第十二回 · 開啟法會 The Grand Mass Is Convened — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional 含詞賦 With rhapsody

開啟法會 The Grand Mass Is Convened

玄xuán奘zàng再zài拜bài領lǐng旨zhǐ而ér出chū，遂suì到dào化huà生shēng寺sì裡lǐ，聚jù集jí多duō僧sēng，打dǎ造zào禪chán榻tà，裝zhuāng修xiū功gōng德dé，整zhěng理lǐ音yīn樂yuè。選xuǎn得de大dà小xiǎo明míng僧sēng共gòng計jì一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi名míng，分fēn派pài上shàng中zhōng下xià三sān堂táng。諸zhū所suǒ佛fó前qián，物wù件jiàn皆jiē齊qí，頭tóu頭tóu有yǒu次cì。選xuǎn到dào本běn年nián九jiǔ月yuè初chū三sān日rì黃huáng道dào良liáng辰chén，開kāi啟qǐ做zuò七qī七qī四sì十shí九jiǔ日rì水shuǐ陸lù大dà會huì。即jí具jù表biǎo申shēn奏zòu。太tài宗zōng及jí文wén武wǔ國guó戚qī皇huáng親qīn，俱jù至zhì期qī赴fù會huì，拈niān香xiāng聽tīng講jiǎng。有yǒu詩shī為wèi證zhèng。詩shī曰yuē：玄xuán奘zàng再zài拜bài领lǐng旨zhǐ而ér出chū，遂suì到dào化huà生shēng寺sì里lǐ，聚jù集jí多duō僧sēng，打dǎ造zào禅chán榻tà，装zhuāng修xiū功gōng德dé，整zhěng理lǐ音yīn乐yuè。选xuǎn得de大dà小xiǎo明míng僧sēng共gòng计jì一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi名míng，分fēn派pài上shàng中zhōng下xià三sān堂táng。诸zhū所suǒ佛fó前qián，物wù件jiàn皆jiē齐qí，头tóu头tóu有yǒu次cì。选xuǎn到dào本běn年nián九jiǔ月yuè初chū三sān日rì黄huáng道dào良liáng辰chén，开kāi启qǐ做zuò七qī七qī四sì十shí九jiǔ日rì水shuǐ陆lù大dà会huì。即jí具jù表biǎo申shēn奏zòu。太tài宗zōng及jí文wén武wǔ国guó戚qī皇huáng亲qīn，俱jù至zhì期qī赴fù会huì，拈niān香xiāng听tīng讲jiǎng。有yǒu诗shī为wèi证zhèng。诗shī曰yuē：

龍lóng集jí貞zhēn觀guān正zhèng十shí三sān，王wáng宣xuān大dà眾zhòng把bǎ經jīng談tán。龙lóng集jí贞zhēn观guān正zhèng十shí三sān，王wáng宣xuān大dà众zhòng把bǎ经jīng谈tán。

道dào場chǎng開kāi演yǎn無wú量liàng法fǎ，雲yún霧wù光guāng乘chéng大dà願yuàn龕kān。道dào场chǎng开kāi演yǎn无wú量liàng法fǎ，云yún雾wù光guāng乘chéng大dà愿yuàn龛kān。

御yù敕chì垂chuí恩ēn修xiū上shàng剎chà，金jīn蟬chán脫tuō殼qiào化huà西xī涵hán。御yù敕chì垂chuí恩ēn修xiū上shàng刹chà，金jīn蝉chán脱tuō壳qiào化huà西xī涵hán。

普pǔ施shī善shàn果guǒ超chāo沉chén沒mò，秉bǐng教jiào宣xuān揚yáng前qián後hòu三sān。普pǔ施shī善shàn果guǒ超chāo沉chén没mò，秉bǐng教jiào宣xuān扬yáng前qián后hòu三sān。

逐句解 Line by line

玄xuán奘zàng再zài拜bài領lǐng旨zhǐ而ér出chū，遂suì到dào化huà生shēng寺sì裡lǐ，聚jù集jí多duō僧sēng，打dǎ造zào禪chán榻tà，裝zhuāng修xiū功gōng德dé，整zhěng理lǐ音yīn樂yuè。玄xuán奘zàng再zài拜bài领lǐng旨zhǐ而ér出chū，遂suì到dào化huà生shēng寺sì里lǐ，聚jù集jí多duō僧sēng，打dǎ造zào禅chán榻tà，装zhuāng修xiū功gōng德dé，整zhěng理lǐ音yīn乐yuè。

Xuanzang bowed once more, received the command, and withdrew; then he went to the Huasheng Temple, gathered the many monks, had meditation couches built, adorned the merit-hall, and put the music in order.

禪榻 are 'meditation couches'; 樂 in 音樂 ('music') is yuè, not lè.

選xuǎn得de大dà小xiǎo明míng僧sēng共gòng計jì一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi名míng，分fēn派pài上shàng中zhōng下xià三sān堂táng。选xuǎn得de大dà小xiǎo明míng僧sēng共gòng计jì一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi名míng，分fēn派pài上shàng中zhōng下xià三sān堂táng。

He chose enlightened monks great and small, twelve hundred in all, and distributed them among the upper, middle, and lower halls.

得 in 選得 is the resultative de; 分 in 分派 ('to distribute, to assign') is fēn. 中 in 上中下三堂 is the ordinary zhōng ('middle').

諸zhū所suǒ佛fó前qián，物wù件jiàn皆jiē齊qí，頭tóu頭tóu有yǒu次cì。诸zhū所suǒ佛fó前qián，物wù件jiàn皆jiē齐qí，头tóu头tóu有yǒu次cì。

Before all the Buddha-images the appointments were complete, and everything set in due order.

頭頭有次 is 'each and every thing in its proper sequence.'

選xuǎn到dào本běn年nián九jiǔ月yuè初chū三sān日rì黃huáng道dào良liáng辰chén，開kāi啟qǐ做zuò七qī七qī四sì十shí九jiǔ日rì水shuǐ陸lù大dà會huì。选xuǎn到dào本běn年nián九jiǔ月yuè初chū三sān日rì黄huáng道dào良liáng辰chén，开kāi启qǐ做zuò七qī七qī四sì十shí九jiǔ日rì水shuǐ陆lù大dà会huì。

He fixed upon the third day of the ninth month of that year, an auspicious hour of a propitious day, to open a Grand Mass of Land and Water to run seven times seven — forty-nine days.

黃道良辰 is 'an auspicious hour on a lucky day' (the 'yellow-way' days of the almanac). The 七七四十九日 (forty-nine days) is the canonical duration for delivering the dead, matching the seven-week bardo of Buddhist cosmology.

即jí具jù表biǎo申shēn奏zòu。即jí具jù表biǎo申shēn奏zòu。

He drew up a memorial and submitted it to the throne.

A brief procedural note: the assembly is convened by formal petition.

太tài宗zōng及jí文wén武wǔ國guó戚qī皇huáng親qīn，俱jù至zhì期qī赴fù會huì，拈niān香xiāng聽tīng講jiǎng。太tài宗zōng及jí文wén武wǔ国guó戚qī皇huáng亲qīn，俱jù至zhì期qī赴fù会huì，拈niān香xiāng听tīng讲jiǎng。

Taizong, with his civil and military officers and the imperial kin, all came to the assembly at the appointed time to offer incense and hear the exposition.

拈香 ('to offer a pinch of incense') is the emperor's act of personal devotion at the rite.

有yǒu詩shī為wèi證zhèng。詩shī曰yuē：有yǒu诗shī为wèi证zhèng。诗shī曰yuē：

There is a poem in witness. The poem says:

The double citation formula 有詩為證。詩曰 heads the celebratory verse. 為 in 為證 is wèi.

The dragon-year gathered in Zhenguan, its very thirteenth; the king proclaimed the assembled host to expound the scriptures.

龍集 ('the year-star gathered') is a formal manner of dating; 貞觀正十三 is the thirteenth year of the Zhenguan reign (639 CE), 正 here read zhèng ('exactly, the full').

At the ritual site they opened the exposition of the measureless Law; cloud and mist and light rode upon the great-vow shrine.

無量法 is the 'measureless Dharma'; 量 in 無量 is liàng. 龕 (kān) is a shrine or niche; 乘 in 光乘 here is read chéng ('to ride, to mount').

By imperial edict, grace was bestowed to raise the lofty temple; the Golden Cicada, shedding its shell, was transformed toward the West.

上剎 ('the lofty temple') reads 剎 as chà (the Buddhist-temple sense, from Sanskrit kṣetra), not shā. In 金蟬脫殼 ('the golden cicada sheds its shell') 殼 takes the literary reading qiào; the line points forward to Xuanzang's destiny in the Western Heaven.

Broadly bestowing good fruits, it delivered the drowned and the sunken; upholding the teaching and proclaiming it — before and after, the Three.

沒 in 沉沒 ('to sink, to drown') is mò. 教 in 秉教 ('upholding the teaching') is jiào; the closing 前後三 is obscure, perhaps 'the Three [Teachings], before and after,' and is rendered here literally.

總評 Commentary

The rite so long prepared is at last convened, and the passage dwells on its scale and propriety: twelve hundred monks distributed among three halls, the images and appointments all in place, an auspicious date fixed, and the full forty-nine days appointed — the canonical seven weeks for ferrying the dead across. The celebratory quatrain lifts the occasion into cosmic register, but its third couplet does the quietest and most important work: 'the Golden Cicada, shedding its shell, was transformed toward the West.' In a single line the verse binds the local ceremony to the novel's larger arc, hinting that this assembly is not an end but the hinge on which Xuanzang's westward pilgrimage will turn.