BBC：古代圣贤（2015）（1）

他们现在对佛陀的思想有了明确的解释
They now had a definitive account of the Buddha’s ideas.
在接下来的几个世纪里，佛陀的教义
For the next few centuries, the Buddha’s message
由僧伽代代相传
was kept live by the Sangha.
但具有讽刺意味的是，佛教正在向更广阔的世界扩张
But ironically, Buddhism’s expansion to the wider world
也受到了一位暴君的礼遇
would come courtesy of a despot.
（不祥的音乐）
(ominous music)
佛陀死后200年，
200 years after the Buddha’s death,
现代印度的大部分地区都被无情的阿育王统治着
most of what is modern India was ruled
by the ruthless Emperor Ashoka.
这口井位于阿育王的古都巴特纳，
This well in Ashoka’s ancient capital, Patna,
据信是他专门建造的刑讯室
is believed to have been his purpose-built torture chamber.
这里有人告诉我们，阿育王的虐待狂拷问者
We’re told that here, Ashoka’s sadistic head torturer
会让受害者开口
would prize open the mouths of his victims
把熔化的铜倒进他们的喉咙里
and pour molten copper down their throats.
但是，大约在公元前262年，在一场特别无情的战争
But then, around 262 BC, following a particularly pitiless
和血腥的胜利之后，阿育王突然反感
and bloody victory, Ashoka suddenly had a sickening
自己所造成的所有痛苦
realization of all the suffering that he’d caused.
他改变了主意，这是最戏剧性的
And his change of heart could not have been more dramatic.
援引佛陀的非暴♥力♥教义，
Invoking the nonviolent teachings of the Buddha,
并向所有人表示他由衷的悔恨
and declaring his heartfelt remorse for all
他发誓从现在起，
of his murderous actions, he vowed that from here on in,
他会公正地执政
he would govern righteously.
改革后的皇帝用磐石树起他的新信仰
The reformed emperor set his new beliefs in stone.
他寻找与佛陀生活有关的事件
He sought out sights associated with the Buddha’s life
并竖立了高达15米的柱子
and erected pillars up to 15 meters high.
在这样做的过程中，他为了对未来的朝圣者有用，将它们标写出来
In doing so, he marked them out
for the benefit of future pilgrims.
他在石头上刻了这样的铭文，
He had inscriptions like this carved into stone,
就在他帝国的另一边
right across his empire.
但这些法令并没有美化战争的胜利
But these edicts didn’t lionize his victories in battle.
相反，他们宣布他厌恶暴♥力♥，
Instead, they declared his revulsion of violence,
并敦促臣民过道德的生活
and urged his subjects to live moral
还有富有慈悲心的生活
and compassionate lives.
阿育王放弃了征服，废除了死刑
Ashoka gave up conquest, and abolished the death penalty.
他解放奴隶，建立免费医院
He liberated slaves, set up free hospitals.
首都禁止动物祭祀，
Animal sacrifice was banned in the capital,
还有各种各样的动物，包括鹦鹉，
and a wide range of animals, including parrots,
乌龟、豪猪成为了受保护物种
tortoises, porcupines, became protected species.
他从印度派出了任务，
He sent missions out of India,
将佛教原则带到斯里兰卡，
taking Buddhist principles to Sri Lanka,
中东和整个亚洲
the Middle East, and across Asia.
佛教将继续统治印度
Buddhism would continue to dominate the Indian
在接下来的一个半千年里
subcontinent for the next one and a half millennia.
富有的赞助人慷慨解囊
Wealthy patrons donated generously.
包含据说是文物的佛塔
Stupas containing what were said to be relics
佛陀的肖像，以及描绘他一生的雕塑
of the Buddha, and sculptures depicting his life
出现在大地上
emerged across the landscape.
但在我看来，这个时代最伟大的遗产就在这里，
But to my mind, the greatest legacy of this time is here,
那烂陀寺
at Nalanda.
来到这里真好，
It is just such a treat to be here,
这个地方有自己的特色
because this place has a claim to be
世界上最古老的大学
the oldest university in the world.
我们知道这里有一个严肃的教育机构
We know there was a serous educational establishment here
至少从公元五世纪开始，
from at least the fifth century AD,
你必须试着想象它的全盛时期
and you have to try to imagine it in its heyday.
它会引起国际学者的关注
It would have been buzzing with international scholars
他们来自遥远的印度尼西亚，西♥藏♥，
who came from as far afield as Indonesia, Tibet,
中国、土耳其和日本
China, Turkey, and Japan.
它有一个巨大的校园，有数千名学生
It had a huge campus, with thousands of students.
200个村庄满足了学生的实际需求
200 villages supplied the students’ practical needs.
数学、政♥治♥、文学都在这里学习，
Maths, politics, literature were all studied here,
但其中特别强调佛教
but there was particular emphasis on Buddhism.
藏有数以千计的佛教手稿
Thousands of Buddhist manuscripts were housed
在一栋九层楼的建筑里
in a nine-storied building.
这是中世纪世界所羡慕的
It was the envy of the Medieval world.
一位中国学者显然很喜欢这里 （玄奘）
One Chinese scholar clearly adored it here.
那里有装饰华丽的塔楼和童话般的砖塔
There are richly adorned towers and fairy tale turrets.
屋顶覆盖着反射光线的瓷砖
Roofs covered with tiles that reflect the light
千姿百态
in a thousand shades.
那里有观天象台和楼上的房♥间
There are observatories, and the upper rooms
高耸入云
tower above the clouds.
这些东西增加了景色的美
These things add to the beauty of the scene.
对考古那烂陀调遗迹的新兴趣
Renewed interest in Nalanda’s legacy of inquiry
由诺贝尔经济学奖曾经的得主领导
has been led by Nobel Prize-winning economist,
阿马蒂亚·森
Amartya Sen.
你认为佛陀会同意吗
Do you think that the Buddha would have approved
那烂陀发生了什么？
of what went on at Nalanda?
我想他会非常赞同的
I would think he very much would have approved.
它是受他的想法启发的，它是受这个想法启发的
It was inspired by his ideas, it was inspired by the idea
我们必须通过反思来解决问题，
that we have to solve problems by reflection,
通过知识，通过批判性的检查
by knowledge, by critical examination.
你知道，他试着禁食，但这对他没有任何帮助
You know, he tried fasting and it didn’t do anything for him
他决定通过折磨躯体，
and he decided that by torturing the body,
你不能提高你的思维
you don’t improve your mind.
你通过培养心智来提高心智
You improve the mind by cultivating the mind.
有些人可能认为这是违反直觉的
Some people might think it’s counterintuitive
那烂陀正在教授佛教，
that Buddhism is being taught at Nalanda,
除了数学、科学和语法
alongside maths and science and grammar.
但这是其中对世界的实际理解的一部分，不是吗？
But it’s part of that kind
of practical understanding of the world, isn’t it?
这也是佛教对世界理解的一部分
It’s part of a Buddhist understanding of the world, too.
也就是说，你必须关注这些问题
Namely that you have to be concerned with those issues
在死亡率范围内，
that move people, within the mortality,
残疾，发病率，看不到
disability, morbidity, it won’t be seen
在与佛教研究的任何冲突中，
in any kind of conflict with Buddhist study,
因为佛教也是关于人生的
because Buddhism is also about human life.
你觉得佛陀怎么样
What would you say the Buddha
必须向当今世界奉献吗？
has to offer the world today?
佛陀认定的一件事
One of the things that Buddha identified
你有可能就好的行动达成一致，
is that it’s possible for you to agree on good action,
不一定要就更大的问题达成一致，
without necessarily agreeing on a bigger,
形而上学的宇宙观
metaphysical view of the universe.
当我有幸获得诺贝尔奖时，
When I was fortunate to get the Nobel,
那笔钱大部分是我给
I gave the bulk of that money
了帮助基础教育，
to help elementary education,
基本医疗保健和性别平等
elementary healthcare, and gender equity.
同时，我也没有什么大的信仰
At the same time, I don’t have any great belief
在宗教和上帝中
in religion and god.
但正是佛陀改变了这个问题：
But it was the Buddha who changed the question from:
有上帝吗？
is there god?
对于如何表现这样的问题，
To questions like how to behave,
不管有没有上帝
no matter whether there is god or not.
我认为这是游戏规则的改变者。
And I think that’s a game-changer.
（沉思的音乐）
(pensive music)
佛教一直占主导地位
Buddhism had been in the ascendancy.
但从七世纪开始，模式的变化
But from the seventh century, changes in patterns
赞助人的数量开始影响像那烂陀这样的大机构
of patronage began to affect big institutions like Nalanda.
富有的捐赠者的物品逐渐消失了
Gifts from rich benefactors ebbed away.
婆罗门主义一直是一种强大的存在，
Brahminism had always remained a strong presence,
越来越多的人返回
and people drifted back in greater numbers.
它开始主导国家治理，
It began to dominate state governance,
以牺牲佛教为代价
at Buddhism’s expense.
12和13世纪的穆♥斯♥林♥征服者
Muslim conquerors in the 12th and 13th centuries
洗劫寺院和寺庙
sacked monasteries and temples.
据说那烂陀被点燃了，
Nalanda is said to have been put to the torch,
燃烧了三天
and to have burned for three days.
佛教在它的出生地几乎消失了
The Buddhist way of life all but disappeared
in the land of its birth.
（戏剧音乐）
(dramatic music)
但佛教已经在发展
But Buddhism was already on the move.
它已经以惊人的速度在亚洲各地传播，
It had already traveled at a furious pace throughout Asia,
并将继续广泛传播
and would continue its journey