[中国汉传密学研究院编译局] 佛陀生日是感恩的时间2010年5月3日《水银报》

[ VCM] 佛陀生日是感恩的时间2010年5月3日《水银报》第13页　

佛陀生日是感恩的时间

Buddha birthday time for thanks

Kane Young笔

和谐、世界和平和非暴力都包括在生日的取愿目录上，昨天在本地佛教组织聚会一起庆祝佛陀生日的吉祥节日。　

Harmony, world peace and non-violence were on the birthday wish list yesterday when the local Buddhist community came together to celebrate the auspicious occasion of Buddha’s birthday.

超过三百人，代表世界许多不同的宗教和传统文化，聚会在皞峇灯的佛教世界总部来纪念　大圣　释迦牟尼佛的诞生的第二五五四周年。

More than 300 people, representing many of the world’s religions and cultures, gathered at the Buddhist head-quarters in Hobart to mark the 2554th anniversary of the birth of the Great Holy Sakyamuni Buddha.

这多色多彩的典礼有许多发言、现埸的音乐表演和传统的舞蹈示范，然后达到传统的“浴佛仪规”的顶峰。

The colourful ceremony featured a number of speeches, live music performance and traditional dance demonstrations, before culminating in the traditional “bathing Buddha” ritual.

回至中国三国时代（公元220-280），浴佛的仪规是用香芬而有香料的水浴在佛陀的婴儿像上面。现在全世界的佛教徒都以这个沐浴的传统庆祝佛陀的生日，据说是会改善和谐和内在的平衡，因为“洗掉身体外的肮脏很容易，但是要洗净一个人内在的贪、瞋和疑是很困难的。”

Dating back to China’s Three Kingdoms Period (220-280AD), the bathing ritual involves ladling fragrant water steeped with herbs over a statue of the infant Buddha.

Buddhists around the world still celebrate Buddha’s birthday with the bathing tradition, which is said to improve harmony and inner balance as “it is simple to wash away physical dirt but much more difficult to cleanse one’s inner dirt of greed, anger and ignorance”.

作为佛教年历上最重要的节日，这圣诞相同于美国的感恩节。

One of the most significant events on the Buddhist calendar, the Holy Birthday is the Buddhists’ equivalent of Thanksgiving in the US.

昨天这个聚会感恩了佛陀的加持，以及澳洲多元文化政策以及在这二十年来塔州社会的支持。

Yesterday the gathering gave thanks for Buddha’s blessing, the success of Australia’s multicultural policy and the support of the Tasmanian community over the past 20 years.

金刚禅领袖王信得感谢了塔州人民欢迎这仰的成员来到本地社会，也说昨天多元性的人群正面地反应了塔州多元文化政策。

Jin Gang Dhyana leader master Wang Xin-De thanked Tasmanians for welcoming members of the faith into the local community, and said yesterday’s diverse crowd reflected positively on Tasmania’s multicultural society.