第七十二回 · 不若放生 Let A Living Thing Go — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

不若放生 Let A Living Thing Go

眾zhòng女nǚ子zǐ笑xiào道dào：「長zhǎng老lǎo雖suī不bù揀jiǎn人rén佈bù施shī，卻què只zhǐ有yǒu些xiē上shàng門mén怪guài人rén。莫mò嫌xián粗cū淡dàn，吃chī些xiē兒ér罷bà。」長zhǎng老lǎo道dào：「實shí是shì不bù敢gǎn吃chī，恐kǒng破pò了le戒jiè。望wàng菩pú薩sà養yǎng生shēng不bú若ruò放fàng生shēng，放fàng我wǒ和hé尚shàng出chū去qù罷bà。」众zhòng女nǚ子zǐ笑xiào道dào：「长zhǎng老lǎo虽suī不bù拣jiǎn人rén布bù施shī，却què只zhǐ有yǒu些xiē上shàng门mén怪guài人rén。莫mò嫌xián粗cū淡dàn，吃chī些xiē儿ér罢bà。」长zhǎng老lǎo道dào：「实shí是shì不bù敢gǎn吃chī，恐kǒng破pò了le戒jiè。望wàng菩pú萨sà养yǎng生shēng不bú若ruò放fàng生shēng，放fàng我wǒ和hé尚shàng出chū去qù罢bà。」

逐句解 Line by line

眾zhòng女nǚ子zǐ笑xiào道dào：「長zhǎng老lǎo雖suī不bù揀jiǎn人rén佈bù施shī，卻què只zhǐ有yǒu些xiē上shàng門mén怪guài人rén。众zhòng女nǚ子zǐ笑xiào道dào：「长zhǎng老lǎo虽suī不bù拣jiǎn人rén布bù施shī，却què只zhǐ有yǒu些xiē上shàng门mén怪guài人rén。

The women laughed and said, "Elder, you may not pick and choose among people, but you have a fair bit of coming-to-the-door-and-finding-fault about you."

上門怪人 — turning up at somebody's door and then blaming them. The phrase is built on the spot to catch exactly his position, and it is the most pointed thing anybody says to him in the chapter. He did come uninvited.

莫mò嫌xián粗cū淡dàn，吃chī些xiē兒ér罷bà。」莫mò嫌xián粗cū淡dàn，吃chī些xiē儿ér罢bà。」

"Do not turn your nose up at plain fare. Eat a little of it, do."

兒 takes the full ér in 些兒, and 罷 is bà, the softening particle at the end of a suggestion. Eight characters, and every one of them is coaxing.

長zhǎng老lǎo道dào：「實shí是shì不bù敢gǎn吃chī，恐kǒng破pò了le戒jiè。长zhǎng老lǎo道dào：「实shí是shì不bù敢gǎn吃chī，恐kǒng破pò了le戒jiè。

The Elder said, "Truly I dare not eat it. I am afraid of breaking my vows."

破了戒 — to break the precepts. 了 is the light le marking the thing as done. He has stopped arguing and simply states the position.

望wàng菩pú薩sà養yǎng生shēng不bú若ruò放fàng生shēng，放fàng我wǒ和hé尚shàng出chū去qù罷bà。」望wàng菩pú萨sà养yǎng生shēng不bú若ruò放fàng生shēng，放fàng我wǒ和hé尚shàng出chū去qù罢bà。」

"I beg you, bodhisattvas: keeping a thing alive is not so good as setting it free. Let this monk go out of here."

養生不若放生 turns on one character. 放生, releasing a captive creature, is a real and common act of Buddhist merit — you buy the fish or the bird at market and let it go. He is saying: you are keeping me; better to release me. He has understood his situation exactly and phrases it as a point of doctrine.

總評 Commentary

The charge they lay against him is sharp and it is fair. He arrived unasked, refused what he was given, and lectured the household about his own scruples. Anybody would be annoyed.

Then he asks to leave, and the way he asks is the passage's best moment. Setting a captured creature free is an ordinary act of merit — you buy a caged bird and open the cage. He offers his hosts the chance to earn it, with himself as the bird. It is polite, it is doctrinally impeccable, and it is a man asking to be let out of a room.

Nothing has been said plainly on either side. They have not admitted what is in the bowl; he has not accused them of anything. The whole negotiation is being conducted in the vocabulary of hospitality and merit, and both parties know exactly what it is about.