第十二回 · 小乘大乘 Lesser Vehicle and Greater — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

小乘大乘 Lesser Vehicle and Greater

那nà法fǎ師shī在zài臺tái上shàng念niàn一yí會huì《受shòu生shēng度dù亡wáng經jīng》，談tán一yí會huì《安ān邦bāng天tiān寶bǎo篆zhuàn》，又yòu宣xuān一yí會huì《勸quàn修xiū功gōng卷juǎn》。這zhè菩pú薩sà近jìn前qián來lái，拍pāi著zhe寶bǎo臺tái，厲lì聲shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「那nà和hé尚shàng，你nǐ只zhǐ會huì談tán小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，可kě會huì談tán大dà乘shèng麼me？」玄xuán奘zàng聞wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng大dà喜xǐ，翻fān身shēn跳tiào下xià臺tái來lái，對duì菩pú薩sà起qǐ手shǒu道dào：「老lǎo師shī父fù，弟dì子zǐ失shī瞻zhān多duō罪zuì。見jiàn前qián的de蓋gài眾zhòng僧sēng人rén，都dōu講jiǎng的de是shì小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，卻què不bù知zhī大dà乘shèng教jiào法fǎ如rú何hé。」菩pú薩sà道dào：「你nǐ這zhè小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，度dù不bù得dé亡wáng者zhě超chāo昇shēng，只zhǐ可kě渾hún俗sú和hé光guāng而ér已yǐ。我wǒ有yǒu大dà乘shèng佛fó法fǎ三sān藏zàng，能néng超chāo亡wáng者zhě昇shēng天tiān，能néng度dù難nàn人rén脫tuō苦kǔ，能néng修xiū無wú量liàng壽shòu身shēn，能néng作zuò無wú來lái無wú去qù。」那nà法fǎ师shī在zài台tái上shàng念niàn一yí会huì《受shòu生shēng度dù亡wáng经jīng》，谈tán一yí会huì《安ān邦bāng天tiān宝bǎo篆zhuàn》，又yòu宣xuān一yí会huì《劝quàn修xiū功gōng卷juǎn》。这zhè菩pú萨sà近jìn前qián来lái，拍pāi着zhe宝bǎo台tái，厉lì声shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「那nà和hé尚shàng，你nǐ只zhǐ会huì谈tán小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，可kě会huì谈tán大dà乘shèng么me？」玄xuán奘zàng闻wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng大dà喜xǐ，翻fān身shēn跳tiào下xià台tái来lái，对duì菩pú萨sà起qǐ手shǒu道dào：「老lǎo师shī父fù，弟dì子zǐ失shī瞻zhān多duō罪zuì。见jiàn前qián的de盖gài众zhòng僧sēng人rén，都dōu讲jiǎng的de是shì小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，却què不bù知zhī大dà乘shèng教jiào法fǎ如rú何hé。」菩pú萨sà道dào：「你nǐ这zhè小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，度dù不bù得dé亡wáng者zhě超chāo升shēng，只zhǐ可kě浑hún俗sú和hé光guāng而ér已yǐ。我wǒ有yǒu大dà乘shèng佛fó法fǎ三sān藏zàng，能néng超chāo亡wáng者zhě升shēng天tiān，能néng度dù难nàn人rén脱tuō苦kǔ，能néng修xiū无wú量liàng寿shòu身shēn，能néng作zuò无wú来lái无wú去qù。」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà法fǎ師shī在zài臺tái上shàng念niàn一yí會huì《受shòu生shēng度dù亡wáng經jīng》，談tán一yí會huì《安ān邦bāng天tiān寶bǎo篆zhuàn》，又yòu宣xuān一yí會huì《勸quàn修xiū功gōng卷juǎn》。那nà法fǎ师shī在zài台tái上shàng念niàn一yí会huì《受shòu生shēng度dù亡wáng经jīng》，谈tán一yí会huì《安ān邦bāng天tiān宝bǎo篆zhuàn》，又yòu宣xuān一yí会huì《劝quàn修xiū功gōng卷juǎn》。

That Dharma Master, upon the platform, recited a while from the Sutra of Receiving Life and Delivering the Dead, expounded a while from the Seal-Script of Securing the Realm, and proclaimed a while from the Scroll of Exhortation to Cultivation.

那 in 那法師 is the pointing nà; 一會, for a while, takes yí. The three titles are representative texts of the merit-making liturgy, and he is working steadily through them when the interruption comes.

這zhè菩pú薩sà近jìn前qián來lái，拍pāi著zhe寶bǎo臺tái，厲lì聲shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「那nà和hé尚shàng，你nǐ只zhǐ會huì談tán小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，可kě會huì談tán大dà乘shèng麼me？」这zhè菩pú萨sà近jìn前qián来lái，拍pāi着zhe宝bǎo台tái，厉lì声shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「那nà和hé尚shàng，你nǐ只zhǐ会huì谈tán小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，可kě会huì谈tán大dà乘shèng么me？」

This Bodhisattva came up close, slapped the treasure-platform, and cried out in a stern voice: 'Monk! You know only how to expound the teaching of the Lesser Vehicle. Can you expound the Greater Vehicle?'

The hinge of the chapter, and it arrives as a slap on the furniture and a shout. 著 in 拍著 is the ongoing-action zhe; 那 is the pointing nà. In both 小乘, the Lesser Vehicle or Hīnayāna, and 大乘, the Greater Vehicle or Mahāyāna, the character 乘 is read shèng — the same character that meant to ride, chéng, back in the celebratory quatrain, and that now means the vehicle ridden in.

玄xuán奘zàng聞wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng大dà喜xǐ，翻fān身shēn跳tiào下xià臺tái來lái，對duì菩pú薩sà起qǐ手shǒu道dào：「老lǎo師shī父fù，弟dì子zǐ失shī瞻zhān多duō罪zuì。玄xuán奘zàng闻wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng大dà喜xǐ，翻fān身shēn跳tiào下xià台tái来lái，对duì菩pú萨sà起qǐ手shǒu道dào：「老lǎo师shī父fù，弟dì子zǐ失shī瞻zhān多duō罪zuì。

When Xuanzang heard this, his heart leapt with joy; he turned and sprang down from the platform, and raising his hands to the Bodhisattva said: 'Venerable teacher, your disciple failed to see you — many are my faults.'

Everything turns on his reaction. 心中大喜 — his heart leapt with joy. A man told publicly, in front of the emperor and the whole city, that he has been preaching the inferior doctrine jumps down off the platform delighted; and that gladness at being corrected is exactly the qualification the road west requires. 弟子, disciple, reads 子 as the noun zǐ.

見jiàn前qián的de蓋gài眾zhòng僧sēng人rén，都dōu講jiǎng的de是shì小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，卻què不bù知zhī大dà乘shèng教jiào法fǎ如rú何hé。」见jiàn前qián的de盖gài众zhòng僧sēng人rén，都dōu讲jiǎng的de是shì小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，却què不bù知zhī大dà乘shèng教jiào法fǎ如rú何hé。」

'All the host of monks here before you expound the teaching of the Lesser Vehicle; but I do not know how the teaching of the Greater Vehicle goes.'

都 in 都講, all expound, is dōu; both 小乘 and 大乘 read 乘 as shèng.

菩pú薩sà道dào：「你nǐ這zhè小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，度dù不bù得dé亡wáng者zhě超chāo昇shēng，只zhǐ可kě渾hún俗sú和hé光guāng而ér已yǐ。菩pú萨sà道dào：「你nǐ这zhè小xiǎo乘shèng教jiào法fǎ，度dù不bù得dé亡wáng者zhě超chāo升shēng，只zhǐ可kě浑hún俗sú和hé光guāng而ér已yǐ。

The Bodhisattva said: 'This Lesser Vehicle teaching of yours cannot deliver the dead to ascend; it can only muddle along with the world and dim its own light.'

渾俗和光, to muddle along with the world and dim one's own light, is Daoist in origin — and it is being used here to dismiss a Buddhist school. 乘 is shèng; 得 in 度不得, cannot deliver, is dé.

我wǒ有yǒu大dà乘shèng佛fó法fǎ三sān藏zàng，能néng超chāo亡wáng者zhě昇shēng天tiān，能néng度dù難nàn人rén脫tuō苦kǔ，能néng修xiū無wú量liàng壽shòu身shēn，能néng作zuò無wú來lái無wú去qù。」我wǒ有yǒu大dà乘shèng佛fó法fǎ三sān藏zàng，能néng超chāo亡wáng者zhě升shēng天tiān，能néng度dù难nàn人rén脱tuō苦kǔ，能néng修xiū无wú量liàng寿shòu身shēn，能néng作zuò无wú来lái无wú去qù。」

'I have the Greater Vehicle Buddha-dharma of the Three Baskets, which can raise the dead to heaven, deliver those in tribulation from suffering, cultivate a body of measureless life, and work comings and goings that neither come nor go.'

大乘佛法三藏, the Greater Vehicle Buddha-dharma of the Three Baskets, is the object of the entire pilgrimage, and it is named here for the first time. 乘 is shèng, 佛 the global fó, and 三藏, the Tripiṭaka, reads 藏 as zàng. Hold on to that reading — before the chapter ends it will become the man's name. 難 in 難人, those in tribulation, is nàn.

總評 Commentary

This is the doctrinal hinge of the entire novel. Guanyin's challenge — that Xuanzang commands only the Lesser Vehicle, which cannot deliver the dead to ascend — exposes the insufficiency of the whole magnificent rite: for all its scale and splendour, the Grand Mass cannot accomplish the deliverance it was convened to effect. Only the Greater Vehicle Tripitaka, held in the West, can raise the dead and free the suffering.

And crucially, Xuanzang receives the correction not with wounded pride but with joy, which is the mark of the genuine seeker; his readiness to be taught is what qualifies him for the road ahead. In a few lines of dialogue the chapter converts a completed ceremony into an unfinished task, and supplies the doctrinal necessity for the journey to the West that the rest of the book will narrate.