第十二回 · 菩薩混眾 The Bodhisattva Among the Throng — Journey to the West

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

菩薩混眾 The Bodhisattva Among the Throng

當dāng有yǒu菩pú薩sà與yǔ木mù叉chā道dào：「今jīn日rì是shì水shuǐ陸lù正zhèng會huì，以yǐ一yì七qī繼jì七qī七qī，可kě矣yǐ了le。我wǒ和hé你nǐ雜zá在zài眾zhòng人rén叢cóng中zhōng，一yì則zé看kàn他tā那nà會huì何hé如rú，二èr則zé看kàn金jīn蟬chán子zǐ可kě有yǒu福fú穿chuān我wǒ的de寶bǎo貝bèi，三sān則zé也yě聽tīng他tā講jiǎng的de是shì那nǎ一yì門mén經jīng法fǎ。」兩liǎng人rén隨suí投tóu寺sì裡lǐ。正zhèng是shì有yǒu緣yuán得de遇yù舊jiù相xiāng識shí，般bō若rě還huán歸guī本běn道dào場chǎng。入rù到dào寺sì裡lǐ觀guān看kàn，真zhēn個gè是shì：当dāng有yǒu菩pú萨sà与yǔ木mù叉chā道dào：「今jīn日rì是shì水shuǐ陆lù正zhèng会huì，以yǐ一yì七qī继jì七qī七qī，可kě矣yǐ了le。我wǒ和hé你nǐ杂zá在zài众zhòng人rén丛cóng中zhōng，一yì则zé看kàn他tā那nà会huì何hé如rú，二èr则zé看kàn金jīn蝉chán子zǐ可kě有yǒu福fú穿chuān我wǒ的de宝bǎo贝bèi，三sān则zé也yě听tīng他tā讲jiǎng的de是shì那nǎ一yì门mén经jīng法fǎ。」两liǎng人rén随suí投tóu寺sì里lǐ。正zhèng是shì有yǒu缘yuán得de遇yù旧jiù相xiāng识shí，般bō若rě还huán归guī本běn道dào场chǎng。入rù到dào寺sì里lǐ观guān看kàn，真zhēn个gè是shì：

天tiān朝cháo大dà國guó，果guǒ勝shèng裟shā婆pó。天tiān朝cháo大dà国guó，果guǒ胜shèng裟shā婆pó。

賽sài過guò祇qí園yuán舍shè衛wèi，也yě不bú亞yà上shàng剎chà招zhāo提tí。赛sài过guò祇qí园yuán舍shè卫wèi，也yě不bú亚yà上shàng刹chà招zhāo提tí。

那nà一yí派pài仙xiān音yīn響xiǎng喨liàng，佛fó號hào喧xuān嘩huá。那nà一yí派pài仙xiān音yīn响xiǎng喨liàng，佛fó号hào喧xuān哗huá。

逐句解 Line by line

當dāng有yǒu菩pú薩sà與yǔ木mù叉chā道dào：「今jīn日rì是shì水shuǐ陸lù正zhèng會huì，以yǐ一yì七qī繼jì七qī七qī，可kě矣yǐ了le。当dāng有yǒu菩pú萨sà与yǔ木mù叉chā道dào：「今jīn日rì是shì水shuǐ陆lù正zhèng会huì，以yǐ一yì七qī继jì七qī七qī，可kě矣yǐ了le。

Just then the Bodhisattva said to Moksha: 'Today is the main assembly of the Land and Water; with one seven following the seven sevens, it will do.'

一七繼七七, one seven following the seven sevens, marks the culminating day of the count. 當有, just then there was, reads 當 as dāng.

我wǒ和hé你nǐ雜zá在zài眾zhòng人rén叢cóng中zhōng，一yì則zé看kàn他tā那nà會huì何hé如rú，二èr則zé看kàn金jīn蟬chán子zǐ可kě有yǒu福fú穿chuān我wǒ的de寶bǎo貝bèi，三sān則zé也yě聽tīng他tā講jiǎng的de是shì那nǎ一yì門mén經jīng法fǎ。」我wǒ和hé你nǐ杂zá在zài众zhòng人rén丛cóng中zhōng，一yì则zé看kàn他tā那nà会huì何hé如rú，二èr则zé看kàn金jīn蝉chán子zǐ可kě有yǒu福fú穿chuān我wǒ的de宝bǎo贝bèi，三sān则zé也yě听tīng他tā讲jiǎng的de是shì那nǎ一yì门mén经jīng法fǎ。」

'You and I shall mingle among the crowd of people: first, to see how that assembly of his goes; second, to see whether the Golden Cicada has the fortune to wear my treasures; and third, to hear which school of scriptural law he expounds.'

She names three purposes, and the third is the one that matters: to hear which school of the Law he is actually teaching. Her 那 divides accordingly — 那會, that assembly, is the pointing nà, while 是那一門, which school, is the question-word nǎ. 金蟬子, Master Golden Cicada, reads 子 as the honorific zǐ.

兩liǎng人rén隨suí投tóu寺sì裡lǐ。正zhèng是shì有yǒu緣yuán得de遇yù舊jiù相xiāng識shí，般bō若rě還huán歸guī本běn道dào場chǎng。两liǎng人rén随suí投tóu寺sì里lǐ。正zhèng是shì有yǒu缘yuán得de遇yù旧jiù相xiāng识shí，般bō若rě还huán归guī本běn道dào场chǎng。

The two then made their way into the temple. It was truly a case of: by affinity, coming to meet an old acquaintance; prajna returning to its original ritual-site.

得 in 得遇, coming to meet, is the outcome de; 相 in 相識, an acquaintance, is xiāng; 還 in 還歸, to return, is huán. 般若 (bō rě, prajñā, transcendent wisdom) returning to its own ritual-site is the narrator's wink: wisdom itself has walked into the wisdom-hall, and nobody has looked up.

入rù到dào寺sì裡lǐ觀guān看kàn，真zhēn個gè是shì：入rù到dào寺sì里lǐ观guān看kàn，真zhēn个gè是shì：

Entering the temple to look about, it was indeed thus:

真個是, it was indeed thus, ushers in the descriptive rhapsody of the assembly.

天tiān朝cháo大dà國guó，果guǒ勝shèng裟shā婆pó。天tiān朝cháo大dà国guó，果guǒ胜shèng裟shā婆pó。

A Heavenly Court, a great nation — truly it surpasses the Saha world.

裟婆, a form of 娑婆, the Sanskrit sahā, is this present world, the one that has to be endured. 朝 in 天朝 is cháo.

賽sài過guò祇qí園yuán舍shè衛wèi，也yě不bú亞yà上shàng剎chà招zhāo提tí。赛sài过guò祇qí园yuán舍shè卫wèi，也yě不bú亚yà上shàng刹chà招zhāo提tí。

It outdoes the Jetavana of Sravasti, and yields nothing to the lofty temples and monasteries.

祇園舍衛 is the Jetavana grove at Śrāvastī, where the Buddha preached more often than anywhere else; 招提 (zhāo tí, from the Sanskrit caturdiśa) is a monastery. 剎 in 上剎 is chà. Note the boast: a Chinese assembly is said to outdo the holiest ground in India, and it is about to be told that it cannot do the one thing it was convened for.

那nà一yí派pài仙xiān音yīn響xiǎng喨liàng，佛fó號hào喧xuān嘩huá。那nà一yí派pài仙xiān音yīn响xiǎng喨liàng，佛fó号hào喧xuān哗huá。

That strain of immortal music rings clear; the Buddha's name resounds in clamor.

那 in 那一派 is the pointing nà; 佛號 takes the global fó.

總評 Commentary

Guanyin's decision to mingle in disguise sets the terms of the coming climax. Her three stated purposes — to observe the assembly, to test whether the Golden Cicada is worthy of her treasures, and above all to hear which school of scriptural law he expounds — point straight at the doctrinal challenge she is about to make. The narrator's aside, that prajna returns to its original ritual-site, quietly identifies the disguised beggar with transcendent wisdom itself, entering the very rite meant to embody it.

The rhapsody that follows exalts the Chinese assembly above the holiest sites of Indian Buddhism, the Jetavana of Śrāvastī and the monasteries of the West — a hyperbole the Bodhisattva is about to puncture, for all its magnificence the assembly commands only the Lesser Vehicle, and cannot deliver the dead it was convened to save.