離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》The rise of Bangkok’s Buddhist pet funerals－曼谷寵物佛教葬禮盛行
平拉巧雅（左）為愛犬Dollar舉辦佛教葬禮，儀式期間與友人在Dollar的遺照前合影留念。（法新社）
◎孫宇青
Buddhist monks chant next to a pink coffin where Dollar’s small body is nestled amongst flowers － a $600 final farewell for the Shih Tzu at a Bangkok temple that administers elaborate pet funerals.
佛教僧侶在一副粉紅色棺材旁誦經，Dollar嬌小的身軀在花朵環繞下躺臥其中—這是一隻西施犬的最後告別儀式，由曼谷一座寺廟的人員精心籌劃，收費為600美元（約1萬7800台幣）。
Dollar’s owner, Pimrachaya Worakijmanotham, fights back tears as she takes a last fond look at her six-year-old pet dog, whose tousled grey-white body rests under jasmine garlands.
Dollar灰白色、毛髮蓬鬆的身軀躺在茉莉花環下，牠的主人平拉巧雅強忍淚水，深情地看了6歲的愛犬最後一眼。
"This is the last time I can be with her... so I want Dollar to receive good things," said Pimrachaya.
平拉巧雅說：「這是我最後一次待在她身邊…所以我希望Dollar獲得好的對待。」
Pet cremations, complete with Buddhist rituals, are popping up across Bangkok for dogs, cats and even monkeys.
以整套佛教儀式進行的寵物火葬，突然在曼谷大為盛行，狗、貓、甚至猴子都有。
In a devout Buddhist kingdom where religion and superstitious beliefs entwine, some pet owners believe the monk-led sendoff will boost their pets’ chances of being reincarnated as a higher being.
在這個宗教和迷信緊密結合的佛教王國，有些飼主相信，有僧侶送行可提高寵物轉世為更高等動物的機會。
According to Buddhist belief, merit garnered in each life eventually leads to nirvana － the state of non-suffering. "In this life, Dollar couldn’t go to the temples to make merit for herself. This is the only thing we can do for her," Pimrachaya said.
根據佛教信仰，每一世修得的福份最後將領向無病無痛的涅槃境界。平拉巧雅說：「Dollar這輩子無法去寺廟為自己修福份，這是我唯一能為她做的事。」
《新聞辭典》
devout：形容詞，虔誠的。例句：Our neighbors are devout Muslims who pray five times a day.（我們的鄰居是每天禱告5次的虔誠穆斯林。）
entwine：動詞，纏繞。例句：The pillar is entwined by electric wires.（電線纏繞著柱子。）
send-off：名詞，送行。例句：I will hold a send-off party for Jeremy.（我將為傑洛米辦一場送別派對。）
