原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
誦經薦亡
The Service for the Dead
次早,那合家老小都起來,就整素齋,管待長老,請開啟念經。這長老淨了手,同太保家堂前拈了香,拜了家堂。三藏方敲響木魚,先念了淨口業的真言,又念了淨身心的神咒,然後開《度亡經》一卷。誦畢,伯欽又請寫薦亡疏一道,再開念《金剛經》、《觀音經》。一一朗音高誦。誦畢,吃了午齋,又念《法華經》、《彌陀經》,各誦幾卷,又念一卷《孔雀經》,及談苾蒭洗業的故事,早又天晚。獻過了種種香火,化了眾神紙馬,燒了薦亡文疏。佛事已畢,又各安寢。次早,那合家老小都起来,就整素斋,管待长老,请开启念经。这长老净了手,同太保家堂前拈了香,拜了家堂。三藏方敲响木鱼,先念了净口业的真言,又念了净身心的神咒,然后开《度亡经》一卷。诵毕,伯钦又请写荐亡疏一道,再开念《金刚经》、《观音经》。一一朗音高诵。诵毕,吃了午斋,又念《法华经》、《弥陀经》,各诵几卷,又念一卷《孔雀经》,及谈苾蒭洗业的故事,早又天晚。献过了种种香火,化了众神纸马,烧了荐亡文疏。佛事已毕,又各安寝。
逐句解 Line by line
次早,那合家老小都起來,就整素齋,管待長老,請開啟念經。這長老淨了手,同太保家堂前拈了香,拜了家堂。三藏方敲響木魚,先念了淨口業的真言,又念了淨身心的神咒,然後開《度亡經》一卷。誦畢,伯欽又請寫薦亡疏一道,再開念《金剛經》、《觀音經》。一一朗音高誦。誦畢,吃了午齋,又念《法華經》、《彌陀經》,各誦幾卷,又念一卷《孔雀經》,及談苾蒭洗業的故事,早又天晚。獻過了種種香火,化了眾神紙馬,燒了薦亡文疏。佛事已畢,又各安寢。
次早,那合家老小都起来,就整素斋,管待长老,请开启念经。这长老净了手,同太保家堂前拈了香,拜了家堂。三藏方敲响木鱼,先念了净口业的真言,又念了净身心的神咒,然后开《度亡经》一卷。诵毕,伯钦又请写荐亡疏一道,再开念《金刚经》、《观音经》。一一朗音高诵。诵毕,吃了午斋,又念《法华经》、《弥陀经》,各诵几卷,又念一卷《孔雀经》,及谈苾蒭洗业的故事,早又天晚。献过了种种香火,化了众神纸马,烧了荐亡文疏。佛事已毕,又各安寝。
Early the next morning the whole household, old and young, rose and set about a vegetarian feast to entertain the elder, and asked him to begin reciting the scriptures. The elder washed his hands, and together with the Guardian burned incense before the family shrine and made his obeisances to it. Then Sanzang sounded the wooden fish, and first recited the True Words for cleansing the mouth of its karma, and next the divine spell for purifying body and mind, and after that opened the Sutra for the Deliverance of the Dead, a single scroll. When he had finished chanting, Boqin asked him further to write out a memorial petition for the departed, and then to begin reciting the Diamond Sutra and the Guanyin Sutra, all in a clear, ringing voice. When these were done, they took their midday meal, and then he recited the Lotus Sutra and the Amitabha Sutra, several scrolls of each, and one scroll of the Peacock Sutra as well, and told the story of how the bhikṣu washed away his karma; and soon it was evening again. When they had presented every kind of incense and offering, burned the paper horses for the host of spirits, and burned the memorial petition for the departed, the Buddhist rites were complete, and each of them went again to rest.
苾蒭 (bì chú) is a transliteration of the Sanskrit bhikṣu, a fully ordained monk; the graph 蒭 is preserved in its original form here rather than converted. The service is a genuine Buddhist requiem, its sequence of purifying spells, sutra-recitations, written petition, and burned offerings faithfully set down; the sutras named — the 度亡經, 金剛經, 觀音經, 法華經, 彌陀經, and 孔雀經 — all belong to the repertoire of merit-making for the dead.
總評 Commentary
The memorial service is described with a documentary particularity that is itself part of the novel's meaning. Sanzang, the helpless traveller of the chapter's first half, is here shown in his proper office as a master of ritual: he cleanses mouth and mind with spells, sounds the wooden fish, recites in order a whole sequence of sutras, writes out the petition for the dead, and oversees the burning of offerings. The passage functions almost as a catalogue of the rites of Buddhist merit-transfer, and its very thoroughness lends weight to what follows — for the efficacy of these rites is about to be confirmed, in the plainest possible way, by the appearance of the freed soul itself. The scene also completes the reversal the chapter has staged: the monk who could do nothing to save his own life proves able to do a great deal for the salvation of another's soul.