纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 054度母雕像(6)

We don't know who paid for Tara to be made. It could have been the ruler of any one of several kingdoms that squabbled and fought over territory in Sri Lanka around 800 AD. Whoever it was clearly wanted her help on the path to salvation¹. But in Sri Lanka, as anywhere else, gifts to religious institutions were also an important part of political strategies of rulers, a means of asserting their privileged links to the divine.

我们并不知道这位背后金主是谁。也许是公元八百年前后某位在斯里兰卡为了领土征战不休的国王，一个想要得到她拯救的人。斯里兰卡的统治者和其他任何地方的一样，将送礼物给宗教机构作为重要的政治策略，是他们对自己与神祇之间特权关系的公开展示。

One of the things that I find fascinating about this sculpture is that, at the time it was made, Tara was a relatively² recent convert to Buddhism³. She had originally been a Hindu mother goddess, and was only later adopted by Buddhists-a typical but particularly beautiful example of the constant dialogue and exchange between Buddhism and Hinduism that went on for centuries, and which can be seen today in statues and buildings all over south-east Asia. Tara shows that Buddhism and Hinduism are not tightly defined codes of belief, but ways of being and acting⁵ that can, in different contexts, absorb aspects of other faiths. Tara is, in modern parlance⁶, a strikingly inclusive image made for a Buddhist⁴, Sinhala-speaking, court in Sri Lanka, but stylistically part of the wider world that embraced the Tamil speaking, Hindu courts of southern India. Indeed Sri Lanka was shared, then as now, between Sinhala and Tamil, Hindu and Buddhist, and there were close links and many exchanges through diplomacy⁷, marriage and, frequently, war.

有一点很有意思，这座雕像完工之时，度母刚刚为佛教所接纳。她本是印度教的母亲神，后来才开始被佛教徒信奉。佛教与印度教之间源 源不断的交流与影响持续了数个世纪，至今仍能在东南亚各地的建筑与雕像中看出两者交融的痕迹。度母便是其中典型又独具魅力的例子。它表明，虽然佛教与印度教并不同宗同源，却以各种形式汲取了对方的智慧。用现代的表述来说，度母就是一个令人惊叹的兼容并包的形象：它由讲僧伽罗语的斯里兰卡宫廷中的佛教徒制作，但风格上更广泛地融合了南印度讲泰米尔语、信奉印度教的宫廷特色。直至今日，泰米尔语和僧伽罗语、印度教与佛教，仍共同占据着斯里兰卡，它们通过外交、通婚，同时也通过频繁的战争，彼此紧密联系，广泛交流。

1 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

2 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

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 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。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 parlance   

n.说法；语调

参考例句：

• The term "meta directory" came into industry parlance two years ago.两年前，商业界开始用“元目录”这个术语。
• The phrase is common diplomatic parlance for spying.这种说法是指代间谍行为的常用外交辞令。

7 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。