第二十四回 · 蘭盆舊識 Old Friend of the Ullambana Feast — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

蘭盆舊識 Old Friend of the Ullambana Feast

二èr童tóng道dào：「師shī父fù的de故gù人rén是shì誰shuí？望wàng說shuō與yǔ弟dì子zǐ，好hǎo接jiē待dài。」大dà仙xiān道dào：「他tā是shì東dōng土tǔ大dà唐táng駕jià下xià的de聖shèng僧sēng，道dào號hào三sān藏zàng，今jīn往wǎng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú經jīng的de和hé尚shàng。」二èr童tóng笑xiào道dào：「孔kǒng子zǐ云yún：『道dào不bù同tóng，不bù相xiāng為wèi謀móu。』我wǒ等děng是shì太tài乙yǐ玄xuán門mén，怎zěn麼me與yǔ那nà和hé尚shàng做zuò甚shèn相xiāng識shí？」大dà仙xiān道dào：「你nǐ那nǎ裡lǐ得dé知zhī。那nà和hé尚shàng乃nǎi金jīn蟬chán子zǐ轉zhuǎn生shēng，西xī方fāng聖shèng老lǎo如rú來lái佛fó第dì二èr個gè徒tú弟dì。五wǔ百bǎi年nián前qián，我wǒ與yǔ他tā在zài蘭lán盆pén會huì上shàng相xiāng識shí。他tā曾céng親qīn手shǒu傳chuán茶chá，佛fó子zǐ敬jìng我wǒ，故gù此cǐ是shì為wéi故gù人rén也yě。」二èr童tóng道dào：「师shī父fù的de故gù人rén是shì谁shuí？望wàng说shuō与yǔ弟dì子zǐ，好hǎo接jiē待dài。」大dà仙xiān道dào：「他tā是shì东dōng土tǔ大dà唐táng驾jià下xià的de圣shèng僧sēng，道dào号hào三sān藏zàng，今jīn往wǎng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú经jīng的de和hé尚shàng。」二èr童tóng笑xiào道dào：「孔kǒng子zǐ云yún：『道dào不bù同tóng，不bù相xiāng为wèi谋móu。』我wǒ等děng是shì太tài乙yǐ玄xuán门mén，怎zěn么me与yǔ那nà和hé尚shàng做zuò甚shèn相xiāng识shí？」大dà仙xiān道dào：「你nǐ那nǎ里lǐ得dé知zhī。那nà和hé尚shàng乃nǎi金jīn蝉chán子zǐ转zhuǎn生shēng，西xī方fāng圣shèng老lǎo如rú来lái佛fó第dì二èr个gè徒tú弟dì。五wǔ百bǎi年nián前qián，我wǒ与yǔ他tā在zài兰lán盆pén会huì上shàng相xiāng识shí。他tā曾céng亲qīn手shǒu传chuán茶chá，佛fó子zǐ敬jìng我wǒ，故gù此cǐ是shì为wéi故gù人rén也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

二èr童tóng道dào：「師shī父fù的de故gù人rén是shì誰shuí？二èr童tóng道dào：「师shī父fù的de故gù人rén是shì谁shuí？

The two boys said, “Master, who is this old friend?

A simple question opening the disclosure of Tripiṭaka’s prior identity.

望wàng說shuō與yǔ弟dì子zǐ，好hǎo接jiē待dài。」望wàng说shuō与yǔ弟dì子zǐ，好hǎo接jiē待dài。」

Pray tell your disciples, that we may receive him fittingly.”

弟子 (dìzǐ) = disciple(s), the boys’ self-reference, 子 (zǐ); 接待 (jiēdài) = to receive a guest.

大dà仙xiān道dào：「他tā是shì東dōng土tǔ大dà唐táng駕jià下xià的de聖shèng僧sēng，道dào號hào三sān藏zàng，今jīn往wǎng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú經jīng的de和hé尚shàng。」大dà仙xiān道dào：「他tā是shì东dōng土tǔ大dà唐táng驾jià下xià的de圣shèng僧sēng，道dào号hào三sān藏zàng，今jīn往wǎng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú经jīng的de和hé尚shàng。」

The Great Immortal said, “He is the holy monk under the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, styled Tripiṭaka — the monk now bound for the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures.”

道號 (dào hào) = Daoist / religious title, 號 (hào); 三藏 (Sānzàng), 藏 (zàng); 拜佛 (bài fó), 佛 (fó).

二èr童tóng笑xiào道dào：「孔kǒng子zǐ云yún：『道dào不bù同tóng，不bù相xiāng為wèi謀móu。』二èr童tóng笑xiào道dào：「孔kǒng子zǐ云yún：『道dào不bù同tóng，不bù相xiāng为wèi谋móu。』

The two boys said with a laugh, “Confucius says: ‘Those whose ways differ take no counsel together.’

The tag 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ) (Confucius), 子 (zǐ); the citation is from the Analects (Bk. XV). In 不相為謀, 相 (xiāng) is reciprocal and 為 (wèi) reads here as the coverb ‘for’ (following Yáng Bójùn: 相為謀 = to plan on one another’s behalf) — the common recitation instead reads 為 (wéi), ‘to devise plans together.’

我wǒ等děng是shì太tài乙yǐ玄xuán門mén，怎zěn麼me與yǔ那nà和hé尚shàng做zuò甚shèn相xiāng識shí？」我wǒ等děng是shì太tài乙yǐ玄xuán门mén，怎zěn么me与yǔ那nà和hé尚shàng做zuò甚shèn相xiāng识shí？」

We are of the Mystic Gate of the Great Monad — what acquaintance should we have with that monk?”

太乙玄門 (Tàiyǐ xuánmén) = the esoteric Daoist lineage of the Great Monad (Taiyi). 那 (nà) ‘that’; 做甚 (zuò shèn), 甚 (shèn) ‘what / why’; 相識 (xiāngshí), 相 (xiāng) ‘be acquainted.’

大dà仙xiān道dào：「你nǐ那nǎ裡lǐ得dé知zhī。大dà仙xiān道dào：「你nǐ那nǎ里lǐ得dé知zhī。

The Great Immortal said, “How should you know?

你那裡 (nǐ nǎlǐ) here = 哪裡, the interrogative ‘how / whence,’ 那 (nǎ); 得知 (dé zhī) = to come to know, 得 (dé).

那nà和hé尚shàng乃nǎi金jīn蟬chán子zǐ轉zhuǎn生shēng，西xī方fāng聖shèng老lǎo如rú來lái佛fó第dì二èr個gè徒tú弟dì。那nà和hé尚shàng乃nǎi金jīn蝉chán子zǐ转zhuǎn生shēng，西xī方fāng圣shèng老lǎo如rú来lái佛fó第dì二èr个gè徒tú弟dì。

That monk is the reincarnation of the Golden Cicada, second disciple of the Holy Elder of the West, the Tathāgata Buddha.

那 (nà) ‘that monk’ (demonstrative); 金蟬子 (Jīnchán Zǐ) = the Golden Cicada, Tripiṭaka’s prior name as the Buddha’s disciple, 子 (zǐ); 如來佛 (Rúlái Fó), 佛 (fó); 轉生 (zhuǎnshēng) = to be reborn.

五wǔ百bǎi年nián前qián，我wǒ與yǔ他tā在zài蘭lán盆pén會huì上shàng相xiāng識shí。五wǔ百bǎi年nián前qián，我wǒ与yǔ他tā在zài兰lán盆pén会huì上shàng相xiāng识shí。

Five hundred years ago he and I became acquainted at the Ullambana Feast.

蘭盆會 (Lánpén Huì) = the 盂蘭盆 (Ullambana) assembly, the great Buddhist rite for delivering the dead; 相識 (xiāngshí), 相 (xiāng) (became acquainted).

他tā曾céng親qīn手shǒu傳chuán茶chá，佛fó子zǐ敬jìng我wǒ，故gù此cǐ是shì為wéi故gù人rén也yě。」他tā曾céng亲qīn手shǒu传chuán茶chá，佛fó子zǐ敬jìng我wǒ，故gù此cǐ是shì为wéi故gù人rén也yě。」

With his own hand he once served me tea — a son of Buddha, doing me honour; and so he is an old friend indeed.”

傳茶 (chuán chá) = to serve / pass tea; 佛子 (fózǐ) = a son of the Buddha, i.e. his disciple, 子 (zǐ); 是為 (shì wéi), the copula 為 (wéi) ‘is indeed.’

總評 Commentary

The disclosure lifts the Tang Monk’s cosmic pedigree: he is the reincarnation of 金蟬子, the Golden Cicada, the Buddha’s own second disciple — the demoted celestial whose fall and earthly rebirth frame the entire pilgrimage. What the reader has known as backstory is here voiced from the Daoist side, by an immortal who knew him before.

The boys’ 孔子 citation — 道不同，不相為謀, ‘those whose ways differ take no counsel together’ — comically pits the Buddhist-Daoist divide against their master’s friendship. Zhènyuán’s answer crosses it not by doctrine but by courtesy: at the 蘭盆會 (Ullambana) five centuries before, the Golden Cicada had served him tea with his own hand. The remembered civility, not any shared creed, makes the bond — a quietly ecumenical touch characteristic of the novel’s syncretism.

Readings turn on the honorific 子 = zǐ running through 孔子／金蟬子／佛子／弟子 (against the suffix zi), the reciprocal 相 = xiāng throughout, the contested 為 of the Analects line, and the copular 是為 = wéi.