《旅途脚印》| 竣工 ——索达吉堪布

圆容

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竣工 | Project Completed

6 I4 S' q7 ^" M0 S: g3 c0 Z# Y/ ~1 k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
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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

6 V; h; k/ L! A( C2 ^1 i2 L”，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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life—the translation of the Great Biography of Buddha Shakyamuni, the White Lotus—has just

: k5 Y1 y- L, @: f5 b8 c/ gbeen completed. This project was commenced on Christmas Day 2001 when the people of

Xiamen celebrated it in various ways. On that day, I took the liberty of assuming the festive mood

2 R( c" c: A8 Fin 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

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

8 Z& c: I5 j4 u( c4 [8 ]愿以偿了。

Buddha Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, performed innumerable activities of the Six
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, d+ p0 p; G( C6 P+ I6 B* {Transcendent Perfections from his initial aspiration to final enlightenment. His deeds are

$ Y& o! ^8 R6 P  q, W5 \2 `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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wish is finally fulfilled.

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

4 R1 n4 n" Q7 H9 D, |/ ]8 A6 p' T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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2 u7 X* N$ |% ^' T7 Y2 d, u1 ~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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+ o" i0 m; h/ F: 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。

/ f$ ?% L$ p% e; q! m7 XThe launching of my translation project coincided with the building of a high-rise across from my
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residence. Its groundbreaking ceremony was attended by throngs of cheering crowds and

+ J/ E6 s" J* |% Ldecorated with colorful banners. The building started with a blueprint that reportedly cost
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9 Q" Q$ u! n- t# Hhundreds of thousands of yuan and its construction has been carried out by hundreds of workers

8 V* {$ n. R! aequipped with modern engineering tools. Compared with their grandiose style, our translation
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& d( A; o8 A5 E8 Sproject seems extremely shabby. We have neither a huge amount of manpower nor hefty funds

as support, only a proofreader of the typescript. Nonetheless, we do have unshakable deep faith

in 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.
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! z4 j* E0 }1 x1 a, o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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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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  V# f! ]6 p  w& Y$ r1 ^* W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

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，

: m) A" B/ x: E1 u2 Y并逐渐趋至解脱正道。

2 S' @3 k7 {; b: r( }With more than 100 days of work behind it, this building is in the stage of water supply and will
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soon be completed; my project, likewise, has reached the finishing line. While the developers
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' {% z# {4 j0 X& H7 K3 Nmust feel good about their significant accomplishment, my project, I believe, could be more

: S7 H8 H* C5 O# Bmeaningful. A few hundred years from now, buildings made from cement, brick, and tile will be
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; j/ K8 r$ w( l. d6 S. Rgone 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
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, ?( u6 ]7 n+ V. U1 X3 ^8 E2 h$ wtime and space, it will arouse faith in its readers all over and lead them steadily onto the path of
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. v" @' D2 }/ Qliberation.
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1 Q8 h; M1 E) ]% S, E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。

* G) j3 y% `2 R& k' r7 ^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

6 F$ w& O9 p$ W- ^6 p$ Uthunderstorms of delusion.
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0 C1 u; M+ d) i6 q. C8 p3 \% Y6 b& t壬午年三月二十二日　

/ t3 \/ I9 H- [3 T; W6 X* o  O2002年5月3日　　

22nd of March, Year of RenWu
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May 3, 2002
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