Canonical Classics ← 第十四回
第十四回
xīnyuánguīzhèng
liùzéizōng

The Mind-Monkey Returns to the Right · The Six Robbers Vanish Without a Trace

菩薩勉行
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

菩薩勉行 Guanyin on the Way

xíngzhějiàncuīqǐngxíngzòngshēnchūhǎicángjiàzheyúnbiélelóngwángzhèngzǒuquèzháonánhǎidào:「sūnkōngzěnmeshòujiàohuìbǎotángsēngláichùgàn?」huāngdexíngzhězàiyúnduānshīdào:「xiàngméngshànyánguǒyǒutángcháosēngdàojiēletiējiùlemìnggēnzuòlequèguàixiōngwáncáishǎnshǎnjīnjiùbǎo。」dào:「gǎnzǎocuòguòleniàntóu。」yánhuíxíngzhějiàncuīqǐngxíngzòngshēnchūhǎicángjiàzheyúnbiélelóngwángzhèngzǒuquèzháonánhǎidào:「sūnkōngzěnmeshòujiàohuìbǎotángsēngláichùgàn?」huāngdexíngzhězàiyúnduānshīdào:「xiàngméngshànyánguǒyǒutángcháosēngdàojiēletiējiùlemìnggēnzuòlequèguàixiōngwáncáishǎnshǎnjīnjiùbǎo。」dào:「gǎnzǎocuòguòleniàntóu。」yánhuí


逐句解 Line by line

xíngzhějiàncuīqǐngxíngzòngshēnchūhǎicángjiàzheyúnbiélelóngwáng xíngzhějiàncuīqǐngxíngzòngshēnchūhǎicángjiàzheyúnbiélelóngwáng

The Pilgrim, seeing him urge and press him to be off, sprang up in haste, left the sea-depths, mounted his cloud, and took leave of the Dragon King.

Out of the sea-depths and onto a cloud. 行者 reads as xíng; in 海藏, the sea's hidden depths, is the noun cáng, not the zàng of Sanzang's name; 駕著 uses the ongoing-action (zhe).

zhèngzǒuquèzháonánhǎi zhèngzǒuquèzháonánhǎi

As he went, he met the Bodhisattva of the Southern Sea.

And of all the people to meet in the sky on the way back. 遇著 uses the ongoing-action (zhe).

dào:「sūnkōngzěnmeshòujiàohuìbǎotángsēngláichùgàn?」 dào:「sūnkōngzěnmeshòujiàohuìbǎotángsēngláichùgàn?」

The Bodhisattva said, "Sun Wukong, why do you not accept instruction, why do you not protect the Tang monk — what are you doing here?"

Three questions in one breath, and all of them accusations. Coming straight after the Dragon King's lecture, this is the second and higher rebuke in ten minutes. 教誨 reads as jiào.

huāngdexíngzhězàiyúnduānshīdào huāngdexíngzhězàiyúnduānshīdào

Flustered, the Pilgrim made his bow up in the clouds and said:

The creature who threatened to fight all of Heaven bows in mid-air and starts explaining himself. 慌得 reads as de; 行者 reads as xíng.

xiàngméngshànyánguǒyǒutángcháosēngdàojiēletiējiùlemìnggēnzuòle xiàngméngshànyánguǒyǒutángcháosēngdàojiēletiējiùlemìnggēnzuòle

"I was favoured, before, with the Bodhisattva's kind words; and indeed a monk of Tang came, lifted the sealing-slip, saved my life, and I became his disciple.

He begins with the parts that reflect well on him: your kind words, the monk who came, the seal lifted, my life saved, and yes, I became his disciple. 唐朝 reads as cháo.

quèguàixiōngwáncáishǎnshǎnjīnjiùbǎo。」 quèguàixiōngwáncáishǎnshǎnjīnjiùbǎo。」

But he took offence at my fierceness, so I dodged away from him a while; and now I am off to protect him."

And then the masterpiece of understatement. He walked out for good; here it becomes 'I dodged away from him a while' — and, look, I was just on my way back.

dào:「gǎnzǎocuòguòleniàntóu。」yánhuí dào:「gǎnzǎocuòguòleniàntóu。」yánhuí

The Bodhisattva said, "Hurry along, then, and do not let the good intention slip." With that, each went their way.

Hurry along and do not let the good intention slip. It is brisk, kindly, and spoken by someone who has just spent the afternoon making quite certain it cannot slip — she has come straight from handing his master the spell.


總評 Commentary

A brief, pointed encounter bridges the two halves of the reconciliation. Having been talked round by the Dragon King into returning of his own accord, Wukong now runs into Guanyin herself, who challenges him a second time. The doubled rebuke — first the dragon, then the bodhisattva — is a measure of how much moral pressure it takes to turn this creature around.

The scene is quietly ironic twice over. First, Wukong's sheepish self-excusing in front of Guanyin — he only 'dodged away a while' — shows a pride that has been dented rather than broken. Second, and more to the point, the reader knows what Wukong does not: this same bodhisattva has, minutes earlier and in disguise, handed his master the golden band and the spell that will compel him. Her brisk 'do not let the good intention slip' is spoken by someone who has already made sure of it.

So the encounter seals the persuasion while concealing the coercion running underneath. Wukong flies off believing he is going back freely; he is in fact flying straight into a very handsome cap. The chapter's two disciplines — appeal to the will, constraint of the body — are now a few minutes apart.