《旅途脚印》| 竣工 ——索达吉堪布

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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

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

' S$ S, \6 C* {2 J* @life—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

; R7 H3 d6 J7 L. C- `Xiamen celebrated it in various ways. On that day, I took the liberty of assuming the festive mood
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in the city as cheers for my foundation-laying ceremony of the translation.

6 k- `8 q& v  T- _$ u) Y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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: ]5 E# o6 l9 J$ G  n( E: o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

愿以偿了。
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Buddha Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, performed innumerable activities of the Six
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+ s% V7 M6 K* y6 r* sTranscendent Perfections from his initial aspiration to final enlightenment. His deeds are

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.

% d7 _1 M" _4 b, u* T6 K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

) I( m6 t6 x2 U9 v) q) A* P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

  f! O6 N6 h0 \5 D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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) P+ s/ J/ T6 @0 Y$ J  q们成为精神上所向无敌的贵族。

The launching of my translation project coincided with the building of a high-rise across from my
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5 O+ [! W- n7 Y7 F1 T& i( Tresidence. Its groundbreaking ceremony was attended by throngs of cheering crowds and

  d  q! k. r. V; ?decorated with colorful banners. The building started with a blueprint that reportedly cost

# n( z0 E: f; B9 rhundreds of thousands of yuan and its construction has been carried out by hundreds of workers

' V6 B" v: l- A7 |: ?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

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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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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& g0 u2 p1 w( z* }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，

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，

并逐渐趋至解脱正道。

! g% j- J1 x" J$ c0 ]With more than 100 days of work behind it, this building is in the stage of water supply and will

soon 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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meaningful. A few hundred years from now, buildings made from cement, brick, and tile will be

gone with no trace left; on the contrary, the spiritual wealth of the Buddha’s life story will still
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6 x6 \! H4 D- n3 s/ ?continue to benefit hundreds and thousands of future generations. Unaffected by the confines of

1 ^: \; H1 _3 Dtime and space, it will arouse faith in its readers all over and lead them steadily onto the path of
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- \1 h# S9 v( A- _liberation.
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1 h: S+ D" f8 a' m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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! ~; l( c( l; rThe best inheritance to leave for future generations is not the high-rise building, or gold, silver,
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or jewels; rather, it is the towering spiritual mansion that will provide protection from the
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5 Y: ~, q& E1 e! O! Vthunderstorms of delusion.
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6 x* f; A4 l2 w& h" g壬午年三月二十二日　
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: @+ D! i# H: k3 i" Y2002年5月3日　　
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22nd of March, Year of RenWu
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May 3, 2002
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