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I am working on Japanese texts describing Buddhist temples in South-East Asia
and there is quite a number of words I can't really translate in English. Here
is a list with my tentative translations (I wrote a ~ next to the words whose
meaning I am really unsure of):

  * 結界石{けっかいせき} (~): rules tablet/barrier stones
  * 布薩堂{ふさつどう} (~): confession hall
  * 講堂{こうどう}: auditorium
  * サーラー さぁらぁ(~): open pavillion
  * 僧坊{そうぼう}: monk cell
  * 鼓楼{ころう}: drum tower
  * 三蔵庫{さんぞうく}: library
  * 仏教{さんぞう}教育{きょういく}学校{がっこう}: buddhist school
  * 普通{ふつう}教育{きょういく}学校{がっこう}: regular school
  * 火葬場{かそうば}: funeral hall
  * 仏塔{ぶっとう}式納{しきのう}骨塔{こつとう}: bone keep in pagoda
  * 壁式{かべしき}納骨所{のうこつば}: bone keep in wall
  * 瞑想場{めいそうば}: meditation hall
  * 洞窟{どうくつない}内仏{ぶつ}像祭壇{ぞうさいだん}: altar in cave
  * 精霊祠{しょうりょうし}: guardian spirit house
  * 碑文{ひぶん}: epitaph/scriptures

Does this look fine?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-07T13:06:34.113
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2015-09-25T21:21:11.063
2015-09-25T21:21:11.063
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question
words meaning religion
Buddhist facilities
* 結界石{けっかいせき}: rules tablet/barrier stones
  * 布薩堂{ふさつどう}: confession hall (or: _Uposatha hall_ [1](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nanavara/uposatha.html))
  * 講堂{こうどう}: auditorium (or: _lecture hall_ ) 
  * サーラー さぁらぁ: open pavilion (or: _open pavilion for resting_ ) 
  * 僧坊{そうぼう}: monk cell (or possibly: _monks' temple quarters_ , but "cell" seems to be more of a set phrase) 
  * 鼓楼{ころう}: drum tower (or almost: _bell tower_. Depending on the audience, perhaps, "bell tower" might help readers better understand that a "drum" here, is used like a "bell". [2](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E9%BC%93%E6%A5%BC)) 
  * 三蔵庫{さんぞうく}: library (or: _library for the three branches of Buddhist sutras_ ) 
  * 仏教教育学校{さんぞうきょういくがっこう}: Buddhist school 
  * 普通教育学校{ふつうきょういくがっこう}: regular school (or: _common_ school / almost: _secular_ school) 
  * 火葬場{かそうば}: funeral hall (or _crematorium_. However, here, using _funeral hall_ helps to include the idea that funerals are often held at crematoriums, at least in Thailand. [3](http://www.thai-blogs.com/2011/08/05/what-to-expect-if-you-are-invited-to-a-thai-funeral/)) 
  * 仏塔式納骨塔{ぶっとうしきのうこつとう}: bone keep in pagoda (or: _pagoda columbarium_ [4](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbarium)) 
  * 壁式納骨所{かべしきのうこつば}: bone keep in wall (or: _columbarium wall_ ) 
  * 瞑想場{めいそうば}: meditation hall (Note: I've seen this written as めいそうじょう as well; perhaps because it's a place where people can **practice** meditation?) 
  * 洞窟内仏像祭壇{どうくつないぶつぞうさいだん}: altar in cave (or: _Buddhist cave shrine_ ) 
  * 精霊祠{しょうりょうし}: guardian spirit house (or just: _spirit house/shrine_ because the spirits are not always guardians. [5](http://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E3%83%94%E3%83%BC%E4%BF%A1%E4%BB%B0#.E5.88.86.E9.A1.9E), [6](http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/spirit_house.html)) 
  * 碑文{ひぶん}: epitaph/scriptures (seems more like _epitaph_ , here, unless a sutra is found on an epitaph, perhaps.)

Hope this helps!

_References:_

  1. <http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nanavara/uposatha.html> (found in Glossary under Uposatha part 3)
  2. <http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E9%BC%93%E6%A5%BC>
  3. <http://www.thai-blogs.com/2011/08/05/what-to-expect-if-you-are-invited-to-a-thai-funeral/> (near middle of page)
  4. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbarium>
  5. <http://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E3%83%94%E3%83%BC%E4%BF%A1%E4%BB%B0#.E5.88.86.E9.A1.9E>
  6. <http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/spirit_house.html>
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2012-03-09T07:36:15.293
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2012-03-10T07:19:19.670
2012-03-10T07:19:19.670
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answer