《旅途脚印》| 竣工 ——索达吉堪布

圆容

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竣工 | Project Completed

/ @6 `0 m" j( }' }& T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

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

* C7 n0 c  W. v: h”，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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To me personally, today is a day worthy of every commemoration. A major project of my
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2 v# _! v6 \# u3 Q' V* wlife—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
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7 z6 r/ M' z5 {. CXiamen celebrated it in various ways. On that day, I took the liberty of assuming the festive mood
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4 U# q- W+ F/ h5 ein the city as cheers for my foundation-laying ceremony of the translation.
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5 ?! o9 m# k0 \; M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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$ E* o% o  e) s, J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

% ~: k/ `/ W1 l1 k6 B愿以偿了。

Buddha Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, performed innumerable activities of the Six

  M5 Y0 s' I6 ^- R6 LTranscendent Perfections from his initial aspiration to final enlightenment. His deeds are
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incredibly 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
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( t* B  m' l; Z5 i$ V! M8 Nwish is finally fulfilled.
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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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/ `; j, D% i" h! n( P3 h% Y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

! w3 s* n, ?4 K  a* C9 S# |6 r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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5 i* C$ u  G1 G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
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们成为精神上所向无敌的贵族。
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, [1 S( j! p$ ^/ F* l7 nThe launching of my translation project coincided with the building of a high-rise across from my

1 ?1 _- D$ e& [1 a  G  Tresidence. Its groundbreaking ceremony was attended by throngs of cheering crowds and

decorated with colorful banners. The building started with a blueprint that reportedly cost

hundreds of thousands of yuan and its construction has been carried out by hundreds of workers
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/ S4 t! k" b; J, H* Z+ qequipped with modern engineering tools. Compared with their grandiose style, our translation

project seems extremely shabby. We have neither a huge amount of manpower nor hefty funds
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as support, only a proofreader of the typescript. Nonetheless, we do have unshakable deep faith

0 j* n" x6 C+ q: O2 S( [/ ain the Buddha, something so special that outshines mundane construction. This and this alone, is
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7 o( o0 d1 r  k4 I9 Wenough to lift us in spirit to the rank of the indomitable nobles.
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: n: d  l$ j3 t; 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

- j5 j5 ^( ~/ s" U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，

8 N+ b2 ^* [8 p" ^' D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，

4 _% i! m7 T% Y. Y" v: S: s并逐渐趋至解脱正道。
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9 b6 X7 i. F' W& T( s- cWith more than 100 days of work behind it, this building is in the stage of water supply and will

! K0 I6 r) e( [; {' tsoon be completed; my project, likewise, has reached the finishing line. While the developers
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must feel good about their significant accomplishment, my project, I believe, could be more
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8 X9 H* p8 H' s! |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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; ^% I: w5 x, v3 y7 |" ^5 Gcontinue to benefit hundreds and thousands of future generations. Unaffected by the confines of
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- o3 C4 W( ^. d1 a- N/ u7 rtime and space, it will arouse faith in its readers all over and lead them steadily onto the path of

7 ?& ?, O- V1 c( n# Cliberation.
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# L4 j9 A2 h2 t* }' \0 w" a; [9 @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,

or jewels; rather, it is the towering spiritual mansion that will provide protection from the
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thunderstorms of delusion.

壬午年三月二十二日　
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7 E% _  k% }7 ^$ k2002年5月3日　　

22nd of March, Year of RenWu

% j) o; ?1 }; J. |: f& f6 uMay 3, 2002