第八回 · 官法佛法 The Magistrate's Law and the Buddha's — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

官法佛法 The Magistrate's Law and the Buddha's

菩pú薩sà道dào：「古gǔ人rén云yún，『若ruò要yào有yǒu前qián程chéng，莫mò做zuò沒méi前qián程chéng。』你nǐ既jì上shàng界jiè違wéi法fǎ，今jīn又yòu不bù改gǎi兇xiōng心xīn，傷shāng生shēng造zào孽niè，卻què不bú是shì二èr罪zuì俱jù罰fá？」那nà怪guài道dào：「前qián程chéng，前qián程chéng，若ruò依yī你nǐ，教jiào我wǒ喝hē風fēng？常cháng言yán道dào：『依yī著zhe官guān法fǎ打dǎ殺shā，依yī著zhe佛fó法fǎ餓è殺shā。』去qù也yě，去qù也yě，還hái不bù如rú捉zhuō個gè行xíng人rén，肥féi膩nì膩nì的de吃chī他tā家jiā娘niáng，管guǎn甚shèn麼me二èr罪zuì三sān罪zuì，千qiān罪zuì萬wàn罪zuì！」菩pú薩sà道dào：「『人rén有yǒu善shàn願yuàn，天tiān必bì從cóng之zhī。』汝rǔ若ruò肯kěn歸guī依yī正zhèng果guǒ，自zì有yǒu養yǎng身shēn之zhī處chù。世shì有yǒu五wǔ穀gǔ，可kě以yǐ濟jì饑jī，為wèi何hé吃chī人rén度dù日rì？」菩pú萨sà道dào：「古gǔ人rén云yún，『若ruò要yào有yǒu前qián程chéng，莫mò做zuò没méi前qián程chéng。』你nǐ既jì上shàng界jiè违wéi法fǎ，今jīn又yòu不bù改gǎi凶xiōng心xīn，伤shāng生shēng造zào孽niè，却què不bú是shì二èr罪zuì俱jù罚fá？」那nà怪guài道dào：「前qián程chéng，前qián程chéng，若ruò依yī你nǐ，教jiào我wǒ喝hē风fēng？常cháng言yán道dào：『依yī著zhe官guān法fǎ打dǎ杀shā，依yī著zhe佛fó法fǎ饿è杀shā。』去qù也yě，去qù也yě，还hái不bù如rú捉zhuō个gè行xíng人rén，肥féi腻nì腻nì的de吃chī他tā家jiā娘niáng，管guǎn甚shèn么me二èr罪zuì三sān罪zuì，千qiān罪zuì万wàn罪zuì！」菩pú萨sà道dào：「『人rén有yǒu善shàn愿yuàn，天tiān必bì从cóng之zhī。』汝rǔ若ruò肯kěn归guī依yī正zhèng果guǒ，自zì有yǒu养yǎng身shēn之zhī处chù。世shì有yǒu五wǔ谷gǔ，可kě以yǐ济jì饥jī，为wèi何hé吃chī人rén度dù日rì？」

逐句解 Line by line

菩pú薩sà道dào：「古gǔ人rén云yún，『若ruò要yào有yǒu前qián程chéng，莫mò做zuò沒méi前qián程chéng。』菩pú萨sà道dào：「古gǔ人rén云yún，『若ruò要yào有yǒu前qián程chéng，莫mò做zuò没méi前qián程chéng。』

The Bodhisattva said: “The ancients say, ‘If you would have a future, do nothing that forfeits a future.’

A proverb on consequence: present deeds determine future prospects (前程).

你nǐ既jì上shàng界jiè違wéi法fǎ，今jīn又yòu不bù改gǎi兇xiōng心xīn，傷shāng生shēng造zào孽niè，卻què不bú是shì二èr罪zuì俱jù罰fá？」你nǐ既jì上shàng界jiè违wéi法fǎ，今jīn又yòu不bù改gǎi凶xiōng心xīn，伤shāng生shēng造zào孽niè，却què不bú是shì二èr罪zuì俱jù罚fá？」

You broke the law in the upper realm, and now, unrepentant of your savage heart, you harm life and pile up sin — is this not crime to be doubly punished?”

不改 — 不 takes bù before third-tone 改; 不是 takes bú before 是.

那nà怪guài道dào：「前qián程chéng，前qián程chéng，若ruò依yī你nǐ，教jiào我wǒ喝hē風fēng？那nà怪guài道dào：「前qián程chéng，前qián程chéng，若ruò依yī你nǐ，教jiào我wǒ喝hē风fēng？

The monster said: “A future, a future! If I did as you say, would you have me feed on wind?

喝風 — “to drink wind,” i.e. to starve.

常cháng言yán道dào：『依yī著zhe官guān法fǎ打dǎ殺shā，依yī著zhe佛fó法fǎ餓è殺shā。』常cháng言yán道dào：『依yī著zhe官guān法fǎ打dǎ杀shā，依yī著zhe佛fó法fǎ饿è杀shā。』

As the common saying goes: ‘Follow the magistrate's law and be beaten to death; follow the Buddha's law and be starved to death.’

依著 — “following, according to”; the durative 著 is read zhe. The jingle sets worldly and monastic law as equally fatal.

去qù也yě，去qù也yě，還hái不bù如rú捉zhuō個gè行xíng人rén，肥féi膩nì膩nì的de吃chī他tā家jiā娘niáng，管guǎn甚shèn麼me二èr罪zuì三sān罪zuì，千qiān罪zuì萬wàn罪zuì！」去qù也yě，去qù也yě，还hái不bù如rú捉zhuō个gè行xíng人rén，肥féi腻nì腻nì的de吃chī他tā家jiā娘niáng，管guǎn甚shèn么me二èr罪zuì三sān罪zuì，千qiān罪zuì万wàn罪zuì！」

Away, away! Better to catch a traveler and eat him, fat and greasy, than to mind your ‘double crime, triple crime, a thousand crimes, ten thousand crimes’!”

還不如 — 還 is the adverb hái; 不如 takes bù before second-tone 如.

菩pú薩sà道dào：「『人rén有yǒu善shàn願yuàn，天tiān必bì從cóng之zhī。』菩pú萨sà道dào：「『人rén有yǒu善shàn愿yuàn，天tiān必bì从cóng之zhī。』

The Bodhisattva said: “‘If a man has a good wish, Heaven will surely grant it.’

A maxim countering the demon's fatalism: good intention draws Heaven's favor.

汝rǔ若ruò肯kěn歸guī依yī正zhèng果guǒ，自zì有yǒu養yǎng身shēn之zhī處chù。汝rǔ若ruò肯kěn归guī依yī正zhèng果guǒ，自zì有yǒu养yǎng身shēn之zhī处chù。

If you will take refuge in the right fruit, you shall have the means to nourish yourself.

世shì有yǒu五wǔ穀gǔ，可kě以yǐ濟jì饑jī，為wèi何hé吃chī人rén度dù日rì？」世shì有yǒu五wǔ谷gǔ，可kě以yǐ济jì饥jī，为wèi何hé吃chī人rén度dù日rì？」

The world has the five grains to relieve hunger; why live by eating men?”

五穀 — the five staple grains. 為何 — “why”; 為 is read wèi.

總評 Commentary

This brief exchange is the chapter's sharpest piece of dialogue, a genuine debate rather than a mere submission. The boar resists conversion not from defiance but from a kind of peasant despair, captured in the bitter jingle: 依著官法打殺，依著佛法餓殺 — obey the magistrate and be beaten dead, obey the Buddha and be starved dead. Either law, to him, is a death sentence.

Guanyin answers fatalism with providence. To the proverb that crime invites doubled punishment she opposes another — 人有善願，天必從之, “if a man has a good wish, Heaven will grant it” — and resolves the boar's false dilemma with a practical mercy: the five grains can feed him, so he need not eat men. The theological abstraction is brought down to the level of a hungry creature's next meal.

Following Anthony C. Yu, the passage stages in miniature the novel's central argument about the possibility of reform. Plaks reads Bajie's resistance as the most humanly persuasive of the disciples' — the voice of ordinary appetite and ordinary despair — which makes Guanyin's patient answer, and his eventual yielding, the more meaningful.