《旅途脚印》| 竣工 ——索达吉堪布

圆容

竣工 | Project Completed
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今天对我来说，十分值得纪念。我自认为一生中比较大的工程——《白莲花论》的翻译完

" u! q$ [: e1 L/ v8 t  s成了。动笔之初是在2001年12月25日，当天，全厦门的人都在以各种方式欢度“圣诞节

”，我也自我安慰地将外面的喜庆场面，当作该翻译工程的奠基大典。

To me personally, today is a day worthy of every commemoration. A major project of my
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life—the translation of the Great Biography of Buddha Shakyamuni, the White Lotus—has just

4 j5 u1 q, C2 N% p, Ybeen completed. This project was commenced on Christmas Day 2001 when the people of

+ _3 h3 J( D2 B  h( _- s: ~Xiamen celebrated it in various ways. On that day, I took the liberty of assuming the festive mood
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" s) D6 B3 Z; h0 ?7 f7 `% ?- }, tin the city as cheers for my foundation-laying ceremony of the translation.

作为佛教教主，释迦牟尼佛从因地初发心直至最终示现成佛，行持六度万行的事迹可谓感
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' P+ @8 g6 j& M2 U; L! l/ p人至深。每当阅读之时都为其打动，多次发愿将之翻译与道友们共同分享。今天总算是如
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愿以偿了。
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Buddha Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, performed innumerable activities of the Six

Transcendent Perfections from his initial aspiration to final enlightenment. His deeds are
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: X& h) }4 g( D5 qincredibly moving stories, which touched me deeply every time I read them. I have been aspiring
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to translate the biography so that others could appreciate it too; today I am happy to see my

wish is finally fulfilled.
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5 H6 H1 I! n2 _- ?8 o# [翻译之初，恰值住房对面一幢高楼奠基动工，动工之时，人头攒动，彩旗飞扬，听说仅设

计费就用了几十万，建筑工人也上百名，再加上现代化的机器设备，十分风光。而我们的
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工程除了校对打字的以外，没有强大的人力物力作为后盾，与其比较，显得寒碜之至。然

而我们所具有的却是令他们自愧不如的，对佛祖至深至诚的信心。仅凭这点，就足以使我

们成为精神上所向无敌的贵族。

1 \$ P" K) h0 d- wThe launching of my translation project coincided with the building of a high-rise across from my

residence. Its groundbreaking ceremony was attended by throngs of cheering crowds and
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decorated with colorful banners. The building started with a blueprint that reportedly cost

0 K5 S9 f( t9 i" }/ }4 jhundreds of thousands of yuan and its construction has been carried out by hundreds of workers
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equipped with modern engineering tools. Compared with their grandiose style, our translation
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4 y1 I. N; ^5 C* j2 Zproject seems extremely shabby. We have neither a huge amount of manpower nor hefty funds
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' T& H# \1 l( R; F; N, ?4 o" V* {as support, only a proofreader of the typescript. Nonetheless, we do have unshakable deep faith
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6 k8 z4 H4 \1 H) U$ g: t& Ain the Buddha, something so special that outshines mundane construction. This and this alone, is

0 ~) T7 L, h" O% @enough to lift us in spirit to the rank of the indomitable nobles.

历经100多天，如今大楼已经断水，即将竣工。我的工程也圆满结束，开发商一定认为自己

; Q# n% k/ B6 W  a9 \" A, N  G对社会、对人类做了一件有意义的事，我觉得我的工程也许更有意义。相信几百年之后，
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$ \7 W6 _1 V$ A! e+ H. z$ X. l由水泥砖瓦修建的高楼将荡然无存，而作为精神财富的世尊传记，却不会被飞逝的时间和
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地理版图所囿，仍将继续利益百千万代、五湖四海的后人。使其因此而对佛陀生起信心，
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6 q7 I; V6 t/ p+ ?并逐渐趋至解脱正道。
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With more than 100 days of work behind it, this building is in the stage of water supply and will
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7 ?6 {. y0 X5 |2 tsoon be completed; my project, likewise, has reached the finishing line. While the developers

must feel good about their significant accomplishment, my project, I believe, could be more
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meaningful. A few hundred years from now, buildings made from cement, brick, and tile will be
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: F- Z, n! c2 Fgone with no trace left; on the contrary, the spiritual wealth of the Buddha’s life story will still
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continue to benefit hundreds and thousands of future generations. Unaffected by the confines of

9 _: N, E- t5 K/ F+ x( o. wtime and space, it will arouse faith in its readers all over and lead them steadily onto the path of
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liberation.
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4 k* o+ p& }; f7 f留给后人最好的遗产，不是高楼大厦，不是金银财宝，而是遮蔽无明风雨的精神大厦。
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The best inheritance to leave for future generations is not the high-rise building, or gold, silver,
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+ w* ?3 S& o% e0 Ior jewels; rather, it is the towering spiritual mansion that will provide protection from the
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  a! u2 ]( V) Sthunderstorms of delusion.
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& I5 q; D  i' Y9 g) R& X/ @& P壬午年三月二十二日　

2002年5月3日　　

5 V5 z: o# M3 x7 s4 D* X22nd of March, Year of RenWu
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May 3, 2002
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