The Xingjiao Temple

大家早上好！昨晚休息的还好吗？现在我们要出发去今天的第一个景点——兴教寺。

兴教寺是我国唐代著名翻译家、旅行家玄奘法师长眠之地，位于西安城南约20千米处。

玄奘从印度取经回来后，倾注全部心血译经19年，不幸积劳成疾，于公元644年圆寂于玉华宫（今陕西铜川市）。玄奘去世后，遗体运回长安，安葬在东郊白鹿原上。白鹿原地势很高，在皇宫内的含元殿就能看到。高宗十分敬重玄奘，当听到玄奘逝世的噩耗时，他曾罢朝志哀，连连哀叹：“朕失国宝矣。”每当看到白鹿原上玄奘的茔墓，高宗都禁不住伤心泪下。他想长期这样下去必然有损自己的身体健康，于是诏令将玄奘的遗骨于公元669年迁葬到远离长安城的少陵塬上，同时修建了寺院。唐肃宗为玄奘的舍利塔亲自题写了塔额“兴教”二字，意思是要继承玄奘的事业，大兴佛教。从此，这个寺院就叫兴教寺。

现在的兴教寺是1922年和1939年重修的。1949年后，政府又多次拨款整修这座唐代名刹。现在兴教寺是全国重点文物保护单位。

寺内大雄宝殿里的铜佛像是明代遗物，玉佛像是缅甸赠送的。东边的藏经楼内珍藏有历代经卷数千册。西边的3座楼阁式仿木结构砖塔就是幸存下来的玄奘及其两个上座弟子的舍利塔。中间是玄奘的舍利塔，共5层，高23米，塔底的拱形券洞里有玄奘法师的泥塑像。塔北镶有《唐三藏大遍觉法师法铭》碑，碑文记叙了玄奘的生平事迹。东边是玄奘上座弟子圆测的舍利塔，西边是玄奘另一位上座弟子窥基的舍利塔。

佛像前的点心、炸食都是当地群众来寺院上香时献的供品。我国宪法明文规定，公民有信仰宗教的自由，因而兴教寺香火四季不断。

现在呢，我想为大家介绍一下玄奘法师徒弟的故事。

传说玄奘从印度回来后，就在慈恩寺内潜心译经。尽管他不分昼夜地伏案工作，然而单靠他一人何年何月才能译完那600多部经卷呢？而且随着年龄的增长，他的身体又日渐衰弱。于是玄奘决心物色几个有志于佛学研究的人，教会他们梵文，一则帮助自己译经，二则在自己百年之后，能将自己的事业传承下去。一天，玄奘在曲江岸上散步，偶然遇到了一位气度不凡的少年，经询问，得知他是唐开国元勋尉迟恭之侄，叫尉迟洪道。玄奘决心收他为徒。太宗得知后，赐尉迟洪道法名窥基。窥基聪慧好学，刻苦钻研佛教经论，很快学会了梵文。他不但成为玄奘译经的得力助手，还撰写了多部佛学著作。他17岁出家拜玄奘为师，把毕生的精力都奉献给了佛教事业，直到50岁时，圆寂于译经院的书案旁。人们为了表彰他译经不辍的精神，特地将他陪葬在玄奘法师的舍利塔旁。

比起窥基来，圆测成为玄奘的弟子就颇费了一番周折。圆测是新罗王的孙子，乘遣唐使船来到长安。他很想拜玄奘为师，却又怕玄奘不肯收他为徒，就设法买通了大慈恩寺的守门僧人，每天晚上在窗外偷听玄奘给窥基传授唯识论。一天晚上，圆测正在窗外偷听，却不料被窥基发现，当即被“捉拿归案”。圆测长跪在地，恳求玄奘收他为徒。圆测不但精通梵文，而且熟悉汉语，在长安佛教界颇有名气。窥基害怕他夺走自己上座弟子的位置，就故意刁难他，让圆测讲解唯识论。圆测将计就计，趁势将偷听到的唯识论滔滔不绝地讲了一遍。玄奘十分满意，当即收他为徒。后来，圆测成为惟识宗的继承人之一。他临死前，嘱咐弟子将自己陪葬在师傅的舍利塔旁。

Good morning，everyone.Did you have a good rest last night？Now let's go to our first scenic spot today——the Xingjiao Temple.

About 20 kilometers to the south of Xi'an lies the Xingjiao Temple.The temple is the burial ground for the remains of Xuanzang，afamous translator and traveler of the Tang Dynasty.

After he returned from India with Buddhist scrip tures，Xuanzang spent 19 years in translat－ing the Bud dhist scriptures into Chinese.The constant overwork first caused his illness，and then his death.He died in 644 AD at the Yuhua Palace（in today's Tong chuan，Shaanxi）.His remains were then carried to Chang'an，and buried on the Bailu（White Deer）Plateau，which has a high elevation and can be clearly seen from the Hanyuan Imperial Palace. When he was alive，Xuanzang was deeply respec ted by Emperor Li Zhi.His death therefore caused the emperor great sorrow.The moment he heard the bad news，the emperor stopped all his imperial affairs to pay tribute to the master.He said repeat edly with a sigh，“I have lost a national treasure.”The emperor wept each time he saw Xuanzang's tomb on the distant plateau.This continuous deep sorrow would surely have done harm to his health. Thus，Xuanzang's remains were removed to the Shao ling Plateau in 699 AD，and placed in a tomb which was built in memory of him.Emperor Li Heng wrote the two characters“Xing Jiao”on the stupa in mem ory of Xuanzang.Xing Jiao means let what Xu anzang had started continue and that Buddhism should flourish；hence the name of present temple.

The present temple was actually rebuilt in 1922 and 1939.After 1949，the government sponsored a series of repairs on the temple.It is now a national monument.

In the temple，the bronze Buddha in the main hall dates back to the Ming Dynasty，and the jade Buddha is a present from Burma.The building on the east side of the temple is the depositary of Buddhist scriptures.It contains thousands of copies of Buddhist scriptures.The three pavilion－style stupas on the west，mo－deled after wooden structures，are the only survi－vors of the temple.The one in the middle is Xuanzang's stupa.It is a five－storied structure，23 meters high.There is a clay sculpture of Xuanzang inside the arched cave at the base of the stupa.Inlaid on its backside is a tablet with The Epigraph of Master Dapianjue of the Tripitaka，which tells the life story of Xuanzang.The stupa on the east side is for Yuance，and the one on the west is for Kuiji.Both of them were Xuanzang's senior disciples.

The pastry and fried cakes in front of the bronze Buddha are tokens of homage offered by local worshipers.It is stipulated in our constitution that Chinese citizens enjoy the freedom of religious belief. That many Chinese citizens enjoy this freedom is evidenced by the joss sticks and candles in the temple all year round.

Now I want to tell you something about the disciples of Xuanzang.

The legend goes that Xuanzang buried himself in the translation of Buddhist scriptures in the temple immediately after he returned from India.He diligently worked around the clock.The translation of over 600scriptures was indeed an impossible task for a single man，considering the fact that he was getting old and his health was failing.Therefore，Xuanzang decided to find some people who were willing to dedicate themselves to the study of Buddhism. He would teach them Sanskrit，and they could not only assist him in the translation，but also carry on his work after his death.One day，as he was taking a stroll on the bank of the Qujiang River，Xuanzang came across a young man with a remarkable character.On inquiry，he learned that the youth was Yuchi Hongdao，a nephew of one of the founders of the Tang Dynasty，Yuchi Gong.Xuanzang wanted the young man to be his disciple.Later，Emperor Taizong gave the youth the Buddhist name，Kuiji. An intelligent and hardworking young man，Kuiji soon obtained a good command of Sanskrit，and devoted himself to the study of Buddhist scriptures and theories.He was a capable assistant to Xuanzang，and wrote many books on Buddhism as well.He died at the age of 50 at a desk in the translation chamber，and was buried alongside his master in memory of his devotion to Buddhism.

Compared with Kuiji，Yuance had a hard time in becoming Xuanzang's disciple.Yuance was the grandson of the emperor of Xinluo.He came to Chang'an on an envoy mission.He was eager to have Xuanzang as his master，but was afraid of be ing declined.He bribed the door－keeper at the Da Ci'en Temple so that he could be allowed to listen to Xuanzang when he taught Kuiji by eavesdropping at night.He was，however，caught red－handed one night by Kuiji.He then knelt down，pleading to be accepted as a disciple of Xuanzang.Yuance was versed in both Chinese and Sanskrit，and gained much fame in the Buddhist circle in Chang'an.Kuiji was afraid that Yuance could be better than him.He tried to make things difficult for Yuance by making him interpret the Buddhist classics to Xuanzang. Yuance was pleased to have the chance and poured out what he learned by eavesdropping.His elo quence greatly impressed Xuanzang，who immedi ately made him his disciple.Later，Yuance became one of the successors of the Weishi Sect.During the last minutes of his life，he requested that he be bur ied beside his master.

快乐旅途

成年人的抉择

An Adult's Decision

我儿子十八岁前的那一年，他反复要我准许他文身。但我拒绝允许他这样做。他争辩说他不久就要成为男子汉了，并说他应该能够做出成年人的抉择了。果然，他十八岁生日的几天后，他文了身，回到家里。尽管我对此感到不高兴，但出于好奇，我还是想看看他选择了什么雄性象征物。原来是他在肩上文了一个两英寸长的米老鼠像。

The year before my son turned 18，he constantly pleaded to be allowed to a tattoo，but I refused to sign permission for one.He argued that soon he would be a man and he should be able to make adult's decisions.Sure enough，a few days after his 18th birthday，he come home with a tattoo.Although I was not happy about this，I was curious to see what symbol of masculinity he had chosen.There，on his shoulder，was a two－inch image of Mickey Mouse.