《旅途脚印》| 竣工 ——索达吉堪布

圆容

竣工 | Project Completed
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2 y9 A* t* i) V/ u' Z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

7 q# h) H8 z7 S: E3 p( 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。
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& H# c( L3 n: h, x. j  bTo me personally, today is a day worthy of every commemoration. A major project of my

5 r8 h6 O0 u: E3 nlife—the translation of the Great Biography of Buddha Shakyamuni, the White Lotus—has just

been completed. This project was commenced on Christmas Day 2001 when the people of

3 c% z9 G' C$ y, A/ f! TXiamen celebrated it in various ways. On that day, I took the liberty of assuming the festive mood

' x: S* \/ O  q* Pin the city as cheers for my foundation-laying ceremony of the translation.
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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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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

  b+ d3 \* b7 s5 {, k" j3 Cincredibly moving stories, which touched me deeply every time I read them. I have been aspiring
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# Q; u& z; k- s0 E, Oto translate the biography so that others could appreciate it too; today I am happy to see my
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wish is finally fulfilled.
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: k: I; A" B$ F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
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- P* ~# Z: T& |) Z0 @7 T& T( F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
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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。
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/ p2 f! `: O! T! cThe launching of my translation project coincided with the building of a high-rise across from my
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* I. J( h- d0 [8 dresidence. 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
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hundreds of thousands of yuan and its construction has been carried out by hundreds of workers

equipped with modern engineering tools. Compared with their grandiose style, our translation
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project seems extremely shabby. We have neither a huge amount of manpower nor hefty funds
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' c. `5 P3 `" j3 M9 h% [as support, only a proofreader of the typescript. Nonetheless, we do have unshakable deep faith

4 f( \6 E. e# Ein the Buddha, something so special that outshines mundane construction. This and this alone, is
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enough to lift us in spirit to the rank of the indomitable nobles.

  ]. a/ w2 m2 L) ]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
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# g6 `( c7 |! I1 I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，

: w) I+ C  o) ]# d* v. p4 O7 a+ A8 c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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( @/ ~2 o! y3 Q" @并逐渐趋至解脱正道。
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( I- L  X8 X! S$ W, x* YWith more than 100 days of work behind it, this building is in the stage of water supply and will

: N- m7 w  _) W" psoon be completed; my project, likewise, has reached the finishing line. While the developers

1 ?5 g8 ~, n% g* \3 n0 i$ }must feel good about their significant accomplishment, my project, I believe, could be more

( p% c; P: Y6 B& B3 \meaningful. A few hundred years from now, buildings made from cement, brick, and tile will be
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gone 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

4 J- J- n6 N! ]9 dtime and space, it will arouse faith in its readers all over and lead them steadily onto the path of
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liberation.

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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9 \" f8 I6 d1 T* _& SThe best inheritance to leave for future generations is not the high-rise building, or gold, silver,

or jewels; rather, it is the towering spiritual mansion that will provide protection from the
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thunderstorms of delusion.
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, e: |5 W: a; H' ^# U4 S壬午年三月二十二日　

$ e0 n" y' C8 q: L7 d2002年5月3日　　
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22nd of March, Year of RenWu

May 3, 2002
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