第八回 · 如來說法 The Tathāgata Expounds the Dharma — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

如來說法 The Tathāgata Expounds the Dharma

眾zhòng菩pú薩sà獻xiàn畢bì，因yīn請qǐng如rú來lái明míng示shì根gēn本běn，指zhǐ解jiě源yuán流liú。那nà如rú來lái微wēi開kāi善shàn口kǒu，敷fū演yǎn大dà法fǎ，宣xuān揚yáng正zhèng果guǒ，講jiǎng的de是shì三sān乘shèng妙miào典diǎn，五wǔ蘊yùn楞léng嚴yán。但dàn見jiàn那nà天tiān龍lóng圍wéi繞rào，花huā雨yǔ繽bīn紛fēn。正zhèng是shì：众zhòng菩pú萨sà献xiàn毕bì，因yīn请qǐng如rú来lái明míng示shì根gēn本běn，指zhǐ解jiě源yuán流liú。那nà如rú来lái微wēi开kāi善shàn口kǒu，敷fū演yǎn大dà法fǎ，宣xuān扬yáng正zhèng果guǒ，讲jiǎng的de是shì三sān乘shèng妙miào典diǎn，五wǔ蕴yùn楞léng严yán。但dàn见jiàn那nà天tiān龙lóng围wéi绕rào，花huā雨yǔ缤bīn纷fēn。正zhèng是shì：

禪chán心xīn朗lǎng照zhào千qiān江jiāng月yuè，禅chán心xīn朗lǎng照zhào千qiān江jiāng月yuè，

真zhēn性xìng清qīng涵hán萬wàn里lǐ天tiān。真zhēn性xìng清qīng涵hán万wàn里lǐ天tiān。

逐句解 Line by line

眾zhòng菩pú薩sà獻xiàn畢bì，因yīn請qǐng如rú來lái明míng示shì根gēn本běn，指zhǐ解jiě源yuán流liú。众zhòng菩pú萨sà献xiàn毕bì，因yīn请qǐng如rú来lái明míng示shì根gēn本běn，指zhǐ解jiě源yuán流liú。

The bodhisattvas, their offerings done, then begged the Tathāgata to reveal the fundamental and expound the source.

明示根本，指解源流 — show us the root, untangle the source. It is a polite way of asking for the deepest thing he has.

那nà如rú來lái微wēi開kāi善shàn口kǒu，敷fū演yǎn大dà法fǎ，宣xuān揚yáng正zhèng果guǒ，講jiǎng的de是shì三sān乘shèng妙miào典diǎn，五wǔ蘊yùn楞léng嚴yán。那nà如rú来lái微wēi开kāi善shàn口kǒu，敷fū演yǎn大dà法fǎ，宣xuān扬yáng正zhèng果guǒ，讲jiǎng的de是shì三sān乘shèng妙miào典diǎn，五wǔ蕴yùn楞léng严yán。

The Tathāgata, gently opening his benign lips, set forth the Great Dharma and proclaimed the true fruit, expounding the wondrous canon of the Three Vehicles and the Five Aggregates of the Śūraṅgama.

三乘 (sān shèng) are the three vehicles; 五蘊 the five aggregates, the skandha a person is assembled from; 楞嚴 is the Śūraṅgama Sūtra.

但dàn見jiàn那nà天tiān龍lóng圍wéi繞rào，花huā雨yǔ繽bīn紛fēn。正zhèng是shì：但dàn见jiàn那nà天tiān龙lóng围wéi绕rào，花huā雨yǔ缤bīn纷fēn。正zhèng是shì：

One saw only the heavenly dragons wheeling round and a riot of flower-rain. Truly:

花雨 is the rain of blossom that falls in the sūtras whenever the preaching is good enough — applause from the universe.

禪chán心xīn朗lǎng照zhào千qiān江jiāng月yuè，禅chán心xīn朗lǎng照zhào千qiān江jiāng月yuè，

The Chan-mind shines clear — a moon upon a thousand rivers;

千江月: one moon, a thousand rivers, a thousand reflections, and still one moon. The stock Chan picture for a single nature turning up in every separate thing.

真zhēn性xìng清qīng涵hán萬wàn里lǐ天tiān。真zhēn性xìng清qīng涵hán万wàn里lǐ天tiān。

the true nature, limpid, holds the sky of ten thousand li.

真性 is the true nature and 清涵 its clear holding. A mind with ten thousand li of sky in it — room without contents, which is the point.

總評 Commentary

The preaching is staged as a show before it is offered as doctrine: dragons circling, blossom falling, and then a closing couplet that boils the whole sermon down to one image. The narrative is clearing its throat for the chapter's central act, the decision to send the scriptures east.

That couplet — 禪心朗照千江月，真性清涵萬里天 — is among the finest lines in the chapter. The moon on a thousand rivers is the standard Chan emblem for one buddha-nature refracted through countless minds; paired with a clear sky that holds ten thousand li, it makes waking up both a reflection and a capacity. Yu notes how such couplets work as lyric punctuation, freezing the action into a held breath.