Buddhism is one of the most ancient belief systems in the world.
佛教是世上最为古老的信仰体系之一。
Buddhism is both a religion and a philosophy.
它既是一种宗教,也是一种哲学。
Only your own understanding saves you from suffering.
只有你自己的认识才能挽救你于苦海。
It is practised by over 350 million people today.
如今,逾3.5亿人修习佛法。
There are many people who feel attracted to a religion which empowers the human individual.
许多人被佛教吸引因为它能激励每一个人。
I am going to travel to seven wonders of the Buddhist world.
我将前往佛教世界的七大圣地。
Seven wonders that give an insight to the long and rich history of Buddhism.
通过这七大圣地理解佛教悠久丰富的历史。
At each location I'll meet Buddhists who will help me to understand the different concepts that form the core of Buddhist belief.
在每一站,我都会拜访当地的佛教徒,他们将帮助我理解构成佛教信仰核心的各种概念。
I'm going to explore how it started, where it travelled and some of the most spectacular monuments built by Buddhists right across the globe.
我将去探索它的起源及传播,并拜访世界各地佛教徒所修建的一些最壮观的纪念建筑。
And to try to get to the bottom of the attraction of this philosophy for mankind for close on 2,500 years.
并试图弄清这种哲学历经2500年仍然对人类具有吸引力的原因。
Buddhism's numbers grow year on year and I'll be uncovering why as I experience seven modern and ancient wonders of the Buddhist world.
佛教徒的数量逐年增长,我将在游历这古今七大佛教圣地的过程中找出其缘由。
This is north-eastern India, where Buddhism began around 500 years before Christ.
这里是印度东北部,在大约公元前500年,佛教起源于此。
Millions of pilgrims come to this country, and to the sacred city of Bodh Gaya,
数以百万计的朝圣者来到这个国度,奔向圣城菩提伽耶。
to visit the place where a young Indian Prince underwent a life-changing personal transformation and came to be known as the Buddha.
在此地,一位年轻的印度王子曾经历了改变人生的自我转化,成为我们所知的“佛陀”。
I've studied the period in history when the Buddha lived for over 20 years and I just love it.
我研究佛陀在世的历史时代已有20多年了,我真为之着迷。
Because this was such a radical age.
因为那是一个激情澎湃的年代。
This was a time when men like the Buddha, and Socrates in Ancient Greece, turned the world of belief upside down.
就在那时,像佛陀和古希腊的苏格拉底这样的人彻底颠覆了原有信仰世界。
Instead of focusing on tradition and convention and ritual, they dealt with ethics and the possibilities of the human mind.
他们不再拘泥于传统、习俗和仪式,而是深入到了伦理道德以及人类心灵的契机。