need serious education reform.矛盾的地方是日本确实需要教育改革。

5 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。