【BBC紀錄片】佛教寶地 第14期:泰國佛教

Once Buddhist ideas had flourished in Sri Lanka, SriLankan monarchs sent emissaries to adjoiningkingdoms in southeast Asia to carry the Buddhistmessage.

隨著佛教思想在斯里蘭卡的興盛繁榮，斯里蘭卡君王派遣特使向附近的東南亞國家傳播佛教理念。

By the 11th century, Theravadin Buddhism was wellestablished in Thailand and here in Bangkok, closeon 90% of Thais are now Buddhist.

到11世紀時，小乘佛教已在泰國發(fā)展起來?，F(xiàn)在的曼谷有將近90%泰國人是佛教徒。

The reason that Buddhism has thrived so vigorously and tenaciously here is because rightfrom its very outset, it's had the support of the Thai kings.

佛教能夠在泰國的發(fā)展如此蓬勃興盛、經(jīng)久不衰，是因為在它剛剛開始的時候就得到了泰國國王們的支持。

A king here can aspire to be a Buddha himself and there is one king who was actually a monkfor 25 years before he came to the throne.

這里的國王可以有志于成佛，事實上，有位國王在登基之前曾出家為僧25年。

Every time the royal family builds a new palace for itself,

皇室每到修建新宮殿的時候，

it will also construct next door a monastery and a temple complex as a kind of outward signof its righteousness and commitment to the Buddhist cause.

都會在宮殿旁修建一座修道院和佛殿群，以此來對外彰顯其權(quán)位的正當性，及其向佛之心。

And here in Bangkok, the temple complex is certainly fit for a king.

而在曼谷，這里的寺廟建筑群無疑是為國王量身打造的。

This is Wat Pho, our next wonder of the Buddhist world.

這里是臥佛寺，我們要拜訪的的下一處佛教圣地。

It's the largest and oldest temple complex in Bangkok.

這是曼谷最大最古老的寺廟建筑群。

It's home to more than 1,000 Buddha images.

超過1000尊佛像供奉在這里。

The complex includes a temple, a working monastery and a large courtyard with a forest ofstupas, thick with exquisite hand-made lotus motifs.

建筑群包括一座佛殿、一處經(jīng)堂、一個巨大的庭院，以及林立在庭院中的眾多佛塔。佛塔上雕飾著精美華麗的手刻蓮花圖案。

And hidden within its own palatial hall...the golden reclining Buddha.

還有隱藏在宏偉大殿內(nèi)的...黃金臥佛。