Shaolin in Berlin-The First But Not the Last
美式发音 适合精听
经济的飞速发展、法治的日益完善、奥运会的成功举办等等成就固然让世界瞩目,但中华传统文化的传播和弘扬同样受到越来越多的关注。作为中国传统武术——少林功夫发源地的嵩山少林寺在国外设立分院就是一个很好的例子。它的成功恰恰展现了中国风靡全球的无限潜力。
Mt. Song: one of the most sacred places in China, a tourist destination, home to the Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and of Shaolin Kung Fu. It takes years of training to become a Shaolin master, but nothing can prepare them for this. Six young monks are on an extraordinary journey. They travel halfway around the world to Berlin, Germany. Their mission: to establish Shaolin’s first official temple outside of China. Theirs is a remarkable journey. They are martial monks; equally 1)adept in 2)scripture and Kung Fu. But are they capable of 3)imparting the true Shaolin culture to German students, whose only knowledge of Shaolin is from Kung Fu movies?
It was big news in Germany when the Shaolin Kung Fu monks came to town. The Germans were more than happy. Journalists flooded the new temple, so too did students, eager to join. It was front- page news.
There is enormous media 4)buzz about their arrival. It seems that everyone has an interest in Kung Fu. It’s Kung Fu that first catches the attention of the German audience. But as the Germans will soon find out, martial arts really only play a small part in the daily life of a Shaolin monk.
Most students first come for the ancient form of martial arts. Kung Fu is the glamourous side of the Shaolin culture. It’s the main attraction for the youngest members of the temple. 5)Rigourous physical training is central to Shaolin life. Monks use Kung Fu to relax after hours of 6)meditation, but for young Berliners, it’s just a way of having fun. Meditation is as important as Kung Fu. Mastering Shaolin requires the understanding of both. That’s as true in Germany as it is on Mt. Song. No matter where you are, there is only one Shaolin way.
嵩山是中国最神圣的地方之一,也是观光胜地。少林寺就在这里,这里是佛教禅宗和少林功夫的发源地。要成为少林大师必须经过多年的训练,但我们要说的这件事没法事先训练。六名年轻和尚踏上了一次不寻常之旅,他们要横跨半个地球到德国柏林,他们的任务是在中国境外建立第一座正式的少林寺。这是一趟非常特别的旅程。他们是武僧,同时精通佛经和功夫。不过,他们能不能把真正的少林文化传授给只从功夫电影认识少林寺的德国学员呢?
少林武僧抵达柏林是大新闻。德国人兴奋异常,大批记者涌进新寺庙,还有很多人迫不及待要报名成为学员。这成了头版新闻。
他们的到来造成了媒体轰动,好像大家都对功夫感兴趣。首先引起德国观众注意的是功夫,但德国人很快就会发现,武术在少林和尚的日常生活中只占很小一部分。
大多数学员一开始都冲着古老的武术来到这里,但功夫只是少林文化迷人的一面,寺庙里最年轻的学员主要是被武术吸引而来。严格的体能训练是少林生活的核心。和尚在打坐数小时后用功夫来放松,但对柏林的年轻人来说,功夫只是玩乐的一种方式。打坐跟功夫一样重要,要两样都懂才能理解少林文化。这一点在德国和在嵩山没有什么区别。不管人在什么地方,少林之道只有一种。
The Berlin temple provides the full Shaolin experience. For some students, Kung Fu is enough. Others want more. Prayer, chanting, study and meditation are all part of Shaolin life. There are many paths to enlightenment and following them consumes a large part of the monk’s waking hours.
They’re special German Christmas cookies, but it’s not Christmas. Cultures blend and 7)mesh in new and unexpected ways when crossing continents. Cookies for Buddha are the first of many cultural exchanges.
Although the Shaolin temple in Berlin is small, its reach is long. Almost every week, the monks are invited to teach not only here, but in neighbouring regions as well. The monk’s frequent road trips are a sign of the Berlin temple’s success. In a little over two years, the Berlin temple has grown to 500 8)disciples. A move to a larger space is urgent and there are even bigger plans for the future.
The Berlin temple has been a 9)rousing success. Stereotypes have been broken. German students now know that there is more to Shaolin than bulletproof, flying monks. More temples are opening across Europe and the world. With continuing cultural exchanges, Shaolin’s legacy is assured.
柏林少林寺提供完整的少林体验。有些学员只学功夫就满足了,但有些学员想学更多。祈福、诵经、钻研佛经和打坐都是少林生活的一部分。悟道的方式有很多种,按照这些方法修行占据了和尚的大部分时间。
这是很特别的德国圣诞饼干,但现在不是圣诞节。跨越两大洲不同的文化以意想不到的全新方式交织融合。给佛祖供奉饼干是众多文化交流的首个表现。
虽然柏林的少林寺很小,但影响范围很广。不仅是在柏林,而且在邻近地区,每星期都有人邀请和尚去讲课。少林和尚要不停地到外地去讲课,这正是柏林少林寺成功的一个标志。柏林少林寺成立才两年多,学员就已经有五百人。把少林寺搬到更大的房子里去迫在眉睫,将来还有更宏伟的计划。
柏林少林寺非常成功,旧有的观念被打破了,德国学员现在知道,少林文化不仅仅是刀枪不入,飞檐走壁的和尚。欧洲和世界各地也有了更多类似的寺庙。通过持续不断的文化交流,少林文化一定可以传承下去。
翻译:丁一
