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Sri Lankan Buddhists believe that the tooth relic was brought to their country around 300 BC.
斯里蘭卡的佛教徒相信佛牙舍利是大約公元前300年被帶到這里的。
Safeguarding the relic became the responsibility of kings and over the years, the custodianship of the relic came to symbolize the right to rule.
守衛舍利成為歷任國王的責任。多年以后，對佛牙的守護權成為王權的象征。
The Buddha is said to have given two legacies to future generations:
據說佛陀對后人有兩大遺贈。
The body of his teachings, the Dharma, and also relics of his physical body itself, which are now scattered in shrines right across the globe.
他的教誨本身，即“法”。還有他自己的肉體遺骸（舍利），現在分散在全球各處，供奉在各地的神壇廟宇中。
And one of the most precious is kept in here, in the Temple of the Tooth.
其中最為寶貴的一件，就保存在這佛牙寺里。
That relic makes the presence of the Buddha more graphic to people, so it gives them a power.
舍利使佛陀在世人面前的形象更加生動，因此它能給人們帶來力量。
Actually, many Buddhist temples around the world have relics, a piece of bone or something.
實際上，世界上許多佛寺都供奉有舍利，譬如遺骨或是別的東西。
Just as in Europe, you have relics of saints, so it's a way of making the person's presence feel more immediate.
就像在歐洲，也保有圣徒的遺骨。由此看出，這是使一個人的存在顯現得更直接的方式。
That gives the temple more power, as a magnet to draw the worshipper.
舍利的存在給予寺廟更多的神圣感，宛如磁石一般吸引朝圣者。
The shrine stands right at the centre of a paved courtyard.
神廟矗立在一座鋪磚庭院的正中央。
The ceiling is decorated with moonstones and floral designs.
天花板綴飾著月長石以及花卉圖案。
There are ivory reliefs on the doorways.
門徑兩側是象牙浮雕。
The inner chamber contains the tooth relic and other sacred objects and all around there is a brightly painted corridor.
內廳中供奉著佛牙舍利及其他圣物，環繞四周的則是涂上鮮亮色彩的走廊。
Monks conduct daily worship in the inner chamber of the temple.
僧侶們在內廳進行日常的敬拜。
Rituals are performed at dawn, at noon and in the evening.
儀式在每天黎明、正午和晚上舉行。
The tooth is in this upper chamber in a casket of gold and is only revealed to a chosen few.
佛牙就供奉在這個金盒子的上層里，只有有限的幾個人才有幸目睹真容。
The sacred relic is symbolically bathed with an herbal preparation made from scented water and fragrant flowers.
僧侶們用花草香水和芳香花朵配制的藥草制劑，用它來清潔這件圣物，頗具象征意義。
This holy water is believed to contain healing properties and is distributed among those present.
人們相信這圣水有治愈疾病的功效，圣水會和其它貢品一起分發給在場的信徒。
Once a week, mothers gather at the temple with their babies.
每個星期，母親們都會帶著孩子到廟里聚會一次。
All these little babies are waiting to be taken in to be blessed by the priests so that they have Buddha's power with them for the rest of their lives.
所有這些小嬰兒都在等待接受僧人的加持，這樣佛陀的法力就會護持他們的一生。
They're given a white piece of string to wrap around their wrist which shows that the Buddha is with them from now until they die.
他們的手腕上會被系上一條白繩，這表示從現在起，佛陀會伴隨他們一生。
And It's thought incredibly important that they get the blessing at this early stage.
人們認為在嬰兒時期就得到祝福極其重要。
Because everything that they do from now on, all their intentional actions, what they think, what they say and what they do, their karma,
因為從此以后，他們所作的任何事，他們所有有意的行為，他們的想法，他們的言行，他們的“業”，
will affect how they are then reborn in the next life.
都將影響到他們將以何種方式進入來世。
