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New Beginnings in the Skies of Tibet 天葬：天人合一的生命新页

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It’s dawn on the plateau, and a small group of people stand around a cluster of rocks, while above them vultures circle expectantly. A dead body is placed on a flat rock, and ___1___ the family retreats out of view, a monk begins, with little ceremony, to hack the body to pieces. Flesh is torn from the bones, which are ___2___ smashed with a sledgehammer. Finally, the excited vultures swoop down and swiftly devour everything.

黎明时分的高原上，有一小群人围站在一堆石块旁，等着饱餐一顿的秃鹰在他们头顶上方盘旋。一具死尸被平放在一块石板上。在家属退到看不见的地方后，几乎没举行什么仪式，一名僧侣便开始把尸体砍成碎片。肉从骨头上扯下来，接着再用大槌子把骨头敲碎。最后，迫不及待的秃鹰呼啸而下，以风卷残云之势，吃个精光。

No … this isn’t a scene from a horror movie, but a traditional Tibetan practice known as “sky burial.” Though it may seem ___3___ to some outsiders, Tibetans are Buddhists, and as such believe that when a person dies, their spirit departs, ___4___ the body an empty vessel. Thus, any form of burial is simply a way to dispose of the remains. Furthermore, it’s a custom that arose out of necessity, as ___5___ of Tibet’s land is too hard and stony to bury a body, and there’s little timber for cremations.

不……这不是恐怖片的场景，而是一项西藏传统习俗，称为「天葬」。虽然这对外人来说可能很残忍，但西藏人是佛教徒，他们相信人死后灵魂便跟着离开，只留下一具空壳的躯体。因此，任何形式的葬礼都只是一种处理遗体的方式。况且，这项习俗也是出于必要，因为西藏大部分的土地是坚硬的石地，难以埋葬尸体，而且可供火葬使用的木材也很少。

However, the practice isn’t without meaning. The Tibetan term for it, Jhator, ___6___ means “giving alms to the birds.” It’s an act of ___7___ by providing for other living beings. As death is seen not as an end but a new beginning, once the vultures return to the skies with full stomachs, they have simply completed one stage of life’s cycle.

然而，这项习俗并非没有意义。它的藏字Jhator意为「供养鸟类」。这种供养其他生物的行为乃是慷慨布施之举。由于死亡被视为开始，而非结束，所以一旦秃鹰在饱餐后重返天际，他们不过是完成了生命循环的一个阶段罢了。

−by Claire Tyrrell

Vocabulary

单词发音

retreat [rɪˋtrit] v. 退避，躲避

devour [dɪˋvaʊr] v. 狼吞虎咽地吃，吃光

practice [ˋpræktɪs] n. 常规，惯例

depart [dɪˋpɑrt] v. 离开，离去

dispose [dɪˋspoz] v. 处置，处理[（+of）]

More Information

单词发音

plateau [plæˋto] n. 高原

cluster [ˋklʌstɚ] n. 束，簇

vulture [ˋvʌltʃɚ] n. 秃鹰

expectantly [ɪksˋpɛktəntlɪ] adv. 期待地；期望地

hack [hæk] v. 劈，砍；乱砍

smash [smæʃ] v. 打碎，打破

sledgehammer [ˋslɛdʒ͵hæmɚ] n. 大锤

swoop [swup] v. 猛扑[（+down）]

swiftly [ˋswɪftlɪ] adv. 迅速地，敏捷地

outsider [ˋaʊtˋsaɪdɚ] n. 外人；门外汉；局外人

vessel [ˋvɛs!] n. 容器，器皿

arise [əˋraɪz] v. 形成; 产生，出现 [（+from/out of）]

timber [ˋtɪmbɚ] n. 木材，木料

cremation [krɪˋmeʃən] n. 焚化；火葬

term [tɝm] n. 专门名词，术语

alms [ɑmz] n. 施舍（物）

in turn 依次；轮到 in the proper order or in sequence; also, one at a time.

by turns 交替地, 轮流地; 相继地 alternately, one after another

about-turn 大转变 a complete change or reversal, as of opinion, attitude, direction, etc; about-face

heartless [ˋhɑrtlɪs] adj. 无情的，冷酷的

figuratively [ˋfɪgjərətɪvlɪ] adv. 比喻地；象征性地

metaphorically [͵mɛtəˋfɑrɪkəlɪ] adv. 比喻地，隐喻地

malice [ˋmælɪs] n. 恶意；敌意

Tibetan Sky Burial

Answer