纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 059婆罗浮屠佛陀头像（1）

 

059：EPISODE 59 - Borobudur Buddha¹ Head 婆罗浮屠佛陀头像

Borobudur Buddha head (between 780 and 840 AD). Stone; from Java, Indonesia

石制佛陀头像，来自印度尼西亚爪哇岛，公元七八年至公元八四o年

I am in the Indonesian island of Java - just a few degrees south of the equator. It's hot and it's humid, but I, and hundreds of other people on this steamy early morning, am about to set off on a walk that will take us around the world - or at least, around a symbolic² representation of the world, as it was imagined and built here sometime around 800 AD. I'm at Borobudur, one of the greatest Buddhist³ monuments in the world, and the huge, square, terraced pyramid in front of me, is nothing less than the Buddhist view of the cosmos⁴, in stone. And as I climb it, I shall be treading a physical path that mirrors the spiritual journey symbolically⁵ transporting the walker from this world to a higher plane of being. It's quite a journey.

"When you are at Borobudur, you are standing⁶ on this great monument. You can see the entire world around you, beneath you - it's an enormous experience of spaciousness⁷, of freedom, and a far vaster perspective." (Stephen Bachelor)

让我们沿着千年前的那条连接亚欧非三大洲的贸易路线追溯。本节介绍的这件石制佛头能帮我们了解当时跨越中国海和印度洋的巨大贸易网络，这张网络使东南亚的居民得以交换商品，交流观念、语言和宗教。佛头来自印度尼西亚爪哇岛的婆罗浮屠，地处赤道以南仅几度的位置，是世界上最大的佛教遗址，也是人类历史上最伟大的文化成就之一。那是一座巨大的方形底座的阶梯状金字塔建筑，饰有上千块浮雕与数百座佛像，以石头堆砌出一个佛教徒眼中的世界。参拜者攀爬台阶的过程也是一趟心灵之旅，象征性地从现实世界迈入一个更高的境界。在富饶且具有重要战略意义的爪哇岛上，婆罗浮屠的遗址作为一个典范，让我们了解佛教如何借助海上贸易走向外界，成为世界性的宗教。

 

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 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

3 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。

4 cosmos   

n.宇宙；秩序，和谐

参考例句：

• Our world is but a small part of the cosmos.我们的世界仅仅是宇宙的一小部分而已。
• Is there any other intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos?在宇宙的其他星球上还存在别的有智慧的生物吗？

5 symbolically   

ad.象征地，象征性地

参考例句：

• By wearing the ring on the third finger of the left hand, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other. 将婚戒戴在左手的第三只手指上，意味着夫妻双方象征性地宣告他们的爱情天长地久，他们定能白头偕老。
• Symbolically, he coughed to clear his throat. 周经理象征地咳一声无谓的嗽，清清嗓子。

6 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。

7 spaciousness   

n.宽敞

参考例句：

• A high ceiling gives a feeling of airness and spaciousness. 天花板高给人一种通风和宽敞的感觉。
• The tremendous spaciousness of it was glowing with rich gold. 苍茫辽阔的景色染上了一片瑰丽浓艳的金黄色。