在新泽西州一条高速公路附近，有一座大型佛像。
📖 逐句对照翻译
In the eastern American state of New Jersey, a large statue of Buddha has become a gathering place for people of many religious faiths.
在美国东部的新泽西州，一尊巨大的佛像已成为众多不同宗教信仰人士的聚集之地。
The nine-meter-high statue has stood among the woods in Franklin Township since 2009.
这座九米高的雕像自2009年起便矗立在富兰克林镇的树林中。
It was built under the leadership of the Venerable Hungampola Sirirathana Nayaka Thera, a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka.
它是在斯里兰卡佛教僧侣洪甘波拉·西里拉塔纳·纳亚卡长老的领导下建成的。
He says his dream is to unite people of all faiths.
他说他的梦想是团结所有信仰的人。
The statue is on the grounds of the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center.
这座雕像位于新泽西州佛教精舍与冥想中心的庭院内。
The center has become a spiritual place for Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians.
该中心已成为佛教徒、印度教徒和基督徒的精神圣地。
Among those who praise the center are a Princeton University professor who grew up in a Korean Christian church and who follows Tibetan Buddhism; a leader of the local Nepali community who organizes interfaith gatherings; and a woman who became a Buddhist after living near the statue.
赞扬该中心的人包括：一位在韩国基督教会长大、后来信奉藏传佛教的普林斯顿大学教授；一位组织跨信仰聚会的当地尼泊尔社区领袖；以及一位在雕像附近居住后皈依佛教的女士。
“It just seems to be a nexus where a lot of people connect,” said Daniel Choi.
丹尼尔·崔说：“这里似乎成了一个许多人相互联系的纽带。”
He follows Tibetan Buddhism and teaches writing at Princeton.
他信奉藏传佛教，并在普林斯顿大学教授写作。
He has been meditating in front of the Buddha statue since 2015.
自2015年以来，他一直在佛像前冥想。
Choi said that the center is open to the public.
崔说该中心向公众开放。
He said that is unlike most Buddhist centers in the U.S. which are run by private organizations, “where you wouldn’t be able to go in for open practice,” he said.
他说，这与美国大多数由私人组织运营的佛教中心不同，“在那些地方，你无法进去参加公开修行，”他说。
He also noted that the center is in an unexpected place.
他还指出，该中心位于一个意想不到的地方。
Thera built the statue and meditation center behind a house close to a highway.
Thera在靠近高速公路的一所房子后面建造了雕像和冥想中心。
“You hear traffic; you hear cars rushing by; you hear airplanes flying above…You hear the construction work going on,” Choi said.
崔说：“你听到车流声，听到汽车疾驰而过，听到飞机从头顶飞过……你听到正在进行的施工声。”
The meditation center follows Theravada, the main form of Buddhism observed in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand.
该禅修中心遵循上座部佛教，这是斯里兰卡、缅甸和泰国所信奉的佛教主要形式。
But it welcomes all Buddhist traditions and other faiths.
但它欢迎所有佛教传统和其他信仰。
When Choi first visited, he was surprised to find a statue of Kuan Yin, the Buddhist goddess of compassion.
崔第一次到访时，惊讶地发现了一尊观音像——佛教中的慈悲女神。
The goddess is important in Mahayana Buddhism observed in Tibet, China and Korea.
这位女神在中国西藏、韩国等地所信奉的大乘佛教中具有重要地位。
“For me that was very welcoming because I thought: ’OK, so there’s something for me as well,’”
“对我来说，这非常令人感到欢迎，因为我想：‘好吧，那么也有适合我的东西。’”
Choi said.
崔说。
Local students have painted a wall in the center with images showing different world religions, from Baha’i and Christianity to Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.
当地学生在市中心的一面墙上绘制了展现世界不同宗教的图像，从巴哈伊教、基督教到锡克教和琐罗亚斯德教，不一而足。
All of these religions are practiced in New Jersey.
所有这些宗教都在新泽西州有人信奉。
Tulsi Maharjan is director of the nonprofit organization Friends of Nepal - New Jersey.
图尔西·马哈尔詹是非营利组织“新泽西州尼泊尔之友”的主任。
He has led projects involving more than one religion, including the wall painting and a peace garden.
他领导的项目涉及不止一种宗教，包括壁画和和平花园。
He said that when he first came to New Jersey 35 years ago, he had to drive almost three hours to go to a Buddhist temple.
他说，35年前他初到新泽西时，得开将近三个小时的车才能到一座佛教寺庙。
But now, people from all over the world live near the Vihara Meditation center and statue.
但如今，来自世界各地的人们居住在毗诃罗禅修中心和佛像附近。
“Now, within ten minutes…from my home, I can go to the Buddhist temple. But there are so many others,” he said listing nearby Jain, Sikh and Hindu temples that make him proud of the religious diversity in central New Jersey.
“现在，从我家出发十分钟内……我就能到佛教寺庙。但还有很多其他的，”他列举了附近的耆那教、锡克教和印度教寺庙，这些让他为新泽西中部地区的宗教多样性感到自豪。
Maharjan said that anybody who comes to the temple “feels so calm and collected once they see that big Buddha.”
马哈尔詹说，任何来到寺庙的人“一看到那尊大佛像，就会感到非常平静和从容。”
Carol Kuehn is a 76-year-old retired high school teacher who lives next to the Buddhist center.
卡罗尔·库恩是一位76岁的退休高中教师，住在佛教中心旁边。
Kuehn said: “It’s the first thing I look at in the morning.”
库恩说：“这是我每天早上第一件要看的东西。”
Kuehn grew up in a Christian family and became interested in Buddhism after reading Herman Hesse’s novel Siddhartha.
库恩在一个基督教家庭长大，在读了赫尔曼·黑塞的小说《悉达多》后对佛教产生了兴趣。
She became a Buddhist after the leader of the temple arrived in 2002.
2002年寺庙住持到来后，她皈依了佛教。
Buddhism, she said, helped her deal with grief after the death of her husband.
她说，佛教帮助她走出了丈夫去世后的悲痛。
“The whole point of Buddhism is to live in the moment,” she said.
“佛教的核心要义就是活在当下，”她说。
I’m Andrew Smith.
我是安德鲁·史密斯。
Luis Andres Henao wrote this story for The Associated Press.
路易斯·安德烈斯·埃瑙为美联社撰写了这篇报道。
Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English.
安德鲁·史密斯为VOA英语学习频道改编了它。
