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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Jeffrey Oliver, an Australian with a relaxed presence and penetrating1 blue eyes, is discussing Vipassana, or insight meditation2, at a large temple in Bangkok.
"We call it mindfulness meditation," he said. "It also refers to awareness3 and just paying attention to your body and mind. You may start with just breathing in and breathing out to calm the mind. You may observe the rising and the falling of the abdomen4..."
Mr. Oliver was a Buddhist5 monk6 in Myanmar for eight years. He is one of a number of Westerners who have exchanged their modern lifestyles for a life of service, poverty and meditation. Mr. Oliver says he enjoyed living in Australia, yet wanted to develop his spirituality, a hard task in what he describes as the West's frenetic pace.
"We function on the superficial part of our minds. We drive our car, we eat food, we party, we laugh and sing, but we don't have a very deep or sincere connection with our heart. We don't have a great deal of mindfulness. We function on a level of superficial awareness of life."
Mr. Oliver established a Burmese monastery7 in South Africa and has written books on Buddhist meditation. About 20 foreigners listen to his reflections at the temple in Bangkok. They came for a variety of reasons. Dutchman Michael Ensink is on a long journey through Asia. "I am just on holiday here in Bangkok for two days and I was walking by," he said. "I haven't done anything with meditation but I am curious and that is why I came here."
Moppy Barr, a 60-year-old American from Phoenix8, Arizona, wants to learn more after she met Buddhists9 in India. "That's my first experience of Buddhism10, where I saw a gentleness in the people that I wanted to explore," she said. "I am kind of tingling11 and frightened at the same time. I don't mean to make light of it. This is not easy...but it could be what I've been looking for."
Branca Pereira of Portugal came to study neurology in Bangkok. "I think neurology is related to Buddhism because both help you to understand how your mind works and what you need to get well. If you understand how your mind works, you can become happier."
Branca Pereira wanted to experience longer periods of meditation. So she joined some 50 people led by Jeffrey Oliver on a nine-day retreat. Such retreats take place for visitors and locals alike in temples throughout Thailand.
In the midst of forested mountains in central Thailand's Khao Yai National Park, the wake-up bell rings at four in the morning. The group rises for a pre-dawn meditation and then sits down for a modest breakfast. The rest of the day is dedicated12 to meditation. Students remain silent and are encouraged to avoid worldly activities involving alcohol, radio and television. All of this is designed to slow the mind down and develop concentration.
Buddhists have been meditating13 in this way since 500 B.C., when an Indian prince known as the Buddha14, or 'enlightened one,' founded what has remained a dominant15 religious force in much of Asia. Buddhist attitudes of peace, mindfulness and care for all living creatures attract many westerners.
Professor Thak Chaloemtiarana, Director of the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, says Thailand is a natural magnet for seekers of Buddhism because the country has well-developed tourism infrastructure16 and an unusual history. "There is some truth in the fact that because the country was not colonized17 the Thai people do not look at Westerners with great suspicion and are more welcoming. There have been some negative affects of colonization18 around the region but Thailand has been spared quite a bit of that."
Although the Buddha's teachings have been known throughout Asia for thousands of years, the West has learned about them only in the last century. Buddhist monasteries19 and centers are growing in Europe and the Americas as a result of both Asian immigrants and Westerners who return with Buddhist ideals from countries like Thailand.
注释:
penetrating 敏锐的
Vipassana 内观(印度最古老的禅修方法之一)
meditation 沉思,冥想
Bangkok 曼谷
mindfulness meditation 发现冥想
abdomen 腹部
Buddhist 佛教
Myanmar 缅甸
spirituality 灵性
frenetic 狂热的
superficial 表面的,肤浅的
monastery 僧院
Dutchman 荷兰人
neurology 神经学
forested 草木丛生的
1 penetrating | |
adj.(声音)响亮的,尖锐的adj.(气味)刺激的adj.(思想)敏锐的,有洞察力的 | |
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2 meditation | |
n.熟虑,(尤指宗教的)默想,沉思,(pl.)冥想录 | |
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3 awareness | |
n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智 | |
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4 abdomen | |
n.腹,下腹(胸部到腿部的部分) | |
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5 Buddhist | |
adj./n.佛教的,佛教徒 | |
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6 monk | |
n.和尚,僧侣,修道士 | |
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7 monastery | |
n.修道院,僧院,寺院 | |
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8 phoenix | |
n.凤凰,长生(不死)鸟;引申为重生 | |
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9 Buddhists | |
n.佛教徒( Buddhist的名词复数 ) | |
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10 Buddhism | |
n.佛教(教义) | |
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11 tingling | |
v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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12 dedicated | |
adj.一心一意的;献身的;热诚的 | |
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13 meditating | |
a.沉思的,冥想的 | |
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14 Buddha | |
n.佛;佛像;佛陀 | |
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15 dominant | |
adj.支配的,统治的;占优势的;显性的;n.主因,要素,主要的人(或物);显性基因 | |
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16 infrastructure | |
n.下部构造,下部组织,基础结构,基础设施 | |
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17 colonized | |
开拓殖民地,移民于殖民地( colonize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18 colonization | |
殖民地的开拓,殖民,殖民地化; 移殖 | |
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19 monasteries | |
修道院( monastery的名词复数 ) | |
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