紐時賞析／糯米與玩具 泰國托兒所喪禮盡顯對傳統尊重

Sticky Rice and Toy Trucks: Thai Town Honors Tradition in Tragedy

糯米與玩具 泰國托兒所喪禮盡顯對傳統尊重

There were so many coffins — 19 in all — that they lined an entire wall of the Wat Rat Samakee temple. A long white string, a Buddhist symbol of purity and protection, ran across their tops. Placed around each coffin were items to carry the young children into the afterlife: a Spiderman outfit, a plush kitty, juice boxes, grilled pork and toy trucks, many of them.

拉薩瑪奇寺內共有19副棺材，多到排滿廟內一整面牆。在佛教中象徵純潔與守護的一根白色長繩，穿過它們上方。每副棺材周圍都擺放一些可伴隨孩子到來世的物品，一套蜘蛛人服裝、一個絨毛凱蒂貓，盒裝果汁、烤肉、玩具卡車等等，許許多多。

The town of Uthai Sawan on Saturday started formally mourning their dead, 36 of them. Twenty-three were children in a day care center who died Thursday when a former police officer shot and stabbed them in a rampage. There was Asia, 3, who loved cycling and was allowed to ride his bike inside his house. Lying several coffins away was Daen, 4, who loved Matchbox cars.

烏泰沙旺鎮周六開始正式悼念36名亡者。其中23人是孩童，他們周四在一家托兒所內被一名前警察瘋狂槍殺與刺死。3歲的Asia喜歡騎腳踏車，他被允許在家中騎車。跟他隔著幾副棺材的是喜歡火柴盒小汽車的4歲Daen。

Uthai Sawan is a rural town of about 6,000 in northeastern Thailand. The funerals had to be split across three temples. Monks from neighboring provinces traveled to the town to help with the funeral rites. On Saturday morning, the framed photograph of Athibodin Silumtai, whom everyone called Asia, was still not ready because there was only one photo shop in town, said Khamphong Silumtai, his great-aunt.

烏泰沙旺是泰國東北部一個約有6,000人的農村小鎮。葬禮必須分別在3座寺廟舉行。鄰近府的僧侶們來到這座城鎮協助葬禮儀式。周六上午，人稱Asia的阿希博丁要裝裱的照片還沒準備好，他的姑婆坎篷說，因為鎮上只有一家照相館。

“It just feels like this is not his time to go,” said Khamphong, 46. “He is too young and too innocent. He was gone too soon.”

46歲的坎篷說：「我就是覺得現在不是他離開的時候。他太年輕，太無辜了。他走得太早了。」

Thailand is a majority-Buddhist country, where the faithful believe that making merits, or doing good deeds, is essential for the deceased to live well in the afterlife. Funerals are often carried out with that goal in mind.

泰國是個佛教徒占多數人口的國家，當地信徒認為做功德，也就是做善事，對亡者的來世生活很重要。喪禮通常是為了這個目標而舉行的。

Phra Winai, who has been ordained for 24 years, said he traveled to Uthai Sawan from nearby Loei province to see if he could help. He said he has carried out funeral rites for young children who died by drowning or in accidents, but “never anything like this.”

已經當了24年僧侶的福拉表示，他從附近的黎府來到烏泰沙旺，看看是否能幫上忙。他說，他曾經為溺水或意外死亡的幼兒舉行喪禮，但「沒遇過像這次的情況」。

“This is such a tragedy,” Phra Winai said. But, he said, the tenets of Buddhist teaching are that life is a cycle involving birth, aging, suffering and death.

福拉說：「這是一場悲劇。」但他說，佛教教義認為生命是一種循環，包括生老病死。

“Look at nature: When a tree gives fruit, the fruit does not always ripen.” he said. “The young fruit can fall when there’s wind,” he added. “Life is so unpredictable and uncertain. We can’t do anything with this uncertainty.”

他表示，「看看大自然：當一棵樹結果時，果實並不一定能成熟」，他說，「有風時，幼果會掉落，生命是如此不可預測和不確定。面對這種不確定性，我們無能為力」。

文／Sui-Lee Wee、Ryn Jirenuwat　譯／陳韋廷