第十二回 · 疑是地藏 Mistaken for Kshitigarbha; The Falling Dusk — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

疑是地藏 Mistaken for Kshitigarbha; The Falling Dusk

玄xuán奘zàng直zhí至zhì寺sì裡lǐ，僧sēng人rén下xià榻tà來lái迎yíng。一yí見jiàn他tā披pī此cǐ袈jiā裟shā，執zhí此cǐ錫xī杖zhàng，都dōu道dào是shì地dì藏zàng王wáng來lái了le，各gè各gè歸guī依yī，侍shì於yú左zuǒ右yòu。玄xuán奘zàng上shàng殿diàn，炷zhù香xiāng禮lǐ佛fó。又yòu對duì眾zhòng感gǎn述shù聖shèng恩ēn已yǐ畢bì，各gè歸guī禪chán座zuò。又yòu不bù覺jué紅hóng輪lún西xī墜zhuì。正zhèng是shì那nà：玄xuán奘zàng直zhí至zhì寺sì里lǐ，僧sēng人rén下xià榻tà来lái迎yíng。一yí见jiàn他tā披pī此cǐ袈jiā裟shā，执zhí此cǐ锡xī杖zhàng，都dōu道dào是shì地dì藏zàng王wáng来lái了le，各gè各gè归guī依yī，侍shì于yú左zuǒ右yòu。玄xuán奘zàng上shàng殿diàn，炷zhù香xiāng礼lǐ佛fó。又yòu对duì众zhòng感gǎn述shù圣shèng恩ēn已yǐ毕bì，各gè归guī禅chán座zuò。又yòu不bù觉jué红hóng轮lún西xī坠zhuì。正zhèng是shì那nà：

日rì落luò煙yān迷mí草cǎo樹shù，帝dì都dū鐘zhōng鼓gǔ初chū鳴míng。日rì落luò烟yān迷mí草cǎo树shù，帝dì都dū钟zhōng鼓gǔ初chū鸣míng。

叮dīng叮dīng三sān響xiǎng斷duàn人rén行xíng，前qián後hòu街jiē前qián寂jì靜jìng。叮dīng叮dīng三sān响xiǎng断duàn人rén行xíng，前qián后hòu街jiē前qián寂jì静jìng。

上shàng剎chà輝huī煌huáng燈dēng火huǒ，孤gū村cūn冷lěng落luò無wú聲shēng。上shàng刹chà辉huī煌huáng灯dēng火huǒ，孤gū村cūn冷lěng落luò无wú声shēng。

禪chán僧sēng入rù定dìng理lǐ殘cán經jīng，正zhèng好hǎo煉liàn魔mó養yǎng性xìng。禅chán僧sēng入rù定dìng理lǐ残cán经jīng，正zhèng好hǎo炼liàn魔mó养yǎng性xìng。

逐句解 Line by line

玄xuán奘zàng直zhí至zhì寺sì裡lǐ，僧sēng人rén下xià榻tà來lái迎yíng。玄xuán奘zàng直zhí至zhì寺sì里lǐ，僧sēng人rén下xià榻tà来lái迎yíng。

Xuanzang came straight to the temple, and the monks came down from their couches to meet him.

下榻, coming down off the couch, is the welcome owed an honoured guest: you do not receive him sitting.

一yí見jiàn他tā披pī此cǐ袈jiā裟shā，執zhí此cǐ錫xī杖zhàng，都dōu道dào是shì地dì藏zàng王wáng來lái了le，各gè各gè歸guī依yī，侍shì於yú左zuǒ右yòu。一yí见jiàn他tā披pī此cǐ袈jiā裟shā，执zhí此cǐ锡xī杖zhàng，都dōu道dào是shì地dì藏zàng王wáng来lái了le，各gè各gè归guī依yī，侍shì于yú左zuǒ右yòu。

The moment they saw him draped in this cassock and bearing this staff, they all said it was King Kshitigarbha come, and each took refuge and attended to his left and right.

地藏王, King Kṣitigarbha, is the Bodhisattva who swore not to become a Buddha until the hells stood empty. Of all the figures the monks might have taken him for, this is the pointed one — they look at a man in a new robe and name the patron of emptying hell, which is precisely the work he is about to be given. 都 in 都道, all said, is dōu; 藏 in 地藏 is zàng; 一見 takes yí.

玄xuán奘zàng上shàng殿diàn，炷zhù香xiāng禮lǐ佛fó。玄xuán奘zàng上shàng殿diàn，炷zhù香xiāng礼lǐ佛fó。

Xuanzang went up into the hall and offered incense in worship of the Buddha.

炷香, to set a stick of incense burning, is his own act of devotion on arriving at his new station.

又yòu對duì眾zhòng感gǎn述shù聖shèng恩ēn已yǐ畢bì，各gè歸guī禪chán座zuò。又yòu不bù覺jué紅hóng輪lún西xī墜zhuì。正zhèng是shì那nà：又yòu对duì众zhòng感gǎn述shù圣shèng恩ēn已yǐ毕bì，各gè归guī禅chán座zuò。又yòu不bù觉jué红hóng轮lún西xī坠zhuì。正zhèng是shì那nà：

And when he had finished recounting his gratitude for the imperial grace to the assembly, each returned to his meditation-seat. Before they knew it, the red wheel of the sun sank in the west. It was just then that:

紅輪, the red wheel, is the setting sun. 那 in 正是那 is the pointing nà, ushering in the dusk lyric.

日rì落luò煙yān迷mí草cǎo樹shù，帝dì都dū鐘zhōng鼓gǔ初chū鳴míng。日rì落luò烟yān迷mí草cǎo树shù，帝dì都dū钟zhōng鼓gǔ初chū鸣míng。

The sun sets, mist blurs the grass and trees; in the imperial capital the bells and drums first sound.

都 in 帝都, the imperial capital, is dū.

Ding, ding — three strokes cut off the passers-by; before and behind, the streets fall silent.

行 in 人行, people passing, is xíng. Three strokes of the curfew drum and the streets of Chang'an are legally empty.

上shàng剎chà輝huī煌huáng燈dēng火huǒ，孤gū村cūn冷lěng落luò無wú聲shēng。上shàng刹chà辉huī煌huáng灯dēng火huǒ，孤gū村cūn冷lěng落luò无wú声shēng。

In the lofty temple, lamplight blazes bright; in the lonely village, cold and desolate, no sound.

剎 in 上剎, the lofty temple, is chà.

The Chan monks enter their trance and con the remaining sutras — just the time to refine the demons and nurture the nature.

煉魔養性, to refine the demons and nurture the true nature, names the inner work of meditation — and the demons in question are the meditator's own. 正好, just the time for it, reads 正 as zhèng.

總評 Commentary

The cassock's transforming power is confirmed by the monks' reaction: seeing Xuanzang robed and staff in hand, they take him for Kṣitigarbha himself — the bodhisattva who vowed to empty the hells, and so a peculiarly fitting mistake to make about the monk who is about to be charged with delivering the dead.

The passage then modulates, as the close of the assembly's first day did, into a dusk lyric: the sun sinks, the curfew drum empties the streets, and the city falls silent around the single point of light in the temple, where the monks enter their trance to refine the demons and nurture the nature. The contemplative quiet is the stillness before Guanyin's revelation.