◎文、圖／Juraj Polach (斯洛伐克國際義工)
◎Text & Photos by Juraj Polach (Volunteer from Slovakia)
身為一位土生土長的歐洲人，雖然曾造訪過許多日本與台灣的寺院道場，對於佛教還是一知半解，更別遑論存在於宗教與歷史之間的那種微妙關係。
在佛陀紀念館的義工之旅始於2023年 12月，主要承擔解說導覽人員之責，意味著我必須在佛教認知上與展廳內展品中做足功課，明白文物的歷史及其重要性。尤其在導覽絲路光華—敦煌石窟藝術特展的時候，感謝有其他義工及館方人員的協助，這項工作挑戰讓我感到非常歡喜和有趣。很榮幸在館內除了學到許多佛學常識外，也認識了不少像柬埔寨吳哥窟這樣的佛教聖地。
完成義工服務後，我飛往印尼參訪了當地的婆羅浮屠，因為有先前在佛館的學習，看到牆上描繪佛陀一生的浮雕圖時，那種感受與意義真的是格外地深刻。將來有機會的話，我也希望能夠回到佛光山將我的所見所聞，分享給更多遊客知道。
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Before starting to volunteer at the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in December 2023, I must admit that I had almost no knowledge of Buddhism. Sure – I did visit many Buddhist temples in Japan and Taiwan, but for someone growing up and living most of my life in Europe, many of the religious and historic subtleties were almost impossible to notice.
One of my main duties at the museum, was to help with tour guiding. This meant quite a lot of research of not only Buddhism, but also history and importance of the different artefacts, relics and exhibits presented in the museum. I did like the challenge and the help from all the other volunteers and staff made the work very pleasant and fun. Particularly, I have enjoyed working on the most recent exhibition at the time: Silk Road Splendor – Dunhuang Caves Art Exhibition.
Most recently, I have visited Borobudur temple in Indonesia. I feel that walking around the relief panels depicting the life of the Buddha was now much more meaningful, understanding the context I have learned during my time at Fo Guang Shan. I am grateful for my experience at the museum and excited to explore many more Buddhist places, such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia and learn more about Buddhism. Hopefully one day I will be able to return to Fo Guang Shan and share this knowledge with other curious visitors.
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有意成為佛館國際義工，請至以下網址登記：
https://sites.google.com/view/joinusatbm
To volunteer at the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum, please sign up at :
https://sites.google.com/view/joinusatbm
