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

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 — to make plain the root and resolve the origin, i.e. to teach the deepest doctrine.

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) the three vehicles; 五蘊 the five aggregates (skandha); 楞嚴 the Śūraṅgama.

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 — the rain of blossoms that, in the sūtras, falls to mark a sublime preaching.

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 — the single moon reflected in a thousand streams, a Chan figure for the one nature manifest in all things.

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.

總評 Commentary

This brief passage stages the Buddha's preaching as spectacle before it becomes doctrine: the dragons circle, the flower-rain falls, and a closing couplet distils the whole into a single contemplative image. The narrative is gathering itself for the chapter's central act — the decision to send the scriptures east.

The couplet 禪心朗照千江月，真性清涵萬里天 is among the chapter's finest. The “moon on a thousand rivers” is a standard Chan emblem of the one buddha-nature refracted through countless minds; paired with the clear sky “holding” ten thousand li, it images enlightenment as both reflection and capacity. Yu notes how such couplets serve as lyric punctuation, freezing the action into a meditative still.