第三十二回 · 樂以忘憂 Taking Joy, He Forgets His Cares — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

樂以忘憂 Taking Joy, He Forgets His Cares

行xíng者zhě聞wén說shuō，笑xiào呵hē呵hē道dào：「師shī要yào身shēn閑xián，有yǒu何hé難nán事shì？若ruò功gōng成chéng之zhī後hòu，萬wàn緣yuán都dōu罷bà，諸zhū法fǎ皆jiē空kōng。那nà時shí節jié，自zì然rán而ér然rán，卻què不bú是shì身shēn閑xián也yě？」長zhǎng老lǎo聞wén言yán，只zhǐ得dé樂lè以yǐ忘wàng憂yōu。放fàng轡pèi催cuī銀yín濁zhuó，兜dōu韁jiāng趲zǎn玉yù龍lóng。行xíng者zhě闻wén说shuō，笑xiào呵hē呵hē道dào：「师shī要yào身shēn闲xián，有yǒu何hé难nán事shì？若ruò功gōng成chéng之zhī后hòu，万wàn缘yuán都dōu罢bà，诸zhū法fǎ皆jiē空kōng。那nà时shí节jié，自zì然rán而ér然rán，却què不bú是shì身shēn闲xián也yě？」长zhǎng老lǎo闻wén言yán，只zhǐ得dé乐lè以yǐ忘wàng忧yōu。放fàng辔pèi催cuī银yín浊zhuó，兜dōu缰jiāng趱zǎn玉yù龙lóng。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě聞wén說shuō，笑xiào呵hē呵hē道dào：「師shī要yào身shēn閑xián，有yǒu何hé難nán事shì？行xíng者zhě闻wén说shuō，笑xiào呵hē呵hē道dào：「师shī要yào身shēn闲xián，有yǒu何hé难nán事shì？

When Pilgrim heard this he laughed aloud and said: “If the Master wants his body at rest, where is the difficulty in that?

笑呵呵 (xiào hēhē), "laughing heartily." 身閑, "the body at rest."

若ruò功gōng成chéng之zhī後hòu，萬wàn緣yuán都dōu罷bà，諸zhū法fǎ皆jiē空kōng。若ruò功gōng成chéng之zhī后hòu，万wàn缘yuán都dōu罢bà，诸zhū法fǎ皆jiē空kōng。

Once the work is achieved, the ten-thousand ties all cease, and the dharmas are one and all empty.

萬緣都罷 (wàn yuán dōu bà), "the ten-thousand ties all cease." 諸法皆空, "all dharmas are empty." 都 read dōu.

那nà時shí節jié，自zì然rán而ér然rán，卻què不bú是shì身shēn閑xián也yě？」那nà时shí节jié，自zì然rán而ér然rán，却què不bú是shì身shēn闲xián也yě？」

At that time, of itself and so of itself, will the body not then be at rest?”

自然而然 (zìrán ér rán), "of itself, spontaneously." 那時節 — 那 read nà.

長zhǎng老lǎo聞wén言yán，只zhǐ得dé樂lè以yǐ忘wàng憂yōu。长zhǎng老lǎo闻wén言yán，只zhǐ得dé乐lè以yǐ忘wàng忧yōu。

Hearing these words, the Elder could do no more than take such joy as forgets all care.

只得 (zhǐ dé), "could only." 樂以忘憂 (lè yǐ wàng yōu), "to take joy such that one forgets care." 得 read dé; 長 read zhǎng.

放fàng轡pèi催cuī銀yín濁zhuó，兜dōu韁jiāng趲zǎn玉yù龍lóng。放fàng辔pèi催cuī银yín浊zhuó，兜dōu缰jiāng趱zǎn玉yù龙lóng。

Loosing the reins, he urged on the silver steed; gathering the halter, he hastened the jade dragon.

放轡 (fàng pèi) / 兜韁 (dōu jiāng), "to loose the reins" / "to gather the halter." 銀濁 (yín zhuó) stands here for the mount, parallel to 玉龍; the 世德堂本 prints 濁, read zhuó.

總評 Commentary

Pilgrim’s reply turns the Elder’s lament back upon itself with Chan dialectic: rest is not to be sought but realized. Once the work of the pilgrimage is achieved, “the ten-thousand ties all cease and the dharmas are one and all empty” (萬緣都罷，諸法皆空), and the body’s ease follows “of itself, spontaneously” (自然而然) — a rest that is not idleness but the cessation attendant on awakening. The disciple again instructs the master, and the Elder can only “take joy and forget his cares.”

The passage closes on a parallel couplet of departure — loosing the reins upon the silver steed, gathering the halter of the jade dragon (放轡催銀濁，兜韁趲玉龍). The 世德堂本 here prints 濁 where the parallel with 玉龍 leads one to expect a graph for a bright-maned horse; the reading is preserved as printed and glossed, in keeping with the edition’s authority over conjectural emendation.