“Life can only be understood backwards, and must be lived forwards.” [Soren Kierkegaard].
“生活只能向后理解，必须向前生活。” [索伦·基尔凯加德]。
I Googled my old English teacher recently. She died in a road accident 20 years ago. A Dutch driver wandered into the path of the car in which she was riding.
我最近在谷歌上搜索了我的老英语老师。 她20年前死于一场交通事故。 一名荷兰司机徘徊在她乘坐的汽车的路径上。
In a shimmer, I was back in my 13 year-old-body, trying to make sense of the end of another life on the asphalt. It made me think of roads; of travel. The roads are a dangerous hotpot. Roads are hard to face, hard to stomach, hard to resist. We want to protect ourselves; to eliminate the risk of pain or hurt or despair.
在微光中，我回到了我13岁的身体里，试图理解在沥青上另一个生命的结束。 它让我想到了道路；旅行。 道路是危险的火锅。 道路难以面对，难以忍受，难以抗拒。 我们想保护自己；消除痛苦、伤害或绝望的风险。
Yet recently, I touched the Buddha’s feet. And that, has made all the difference.
然而最近，我摸了佛陀的脚。 而这，已经使一切变得不同。
Jiangsu Province is home to the former capital of China, Nanjing. Surrounded by the splendour of Purple Mountain, Qixia Mountain and Fang Mountain, and bisected by the meandering Yangtze River, Nanjing has no shortage of beauty spots to entice and delight.
江苏省是中国前省会南京的所在地。 南京被紫山、栖霞山和方山的辉煌所包围，被蜿蜒的长江一分为二，南京不乏吸引和愉悦的景点。
However, as the temperature amps up to smelting, and the humidity reaches “hairdryer-in-a-Turkish-bath” levels here in the summer, it’s no harm to have a Plan B, C, D up the sleeve. And an “LMNOP”, just in case it’s raining also.
然而，随着温度上升到冶炼，湿度在夏天达到“土耳其浴室里的吹风机”水平，制定B、C、D计划也无妨。 还有一个“LMNOP”，以防下雨。
With that in mind, last month, I had the pleasure of visiting the Taihu (Lake Tai) area near Wuxi with a bunch of my favourite people; my students.
考虑到这一点，上个月，我有幸和一群我最喜欢的人一起参观了无锡附近的太湖（太湖）地区；我的学生。
The lake area is as picturesque as any lake could be; water birds flit across the glassy surface, flowerbeds burst in an explosion of colour to one side, bamboo groves guard the inlets to one of the largest freshwater lakes of China on the other, where tiny two-man houseboats nestle.
湖区风景如画，就像任何湖泊一样；水鸟在玻璃表面飞来飞去，花坛在一边爆发出彩色爆炸，竹林守卫着通往中国最大的淡水湖之一的入口，那里栖息着小型的双人船屋。
During the day, these vessels fish the lake and supply local restaurants with mouthwatering fish, although the pollution concerns around Taihu mean that eating said fish is an act of risk-taking and blasé laissez-faire abandonment.
白天，这些船只在湖上钓鱼，并为当地餐厅提供令人垂涎的鱼，尽管太湖周围的污染问题意味着吃这些鱼是一种冒险和放任的行为。
Nonetheless, the lapis lazuli mirror of the lake beneath the early summer sky reminded me of the joy of the first glimpse of Purple Mountain, in the valley I learned to think of as home.
尽管如此，初夏天空下的湖面青金石镜让我想起了第一次瞥见紫山的喜悦，在山谷里，我学会了将紫山视为家。
Travel broadens the mind, perhaps, by reminding us of the beauty that shaped us.
也许，旅行通过提醒我们塑造我们的美来拓宽我们的视野。
Taihu is home to a jewel box of water-towns, scenic areas and The Lingshan Da Fo.
太湖是水乡、景区和灵山大佛的宝石盒的所在地。
Lingshan Temple rests in the undulating hills of Yixing. Here, the Grand Buddha gazes benevolently down at pilgrims from a lofty 88 metres of height, perched upon a lotus flower, making it one of the tallest in the world. The first sight is breathtaking.
灵山寺坐落在宜兴起伏的山丘上。 在这里，大佛像从高88米的高处仁慈地注视着朝圣者，栖息在一朵莲花上，使其成为世界上最高的莲花之一。 第一眼是令人叹为观止的。
Downcast eyes and a smile that has heard worse tales and loves you still, the Buddha holds one hand aloft, palm open toward the approaching pilgrim.
沉着眼睛和微笑，听过更糟糕的故事，仍然爱你，佛陀举起一只手，手掌向着走近的朝圣者张开。
Weighing in at a whopping 700 metric tonnes of bronze, this feat of art and engineering takes the breath away upon first sight.
重达700公吨青铜，这种艺术和工程的壮举第一眼就令人叹为观止。
Da Fo is magnificently huge. It was Buddha’s birthday on the day we visited, but a strange silence abided, not silent, yet so, given the sheer quantity of people. Incense and candlewax swathes the steps to Da Fo. We were awestricken.
大佛非常巨大。 我们访问的那天是佛陀的生日，但有一种奇怪的沉默，不是沉默，但考虑到人数之多。 香和蜡烛蜡糁在通往大佛的台阶上。 我们被刺耋了。
Climbing the steps, fellow pilgrims knelt and bowed to the Enlightened One. We walked slowly. Quietly.
爬上台阶，朝圣者们跪下向开明者鞠躬。 我们走得很慢。 安静地。
The Buddha was born a Prince, between 5,000 and 4,000BCE in India. His opulent early life, cosseted and consented, prepared him naught for the suffering and misery he discovered outside of his father’s palace. Encountering a sick man, an old man and a dying man, the Buddha, then known as Prince Siddhartha Gautama, renounced his princely trappings in pursuit of happiness.
公元前5000年至公元前4000年，佛陀在印度出生为王子。 他奢华的早年生活，在被搂搂和同意下，让他为在父亲的宫殿外发现的痛苦和悲惨做好准备。 遇到一个病人、一个老人和一个垂死的人，当时被称为悉达多·高塔玛王子的佛陀为了追求幸福，放弃了他的王子装饰。
What he eventually discovered was that it is only by embracing suffering that we can ever hope to be free. Wishing for that which is out of reach is a recipe for discontent, according to Buddha’s findings.
他最终发现的是，只有通过拥抱痛苦，我们才能希望得到自由。 根据佛陀的发现，希望遥不可及的东西是不满的秘诀。
Unfortunately, the main ingredient in human ingenuity and innovation is imagination; this energy, desire and passion that fuels the madness of dreams and impossible endeavours.
不幸的是，人类聪明才智和创新的主要成分是想象力；这种能量、欲望和激情助长了梦想的疯狂和不可能的努力。
Hope. Optimism. Faith. All of these things we must renounce if we are to be content in this world.
希望。 乐观。 信仰。 如果我们要在这个世界上满足，我们必须放弃所有这些事情。
Suffering is part and parcel of the package, so tells the Buddha. His life story is a metaphor for this life journey, and the challenges we face upon its ofttimes rocky road. Illness, aging and death.
苦难是包裹的一部分，佛祖是这样说的。 他的人生故事是这段人生旅程的隐喻，以及我们在艰难的道路上面临的挑战。 疾病、衰老和死亡。
Following the snaking path up the base of Da Fo, before boarding the elevator to touch Da Fo’s feet; emerging out into the midday brightness. Da Fo seemed even taller, even grander. I felt even smaller.
沿着蛇道走上大佛的底部，在登上电梯触摸大佛的脚之前；出现在正午的明亮中。 Da Fo看起来更高，更宏伟。 我感觉更小了。
I touched the smooth bronze surface of the statue, immersed in deep thought. One kid said “What are touching his toenail for? Touch his foot!”
我触摸着雕像光滑的青铜表面，沉浸在深深的思考中。 一个孩子说：“摸他的脚趾甲是为了什么？ 摸摸他的脚！”
Sharing laughter under Da Fo was a moment of joy, one of those we must grasp and enjoy in its very passing. So says Da Fo. This is the secret of contentment.
在Da Fo下分享笑声是一个欢乐的时刻，我们必须抓住并享受它。 Da Fo是这么说的。 这就是满足的秘诀。
We climbed down. We broke bread together. We laughed more, lots more.
我们爬了下去。 我们一起掰面包。 我们笑得更多，笑得更多。
Outside of the temple, water villages are dotted along the Taihu Delta. Huishan Ancient Town is one of the most delightful nooks I’ve found since COVID burst onto the scene like a drunken uncle.
在寺庙外，水村遍布太湖三角洲。 惠山古镇是自新冠肺炎像醉酒的叔叔一样爆发以来，我发现的最令人愉快的角落之一。
Rickety pavements run along the Beijing- Hangzhou canal which flows through the restored old town at the foot of Huishan Mountain. Teashops with sweet hawthorn and glazed cherry tomato sticks dot the walkway where willows dip to the cool waterway. There is a buzz, but it’s not busy. The arched bridges, whitewashed walls and granite brickwork bedecked with red lanterns, transport the visitor to a time past. No cars or scooters are allowed within the parameters. It is possible to stroll. Over bridges and beneath archways, down alleys and across tiny town squares.
起伏的人行道沿着京杭运河，该运河流经惠山山脚下修复的老城区。 带有甜山楂和釉面樱桃番茄棒的茶馆点缀在柳树浸入凉爽水道的人行道上。 嗡嗡作响，但并不忙。 拱形的桥梁、粉刷的墙壁和装饰着红灯笼的花岗岩砖，将游客带入了过去。 参数内不允许使用汽车或滑板车。 可以散步。 穿过桥梁和拱门下，沿着小巷和穿过小镇广场。
It is good to walk slowly. One doorway reveals a Bonsai Garden. Another houses a portrait of Samuel Beckett, deep within the belly of a labyrinth of a tiny tearooms network.
慢慢走是件好事。 一个门口露出一个盆景花园。 另一个是塞缪尔·贝克特的肖像，在一个小茶室网络的迷宫深处。
Huishan Ancient Town hides baubles of beauty, inviting time to slow down; inviting the pedestrian by necessity, to take the foot off the accelerator a while, to enjoy the moment.
惠山古镇隐藏着美丽的小玩意，邀请时间放慢脚步；邀请行人迫不得的，把脚从油门上移开一会儿，享受这一刻。
Nearby, Yixing houses the Museum for Clay Teapots originating in the 1400s. Through an arduous process of dominating chunks of rock, Yinxing Shi Fu’s mold the earth to their desire, creating some of the most exquisite, and, it must be said, expensive teapots in the world. In 2010, an Yixing teapot was auctioned for more than US$1.9 million. I urged the kids to be careful.
附近的宜兴是1400年代的粘土茶壶博物馆。 通过主宰岩石块的艰辛过程，银星石福将地球塑造成他们的欲望，创造出一些世界上最精致，必须说，最昂贵的茶壶。 2010年，一个宜兴茶壶以190多万美元的价格被拍卖。 我敦促孩子们小心。
In the museum workshop, we worked with a lump of Yixing clay, which is no longer sanctioned for extraction from the earth. The supply remaining is all there is to be had. Under the watchful eye of the master, we craft our opus magmums.
在博物馆的工作室里，我们处理了一团宜兴粘土，它不再被批准从地下提取。 剩下的供应就是所有要拥有的。 在大师的监督下，我们制作了我们的作品。
My moldy looking pinch pot takes on a new sheen.
我发霉的捏锅有了新的光澤。
Jiangsu holds treasures we know not of.
江苏拥有我们不知道的宝藏。
The calendar days flip forwards. “I should be”, or “I would be”, niggle in the now dormant wanderlust part of the brain.
日历日向前翻转。 「我應該是」，或者「我會是」，在大腦中現在沉睡的流浪癖部分。
Some countries are opening up. I look at my pot, and I look at the pictures of low-key family reunions. I writhe and give thanks simultaneously.
一些国家正在開放。 我看着我的锅，看着低调的家庭团聚的照片。 我一边扭扭扭扭，一边感谢。
I am like the falling cat with a slice of buttered toast taped to its back.
我就像一只坠落的猫，背上贴着一片黄油吐司。
But Da Fo’s gaze is still upon me. Carpe that absolute diem, it says. Follow the road. Be where you are, and love it. The contentment in life is to be found in the moment, the passing flashes of happiness. The Buddha says embrace the suffering, but enjoy every moment of gladness to the max. There is no helmet that protects against life. The ability to experience exists only in the here and now.
但Da Fo的目光仍然注视着我。 它说，Carpe绝对的diem。 沿着路走。 待在你所在的地方，并热爱它。 生活中的满足感在于当下，在短暂的幸福中。 佛陀說，要接受痛苦，但要盡情享受每一刻的快樂。 没有头盔可以保护生命。 体验能力只存在于此地。
Enjoy Jiangsu.
享受江苏。
