Journal

讀『賢愚經』記

今天跟彌永信美先生讀完『賢愚經』指鬘品(大正4.423)。每月碰面,一個短短的故事,讀了幾乎兩年多才讀完。彌永先生任職法國遠東學院(EFEO)資深研究員,讀書班過去一直在日佛關西會館舉行,直到年初學院京都分部北白川新館建成才轉移過去。讀經模式十分特別,先日文訓讀,然後英譯(偶爾法譯)。多種語言同時操作(漢文文言,日文訓讀,現代日語,英語,法語,梵文和巴利文),頗為新奇。過去參加者全都是外國學者和學生。這次最後一次讀書班,遺憾我是唯一的參加者。先生每次準備周到,材料編輯好後放到網上,方便參考。對於我來說,這是同時提升日文訓讀和日語口語的好機會。『賢愚經』內容有趣,小心細讀,可以領會到古代印度社會和佛教世界裡的各種現象。奇怪的是參加者那麼少,大家都說忙著自己的事情。京都就是這樣,學者那麼多,每天讀書班那麼多。。。

《賢愚經》卷11 <45 無惱指鬘品> :「時王長跪,復白佛言:「指鬘比丘,殺此多人,今已得道,當受報不?」
佛告大王:「行必有報,今此比丘,在於房中,地獄之火,從毛孔出,極患苦痛,酸切叵言。」于時如來,欲令眾會知作惡行必有罪報,勅一比丘:「汝持戶排,往指鬘房,刺戶孔中。」比丘即往,奉教為之,排入戶內,尋時融消。比丘驚愕,還來白佛,佛告比丘:「行報如是。」王及眾會,莫不信解。
爾時阿難長跪白佛:「鴦仇[*]摩羅,宿有何慶,身力雄壯,力士之力,健捷輕疾,走及飛鳥?復得值佛,越度生死?唯願垂哀!為眾會說。」
佛告阿難:「汝等善聽!乃往過去迦葉佛時,有一比丘,為僧執事,將僧人畜,載致穀米,道中逢雨,隱[21]避無處,穀米囊物,悉被澆浸。時彼比丘,思欲疾過,力少行遲,無方從意,心懷悒遲,即立誓言:『願我後生,力敵千人,身輕行速,走疾飛鳥,將來有佛釋迦牟尼,使我得見永脫生死。』如是阿難!爾時執事比丘者,今鴦仇[22]摩羅是。由彼世時,出家持戒,因營僧事,立願之故,自從是來,世世端正猛力輕疾,悉如其願,復遇見我,得度生死。」
爾時阿難,及諸比丘,王及臣民,一切會者,聞佛所說因緣行報,皆悉感厲,思惟四諦,有得須陀洹、斯陀含、阿那含、阿羅漢者,有種辟支佛善根本者,有發無上正真道意者,或有得住不退轉者,皆護身口[23]剋心從善,聞佛所說,歡喜奉行。」(CBETA, T04, no. 0202, p.0426,c03-TML)
[*5-11]摩=魔【宋】*【元】*【明】*。[21]避=息【宋】【元】【明】。[22]摩=魔【明】。[23]剋=克【宋】【元】【明】。

今天談論到若干問題:
1)行必有報。行即karma,亦作業。 報即vipāka,報應。佛經故事,要說明的大多是因果關係。英譯報可作retribution,但英語此詞帶負面含義,嚴格來說報應可以是善報,亦可以是惡報。Effect或consequence較妥當。
2)戶排。國譯一切經注「西語(Lde-mig khyer te)(戸の鍵を持して)とあり」。「戶排」亦見於大智度論(是時佛手持「戸排」入諸比丘房…)。應該是指鑰匙,因為文中說明「刺戶孔中」。這樣生硬的描述,看來鑰匙對譯者來說還是比較罕見的東西。
3)尋時融消。主語為何?鑰匙還是鴦仇摩羅?起初我以為是鑰匙,因為房間灼熱,把鑰匙熔掉了。彌永認為是鴦仇摩羅。比丘把門打開,發現鴦仇摩羅著火,然後消失了。《佛說因緣僧護經》卷1裡,描述地獄裡有破戒僧「火燒受苦」,其中亦見「戶排」一詞。待考。
4)使我得見永脫生死。永脫生死:forever liberated from transmigration. 「使我得見」可接下文:[By the Buddha] I can be forever liberated from transmigration。「見」為被動虛詞。但後文「復遇見我,得度生死。」,「使我得見」意思應該是allowed me to see [Him, i.e., the Buddha] and be forever liberated from transmigration。譯文四字句表達欠準確,需看上下文來判斷。
5)皆悉感厲。They were all moved.
6)欲令眾會知作惡行必有罪報。書き下し:眾會ヲシテ惡行ヲ作サバ必ズ罪報有ルヲ知ラシメムト欲ッシテ。翻來倒去,訓讀真夠嗆!
7)奉行。佛經音讀為ぶぎょう。現代音讀為ほうこう。現代日語「奉行」一般解作幕府時代的長官。佛經以「歡喜奉行」一句表達信徒獲得佛祖寶教,感激萬分之意。到了日本,意思同樣是「接受重要的東西」,所指的卻是完全不同的人物!有趣的詞義轉化,反映佛教在日本深層次的影響。彌永指出,就算是一般的日本人,讀漢譯佛經時往往有似曾相識的感覺,因為大量詞彙融入在生活之中。反之中國人則不一定有這樣的反應。

讀完經,跟先生到附近印度小店吃咖喱飯,MD也同來,大家談著下月EFEO/白眉舉辦的「仏教と普遍主義」國際會議。

法國遠東學院京都分部 EFEO Kyoto Centre

Fourth day in Tokyo – Waseda University, Tokyo University, Toyo Bunko

Paid a visit to two brilliant young rising scholars in history of science, Sidoli at Waseda University specializing in Greek/Arabic materials, and Isahaya at Tokyo University specializing in Persian/Chinese materials. I was surprised to see the crowds of students at both universities — something I don’t seem to see in Kyoto. Had a nice visit to the fantastic looking Toyo Bunko which has an excellent collection of rare books from around the world. Made an appointment to read a few Sanskrit manuscripts next Monday. Grahamātṛkādhāraṇī written in silver ink on black paper. So much materials on hand already. Need to take a breather before plunging into the ocean of manuscripts again tomorrow!

Toyo Bunko

Third day in Tokyo – ICABS, Tokyo University Shibuya Campus

The manuscript team is adding new materials daily including astral texts into the database. It is such an honor to meet in person those dedicated researchers working for a project that may last possibly “fifty, sixty years” — if they continue to receive funding! By comparison, the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project lasted over thirty years and it will at least another decade to complete the cataloguing. Talking about vision and dedication!

Today I spent most of the time reading the manuscripts of the different translations of the 起世經 (cf. Aggaññasutta) which all give an extremely interesting, detailed (and according to Gombrich, satirical) account of the origin, rise, decay and destruction of the world. Although its horrific apocalyptical vision never had quite the same effect to the believers as the Book of Revelation, the cosmogony and cosmology were accepted as foundation of Buddhist astronomy throughout the history of Buddhism. I am surprised how little scholarly work has been done on this important text which used to hold great importance, though nowadays forgotten as it apparently fell out of favor.

While going through the Kamakura period manuscripts, I stumbled upon a zodiac-nakṣatra chart 二十七宿十二宮圖 whose data are different from all the editions I have seen so far. It is anomalous in many ways but it can’t be just scribal errors because it was copied out so neatly and carefully.

Spent a great evening with K. Lam, a fellow Hongkonger who is an expert on Nishda and Kyoto School. Me a philologist and he a philosopher, I thought we would both have little to say with the fear that something very dumb may come out of our mouths. But it turned out rather pleasant; I suppose frankness and openness are always the keys. Apparently he is the only faculty member of Tokyo University from Hong Kong. And apparently so am I at Kyoto University by this coming fall. I was given a glimpse of all the extraordinary works he is doing — teaching six classes per week, editing a journal and running an association.