2022年11月14日 VOA慢速英语：Zen Meditation 将阿拉斯加社区聚集在一起

For more than 30 years, members of Alaska's Anchorage Zen Community gathered for meditation wherever they could find a place. But now they have their own zendo, or meditation hall, in a neighborhood in Alaska's most populous city.
30 多年来，阿拉斯加安克雷奇禅宗社区的成员在他们能找到的地方聚集在一起进行冥想。但现在他们在阿拉斯加人口最多的城市的一个街区拥有了自己的禅堂或冥想大厅。

Meditation is the act of spending time in quiet thought. In the zendo, meditation starts when a member of the group rings a bell. The members breathe in and out in unity. Their collective breaths can be heard in the room.
冥想是花时间安静思考的行为。在禅道中，当团体成员敲响铃铛时，冥想就开始了。成员们团结一致地呼吸。房间里可以听到他们集体的呼吸声。

The community was founded in 1986 after meeting for years informally with followers of different kinds of Buddhism.
在与不同类型的佛教信徒进行了多年非正式会面后，该社区成立于 1986 年。
 
Genmyo Jana Zeedyk leads the Zen group. She said that a sense of community is very important in a state like Alaska.
Genmyo Jana Zeedyk 领导 Zen 小组。她说，在阿拉斯加这样的州，社区意识非常重要。

While Anchorage has a population of about 300,000, Alaska has the lowest population density of any American state, with less than one person per square kilometer.
虽然安克雷奇的人口约为 30 万，但阿拉斯加的人口密度是美国所有州中最低的，平均每人不到 1 人。平方公里。

Zeedyk said Alaska's seasons affect their meditation practices. In winter, days are very short. There is not even seven hours of daylight. She said that when outdoor activity slows down, it gives more opportunity for zazen -- or sitting meditation.
Zeedyk 说阿拉斯加的季节会影响他们的冥想练习。在冬天，白天很短。甚至连七个小时的日光都没有。她说，当户外活动放缓时，就会有更多机会进行坐禅 - 或打坐冥想。

She said, "There's the quiet that comes with the snow -- the conditions make it easier to be inside and sit."
她说，“雪带来的宁静 - 这些条件让人们更容易进去坐下。”
 
Judith Haggar is the group's treasurer. She said that in summer, when there is up to 19 hours of daylight, zazen can help people stay calm.
Judith Haggar 是该集团的财务主管。她说，在夏天，日照时间长达 19 小时，坐禅可以帮助人们保持冷静。
 
Back at the zendo, several minutes pass until the members rise to their feet and begin to slowly walk in circles. At the end, Zeedyk talks about how practitioners can find awareness and compassion in even simple, everyday activities.
回到禅堂，几分钟后，成员们站起来，开始慢慢地绕圈子走。最后，Zeedyk 谈到从业者如何在简单的日常活动中找到觉知和同情心。

The group connects their practice with the Anchorage community. They have helped clean bodies of water, organized community meals and visited prisoners to share Buddhist teachings.
该小组将他们的实践与安克雷奇社区联系起来。他们帮助清洁水体、组织社区聚餐并探访囚犯分享佛教教义。
 
Meditation has been a life-changing experience for many women in prison, said Haggar. For more than 20 years, she and other community members have taught zazen, yoga and Buddhist teachings to women at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center. The program was temporarily stopped during the coronavirus pandemic but has since restarted.
Haggar 说，冥想对许多监狱中的女性来说是一种改变生活的经历。 20 多年来，她和其他社区成员在海兰山惩教中心向女性教授坐禅、瑜伽和佛教教义。该计划在冠状病毒大流行期间暂时停止，但后来重新启动。

Brian Schumaker, who calls himself a beginner practitioner, noted the benefits of zazen in a busy world. He said it helps to take some time away from all the thoughts, sounds, words and distractions that find us every day.
自称是初学者的布赖恩·舒马克（Brian Schumaker）指出了坐禅在繁忙的世界中的好处。他说，花一些时间远离每天都会出现在我们身上的所有想法、声音、语言和干扰是有帮助的。
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