纪录片《佛教世界的七大奇观》 泰国卧佛寺（1）

Once Buddhist¹ ideas had flourished in Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan monarchs² sent emissaries to adjoining kingdoms in southeast Asia to carry the Buddhist message.

随着佛教思想在斯里兰卡的兴盛繁荣，斯里兰卡君王派遣特使向附近的东南亚国家传播佛教理念。

By the 11th century, Theravadin Buddhism³ was well established in Thailand and here in Bangkok, close on 90% of Thais are now Buddhist.

到11世纪时，小乘佛教已在泰国发展起来。现在的曼谷有将近90%泰国人是佛教徒。

The reason that Buddhism has thrived so vigorously and tenaciously⁴ here is because right from its very outset, it's had the support of the Thai kings.

佛教能够在泰国的发展如此蓬勃兴盛、经久不衰，是因为在它刚刚开始的时候就得到了泰国国王们的支持。

A king here can aspire⁵ to be a Buddha⁶ himself and there is one king who was actually a monk⁷ for 25 years before he came to the throne.

这里的国王可以有志于成佛，事实上，有位国王在登基之前曾出家为僧25年。

Every time the royal family builds a new palace for itself,

皇室每到修建新宫殿的时候，

it will also construct next door a monastery⁸ and a temple complex as a kind of outward sign of its righteousness and commitment to the Buddhist cause.

都会在宫殿旁修建一座修道院和佛殿群，以此来对外彰显其权位的正当性，及其向佛之心。

And here in Bangkok, the temple complex is certainly fit for a king.

而在曼谷，这里的寺庙建筑群无疑是为国王量身打造的。

This is Wat Pho, our next wonder of the Buddhist world.

这里是卧佛寺，我们要拜访的的下一处佛教圣地。

It's the largest and oldest temple complex in Bangkok.

这是曼谷最大最古老的寺庙建筑群。

It's home to more than 1,000 Buddha images.

超过1000尊佛像供奉在这里。

The complex includes a temple, a working monastery and a large courtyard with a forest of stupas, thick with exquisite⁹ hand-made lotus motifs¹⁰.

建筑群包括一座佛殿、一处经堂、一个巨大的庭院，以及林立在庭院中的众多佛塔。佛塔上雕饰着精美华丽的手刻莲花图案。

And hidden within its own palatial¹¹ hall...the golden reclining Buddha.

还有隐藏在宏伟大殿内的...黄金卧佛。

1 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。

2 monarchs   

君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Monarchs ruled England for centuries. 世袭君主统治英格兰有许多世纪。
• Serving six monarchs of his native Great Britain, he has served all men's freedom and dignity. 他在大不列颠本国为六位君王服务，也为全人类的自由和尊严服务。 来自演讲部分

3 Buddhism   

n.佛教（教义）

参考例句：

• Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
• Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。

4 tenaciously   

坚持地

参考例句：

• Though seriously ill, he still clings tenaciously to life. 他虽病得很重，但仍顽强地活下去。 来自辞典例句
• It was apparently more tenaciously held to surface than fraction three. 它比级分三更顽强地保持在表面上。 来自辞典例句

5 aspire   

vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于

参考例句：

• Living together with you is what I aspire toward in my life.和你一起生活是我一生最大的愿望。
• I aspire to be an innovator not a follower.我迫切希望能变成个开创者而不是跟随者。

6 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。

7 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。

8 monastery   

n.修道院，僧院，寺院

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• She was appointed the superior of the monastery two years ago.两年前她被任命为这个修道院的院长。

9 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

10 motifs   

n. （文艺作品等的）主题( motif的名词复数 )；中心思想；基本模式；基本图案

参考例句：

• I try to develop beyond the old motifs. 我力求对传统的花纹图案做到推陈出新。 来自辞典例句
• American Dream is one of the most important motifs of American literature. “美国梦”是美国文学最重要的母题之一。 来自互联网

11 palatial   

adj.宫殿般的，宏伟的

参考例句：

• Palatial office buildings are being constructed in the city.那个城市正在兴建一些宫殿式办公大楼。
• He bought a palatial house.他买了套富丽堂皇的大房子。