釋迦牟尼佛被掩埋的秘密
考古學家在釋迦牟尼佛出生地發現先前未發現的木造寺廟建築遺跡，也將佛陀可能生活的年代，推前至比原先認為更早的西元前6世紀。
國家廣播公司新聞網（NBC News）報導，尼泊爾藍毘尼（Lumbini）摩耶夫人廟（Maya Devi Temple）木造結構遺跡出土。這是第一個將佛陀出生地及他創立的佛教與特定年代連結起來的考古文物。
出土的木造建築在設計上，與地面上的磚造阿育王廟很類似（阿育王廟在摩耶夫人廟內）。不過，最重要的是，木造建築中有個不受建築保護的開放空間，且看似曾有1棵樹從此向外生長，而這棵樹或許就是釋迦牟尼佛誕生的娑羅雙樹（sal tree）。
考古學家康寧漢（Robin Coningham）在記者會中表示，外界長期以來對釋迦牟尼佛誕生時間和佛教生根時間有不同說法，如今這個發現可能說明真相。
一般認為，迦毘羅衛國王淨飯大王夫人摩耶（MayaDevi）準備回到父王的王國待產時，於1棵娑羅雙樹下生下釋迦牟尼佛。
儘管如此，大部分有關釋迦牟尼佛的生平和生活時間大都屬於口耳相傳，極少有科學證據可以從神話來爬梳出事實。
許多學者認為，釋迦牟尼佛生活於西元前4世紀，也於那段時間傳授佛法，約莫80歲去世。
康寧漢說，“考古工作發現，（釋迦牟尼佛出生地）有1座建於西元前6世紀的神廟”，這支持釋迦牟尼佛可能早在這段時間，就已存在且傳授佛法的假設。
研究人員以放射性碳素斷代法和光釋光測年法（optical stimulated luminescence），斷定在該場址發現的木炭碎片和沙粒所屬的年代。
同時，地質考古研究也證實，這個地底寺廟中央露天的地方有樹根存在的痕跡。
美國地理學會（National Geographic Society）部分資助康寧漢共同領導的考古團隊，他們在藍毘尼取得這個大發現，併計劃明年2月在全球發行“釋迦牟尼佛被掩埋的秘密”紀錄片。
'Earliest shrine' uncovered at Buddha's birthplace
The remains lay buried beneath the present day Maya Devi Temple
Archaeologists digging at Buddha's birthplace have uncovered remains of the "earliest ever Buddhist shrine".
They unearthed a 6th Century BC timber structure buried within the Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini in Nepal.
The shrine appears to have housed a tree. This links to the Buddha nativity story - his mother gave birth to him while holding on to a tree branch.
Its discovery may settle the dispute over the birth date of the Buddha, the team reports in the journal Antiquity.
Radiocarbon
Every year thousands of Buddhists make a holy pilgrimage to Lumbini - long identified as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha.
Yet despite the many texts chronicling his life and teachings, it is still uncertain when he lived.
Estimates for his birth stretch as far back as 623 BC, but many scholars believed 390-340 BC a more realistic timeframe.
Until now, the earliest evidence of Buddhist structures at Lumbini dated no earlier than the 3rd Century BC, in the era of the emperor Ashoka.
To investigate, archaeologists began excavating at the heart of the temple - alongside meditating monks, nuns and pilgrims.
They unearthed a wooden structure with a central void which had no roof. Brick temples built later above the timber were also arranged around this central space.
To date the buildings, fragments of charcoal and grains of sand were tested using a combination of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence techniques.
"Now, for the first time, we have an archaeological sequence at Lumbini that shows a building there as early as the 6th century BC," said archaeologist Prof Robin Coningham of Durham University, who co-led the international team, supported by the National Geographic Society.
The holy site remained open for meditation while archaeologists excavated
"This is the earliest evidence of a Buddhist shrine anywhere in the world.
"It sheds light on a very long debate, which has led to differences in teachings and traditions of Buddhism.
"The narrative of Lumbini's establishment as a pilgrimage site under Ashokan patronage must be modified since it is clear that the site had already undergone embellishment for centuries."
The dig also detected signs of ancient tree roots in the wooden building's central void - suggesting it was a tree shrine.
Tradition records that Queen Maya Devi gave birth to the Buddha while grasping the branch of a tree within the Lumbini Garden.
The discovery could aid conservation efforts at the holy site - which has been neglected despite its Unesco World Heritage status.
"These discoveries are very important to better understand the birthplace of the Buddha," said Ram Kumar Shrestha, Nepal's minister of culture, tourism and civil aviation.
"The government of Nepal will spare no effort to preserve this significant site."
Archaeologists hope their discovery will aid conservation efforts at the site
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