悉達多的流浪故事17 Episode X VII

悉達多的流浪故事17

悉達多在狼的身體裡邊忙了很久，看到「原始」的骨髓、腦漿，有些部份看起來跟人很類似，難怪 ! 牠懂得如何變成人   「但站起來當個人這部份沒有」，有些部份甚至會震動，激動的腦筋已經在構思──等傷口好了，應該如何覓食，才不會被撞破肚子。

自己曾經把牠當人教授過的一切，在狼的腦袋裡，根本沒留下痕跡。

那些行者爭論很久的動物論，自己終於有了答案，狼「沒辦法站著」，那牠確定不會聽懂人的話，期待牠做些有益於人群的事，更是想都不用想。

沒錯 ! 面對狼的結果是，狼從來沒有說過，我要證悟(牠只是來借衣服穿），除了牠的詭詐外，其餘的想像.........──來自於人類的自作多情。悉達多在狼的身體裡，大大的舒了一口氣，被侵襲过的腦袋平靜下來，還好 ! 自己沒有放棄面對狼，不然，也是跟那些行者一樣，只能靠著書本摸索，更可能是很離譜的想著是不是自己，根本沒教好狼 ? 然後 ! 讓自己一直在指責自己。

流浪以來，習慣性的認為自己缺失很多，總忘記要找出原因。

到底修學是為了完美人格? 還是覺悟人性?

悉達多不自覺陷入沉思。

半寄

Remaining in the wolf's body for a long time, Siddhartha sees the wolf’s bone marrow and brain in their original form, which look very similar to those of humans. “So that’s how he’s able to turn into a human being, except for standing upright.” Some parts of the wolf’s body were vibrating, as he excitedly thought about how to find some food after the wound healed.

Everything he had taught the wolf when in the form of a human had left not even a trace in the wolf's brain.

He finally had gotten to the bottom of all the theories various yogis had been debating for so long. If a wolf can't stand erect, then it simply can’t understand human language. Thus there is no point in expecting it to do something beneficial for humans.        

That's it! The key to understanding the wolf is to realize that he never said he wanted to attain enlightenment; all he wanted was some clothes to wear. And apart from his deceit, the rest of his character is a mere projection of our own imaginations.            Still in the body of the wolf, Siddhartha breathed a big  sigh of relief, calming his frazzled nerves. Fortunately, he had not given up on dealing with the wolf. Otherwise, he would be like those yogis who rely solely on books. Or perhaps it was he himself who had missed the mark, in that he had never really taught the wolf anything, and thus had only himself to blame.         

Ever since he had become a wandering mendicant, he had become accustomed to thinking that he had a lot of shortcomings, but never got around to finding out what they were and where they came from.         

Is the aim of spiritual practice perfection of one’s personality, or is it ultimate realization of human nature?

Thereupon Siddhartha fell into a state of deep contemplation.    

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak    

 

       

    

悉達多的流浪故事16 Episode X VI

悉達多的流浪故事16 Episode X VI

狼在牠的房子裡痛苦喘息，悉達多來找牠，讓飢餓很久的身體，整個興奮起來，原本想，吃下悉達多可以飽餐很久，哪裡會知道他竟然從自己的肚子，衝撞出來 !

悉達多看見狼在牠自己的房子裡面，不禁想起一路上狼帶給他的感受，那些過程，讓他很想通徹到底的了解狼。

悉達多盤腿而坐，開始集中精神，讓自己的意志強而有力，無聲無息的悉達多意志，像靈魂一般，慢慢來到狼的身旁，進入牠的體內，在狼的骨髓裡東看看，西摸摸，再到牠的腦髓裡，拿起腦漿看個仔細。

曾經在一些行者之間，大家的看法都一致的認為，動物只要好好教授，用愛的照顧，一定可以把牠變成人，甚至可以修學到最高等的覺悟行為，為了動物究竟能不能變成人，行者之間還彼此拿著書寫的內容做為根據，相互攻擊、激烈討論，大家都認為動物跟人平等，是可以覺悟解脫的。

只是，悉達多不能明白，把狼變成人這個理念，沒有行者真實的做過，也沒有人列出一個可行的方法去實行出來，而狼也沒表示牠想成為人，在缺乏真實的依據下，就根據一個想法，或許是一個理想，讓很多不知是否可行的觀念，不斷傳承，也讓修學的路，扭曲難行，甚至不知所以。

半寄

The wolf is groaning in pain when Siddhartha comes to its lair, and his hunger is once again aroused. He had originally thought that eating Siddhartha would keep him full for a long time, but how could he have known that he would burst out of his belly?

When Siddhartha sees the wolf in his lair, he can't help but think of how he felt when the wolf swallowed him, and this is what makes him want to thoroughly understand the wolf.

Siddhartha sat cross-legged and began to concentrate, making his will strong and powerful. Soon Siddhartha's will, like a silent spirit, slowly came to the wolf's side, entered his body, and into his bone marrow. After looking around, groping here and there, it entered his brain to take a closer look.

Some yogis held that when animals are taught well and cared for with love, they can be transformed into humans, and afterwards attain the highest enlightenment. In order to prove that animals can become humans, these yogis quoted the scriptures and engaged in heated discussions, with the result that everyone agreed that animals are equal to humans and can realize liberation.

However, Siddhartha could not understand how it was that no yogi had ever turned into a wolf and back into a human being, and that none even had a feasible method for doing so. Nor had the wolf ever indicated that he wanted to become a human being. Based on an idea, or perhaps an ideal, but without actual evidence, all sorts of conjectures are passed down, obscuring the path of spiritual practice and making it arcane and hard to follow. 

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak        

 

 

 

                                                   

                                                                    

                                                                               

流浪者之歌15 Siddhartha XV

流浪者之歌15  Siddhartha XV

癱瘓的狼，癱軟的悉達多，在森林裡，時間到底有沒有過去?

悉達多已經不知道，只記得自己最在意時間，最在意活著的時光不會很久，當然要跟時間斤斤計較，一丁點都不能不知道時間是怎麼过去的，現在時間丟失，「只剩慌亂在跳動 !」到底該怎麼面對狼的挑戰 ?

一種像狂風暴雨襲捲過的情形，侵襲悉達多腦海，大腦——休克。

等他醒來，狼不知哪裡去了？自從狼被識破會變成人以後，牠就變得神出鬼沒，但悉達多已經不在意，他已經很清楚狼再怎麼恐怖，會變的把戲就是變成人來騙自己，又變回狼去傷害別人，悉達多在意的是，自己學習很多學問，卻對狼一無所知，連牠來跟自己要一件衣服穿上的時候，還認為自己已經不是一般人，才讓狼也這麼的崇拜自己，現在在這被狼吞噬又復活的時刻，久久！找不出該怎麼辦的方法來？

悉達多站起來，再度往狼的住處前進。

半寄

There in the forest, for quite some time, the wolf remained in a state of paralysis and Siddhartha remained weak and limp.

Siddhartha was at a loss as to how to proceed. He remembered that he cared about time the most, and that since life is short, he had to make the most of his remaining time. He had to fully understand how time passed. Now that time had disappeared, all that remained was a pulsating flurry, but how to face the challenge of the wolf?

It seemed like a violent storm was sweeping through Siddhartha's mind, and his brain went into shock.

When he woke up, the wolf was gone. Ever since he discovered that his disciple had the ability to turn into a wolf, his disciple had become elusive, but that didn’t bother Siddhartha. He already knew very well that no matter how terrifying the wolf may be, its only trick is to turn into a human to deceive his teacher, and then turn back into a wolf and harm others. What really bothered Siddhartha was the fact that even with all his learning, he didn’t know the first thing about wolves. When the wolf came to ask him for some clothing, he thought that he was no longer an ordinary person, so he let the wolf bow down to him. It seemed like a long time had passed since he had been devoured by the wolf and resurrected. Just when he was at his wits end, Siddhartha stood up and headed towards the wolf's residence.

  Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

         

   

                                                     
                                                   

流浪者之歌14 Siddhartha X IV

流浪者之歌14   Siddhartha X IV

狼痛苦的喘息著，忍著肚子被撞破的痛，不甘心的問悉達多，你從來沒有這麼衝動過，為什麼要這樣對我？為什麼要這樣對我？！悉達多覆述一遍狼的話，為什麼要這樣對我？??再覆述一次。

狼再次大聲的說：對啊！就我聽說的你，還有接近你的感覺，都清楚你根本不可能這樣對待我，你最替別人著想的，而且我餓了，大家都有防備，我餓了，更何況我剛剛是一口就把你吃下去，「一口」，也沒帶給你痛苦。

悉達多眼睛閃著淚光！什麼時候開始？自己一直扮演慈善的角色，那不是他流浪的目的，想起來了，救了一個人，後來覺得自己對別人很重要，更可怕的是，壓根就忘記原來的修學，至少自己原來所學習的課程裡，不只是教當個好人而已。

現在面對狼的質問，反而驚醒！面對狼自己毫無頭緒，如果用慈悲原諒牠，自己就得死在牠的肚子裡，如果打死狼，違背自己的想法，狼說得很對，他不會對誰不好，更何況殺掉，狼比自己了解自己，自己真的需要狼的幫助。

悉達多喃喃唸著......

半寄

Gasping for breath and reeling from the pain caused by the rent in his stomach, the wolf indignantly said, “What’d you do that for? It’s so unlike you!”

“What’d you do that for?” Siddhartha retorts, “What’d you do that for?”In a loud voice the wolf says, “That’s right! You’re so gentle and kind, and I’m your dear disciple, so how could you treat me like this? You care about others more than me! What’s more, I’m hungry, and everybody else is on guard. In any case, I swallowed you whole, to spare you the pain of being chewed up.”

With tears glistening in his eyes, Siddhartha knows that he has long been devoted to kindness and charity, even though that’s not his goal in living the life of a wandering ascetic. He also knows that helping others gives one a sense of self-importance, and, even worse, distracts one from one’s original purpose. In fact, his root teacher had always made it clear that kindness and generosity are necessary, but not sufficient.

Confronted with the wolf’s admonition, Siddhartha finds himself in a conundrum. If he had taken the compassionate, pacifist approach, he would have died in the wolf’s stomach; on the other hand, if he had killed the wolf, that would have gone against his morals. After all, the wolf was right: “I must never harm or kill anyone. As it turns out, the wolf knows me better than I know myself. I really do need the wolf,” Siddhartha mutters to himself.

  Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

   

         

                      

                                                                       
                                                                  

                                                                 

流浪者之歌 13 Siddhartha XIII

流浪者之歌 13 Siddhartha XIII

悉達多無力的拖著身體走下山，狼的拒絕讓他只能嘆息！走著走著，一個黑影閃過，他還來不及看，就感覺自己在一個濕濕黏黏的地方，看不見任何東西，只感覺到會蠕動，啊!完了!自己被狼吃進去肚子，悉達多意識到一件他根本不曾想過的事，再怎麼說他都教過狼，甚至在村民要打死牠的時候，還替牠遮掩一下，好讓牠有時間逃走，至少自己應該還不是牠的食物，至少 !

悉達多用哭泣，變了調的聲音，跟自己說著。

哀傷的悉達多感覺到蠕動的力量，跟一股酸性的液體，開始要鑽進身體，不行 ! 死在哪裡都可以，就是不能死在狼的肚子裡。

絶不 !  前所未有的堅定，貫徹悉達多的身體，自從流浪後還不曾跟誰起過對立、搏鬥的心，但要死在自己指導過的狼嘴裡，沒有任何理由可以說服自己，乖乖被狼吃完。悉達多集中精神，讓自己的身體像鋼鐵般，奮力──再奮力——衝破狼的肚子。

狼被撕裂的直發抖，不能置信的驚恐，牠還沒看過食物可以從牠嘴裡、肚子裡重新再現。

半寄

Still sighing with regret over being rejected by the wolf, Siddhartha wearily made his way down the mountain. As he walked along, he was suddenly enveloped within an indistinct shadow, and immediately found himself enclosed in a pitch dark place filled with a pulsating slime. “Oh no---I’ve been swallowed whole by the wolf.” He suddenly recalled the time when he shielded the wolf from the villagers’ angry blows, giving the wolf a chance to escape, telling himself in a strained voice, “And now I’ve become the wolf’s next meal! How can this be?”

Thoroughly dejected, feeling the pulsating acidic slime begin to dissolve his body, Siddhartha declared, “No way! I’m not afraid to die, but not in the wolf’s belly!”

“Never!” cried out Siddhartha with an unshakable determination permeating his body. Ever since becoming a wandering ascetic, not even once has he gotten into a conflict, but there’s no way he was going to passively allow himself to be eaten by the wolf!

Entering into a deep concentration, Siddhartha made his body as hard as steel, pressing and pressing, until he finally broke through the wolf’s stomach.

Trembling with pain and disbelief, the wolf wondered how it could be that his prey has emerged from his stomach.

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

 

   

                                                           

流浪者之歌 12 Siddhartha XII

流浪者之歌 12 Siddhartha XII

悉達多第一次感覺到，我的身體不是我的，一直以來總無法相信指導者跟他說的，身體是不自由的，身體被外面及內在很多因素牽動著。

現在狼還很堅定跟自己說 : 你需要我的。

自己曾經多麼引以為傲，所做所為都是符合人世間的至善至美，再也不曾感覺到，有什麼痛苦，折磨會在自己的身邊? 而現在一個轉身，就一個轉身，原來那些他認為已經消失的人間苦痛，真真可以觸摸就在自己的旁邊。對於善與惡，從來沒深入了解過，更何況是自己用生命要追求的解脫，一切都只停留在自我的感覺裡，自我認定的善與惡裡，自我認為的修持裡 !

狼的話，強而有力穿刺的說：「悉達多，你自認的善，不堪一擊」

悉達多記得指導者說過 : 明白善、惡是解脫的第一個思考方向，了解了什麼，才能解脫什麼 !

生命導師啊 !  悉達多嘴唇沒有力量發聲，只能用他的心顫抖喊著，「給我一點力量，我就要消失，我從來不知道我沒有力量，現在更連站著都有問題 !」

半寄

This was the first time Siddhartha had ever felt that his body was not his own. Although many times in the past his teacher had told him that the body has no freedom, since it is constantly being affected by all sorts of factors, both internal and external, he could never fully accept this idea.

At that time, the wolf was certain that Siddhartha needed him.

Siddhartha was proudly convinced that everything he did was in perfect conformity with the standards of human ethics, and he was certain that no suffering or setback would ever beset him. But now things were different, and all those tribulations he thought were a thing of the past were now upon him. He had never gained a deep understanding of good and evil, to say nothing of liberation, the quest for which had become the focus of his life. Everything came to a halt in his feeling and perception, in his views on good and evil, and in his ideas about spiritual practice.

As for this, the wolf pointedly declared, “Siddhartha, your understanding of goodness is extremely fragile.”Siddhartha then recalled that his teacher once said, “Understanding good and evil is of primary importance on the path of liberation; to be liberated from something, you have to first understand it!”

“You are my teacher in life!” said Siddhartha, dumbstruck for a moment, before blurting out with trembling lips, “Give me some strength; I’m just about finished; I’ve always thought of myself as strong and energetic, but right now I can barely remain standing!”

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

流浪者之歌11 Siddhartha XI(悉達多的流浪故事)

流浪者之歌11 Siddhartha XI(悉達多的流浪故事)

 

狼比我聰明好多，悉達多跟自己說著，自己一直以來很簡潔的活著，後來又吃了聖旨，更只剩下簡單的線條，那樣的生活！讓自己認定大家都只吃聖旨的時候，應該是普天同慶的時節。

如果不是他不吃聖旨，讓神經恢復了感覺，真正感受到村民跟他說：小孩被吃掉的痛苦，他還一直自認是個真正的行持者，行持著人世間圓滿的行為。

記得很久以前常常看見各種動物，也不覺得有什麼奇怪？什麼時候開始變得喜歡看「動物穿著人的衣服」？動物本來就有牠自己的衣服，穿著人的衣服，連他也認不出那是狼！更迷惘、弔詭的是，自己喜歡看「穿人衣服的狼」。

一種神經性質的抽痛，在他腦海傳遍，頭痛欲裂，悉達多自己快要垮了，四肢像似分散的痛苦，他的生命裡還沒有過這種痛，痛的穿刺讓他頓時感到就要從此消散。

半寄

“The wolf is smarter than me,” Siddhartha said to himself. Long accustomed to simple living, once he began eating shengzhi his mode of thinking became even more succinct. It was probably on a festive occasion that he was finally convinced that everybody should only eat shengzhi.

If not for his exclusive diet of shengzhi, he would have been able to feel the villagers’ pain when they said to him, “That wolf of his ate our children, yet he keeps on insisting that that wolf is really a yogi of upright character.”

He remembers that previously he saw nothing strange about animals, making him wonder when it was that he began to be so pleased by the sight of an animal in human clothing. Animals have their natural clothing, and even he didn’t recognize the wolf when he was dressed in human clothes. Strangest of all was that he enjoyed the sight of a wolf wearing human clothing.

A throbbing neural pain filled his brain; feeling as if his head were about to split, the pain seemed to spread to his arms and legs. It was a type of pain he had never felt before, and it was so intense that he wanted to disappear.

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

 

 

                                                                   

 

流浪者之歌10 Siddhartha X

流浪者之歌10 Siddhartha X

悉達多心裡始終沒忘記狼來借衣服穿，欺騙他的感覺，尋尋覓覓的，想找個老師指導自己這方面的缺失，但大家聽說是狼，都搖頭說：沒聽說過誰可以讓狼變成人，或者讓狼溫馴一些。

一直缺乏指導者的悉達多，決定自己試試去了解狼，不然自己一山、一村的流浪著，想找尋人跟動物有什麼不一樣的答案？！恐怕永遠無解答。

悉達多，來到狼的面前，還沒開口說話，狼一溜煙的跑回自己的窩，隔著門板對悉達多説：我沒穿上人類衣服的時候，你不能看到我，也不能跟我交談。

一陣子的沈默，狼緩緩而且堅定的說：過些日子以後，你會發現，你需要我的幫忙，動物裡邊只有我到你面前──還懂得穿上衣服，只有我...........

半寄

Siddhartha still remembers how the wolf looked dressed in his clothing, how he had felt deceived, how he went to all the teachers he knew of to get some advice on how to deal with this problem, and how they all gave pretty much the same answer: “I’ve never heard of anybody training a wolf, let alone transforming a wolf into a man.”

Finally, Siddhartha decided to find out for himself how to train a wolf, realizing that seeking out yet another wise man in yet another remote locale was likely an exercise in futility.As soon as he approached the wolf, before he had a chance to utter a single word, the wolf darted off to his lair, closed the door, and said, “Unless I’m wearing human clothing, you are not allowed to see me or talk to me.”

After a stretch of silence, the wolf slowly and firmly said, “In a few days from now, you will need my help. Of all the animals, I’m the only one who comes up to you, and I’m the only one who wears human clothing.”

Master Ban Ji

 Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

 

 

 

                                                                     

 

流浪者之歌9 Siddhartha IX(悉達多的流浪故事)

流浪者之歌9
Siddhartha IX(悉達多的流浪故事)

悉達多徘徊在幾個修持者之間，不知該跟誰去修學？每一個行者，都跟他說：要行善，要做好人。

希達多聽到那些教導很能認同，但他心裡面又想著，我就是被好人的定義混淆，才來這裡的啊！到底修學裡面有沒有其他的教法？難道只是要做好人？還是還有其他的內容？自己那麼辛苦的翻山越嶺、痛苦的跟親人道別，來到修學者聚集的地方，難道只為學習做個好人？他就是已經不懂什麼樣子才算好人（服侍自己的親人，算不算是好人）？！所以很辛苦的想要知道。

修持者一聽到他問說：請告訴我，好人的樣子。每一個很有修行的行者都訝異到不行，彷彿說：這個人頭腦有問題，不然就是理解能力太差，好人就是做好事都叫好人，這麼簡單的問題，為什麼他還要想？！他們也不懂？這個想知道好人樣子的悉達多到底在想些什麼？

悉達多還記得上回離開，是為了，他想問其他人 "我的傷口為什麼一直沒有好？" 他還記得那些行者聽說他傷口沒好，趕忙著翻看經典寫的「傷口」的樣子，就是沒有人探個頭來看看他的傷口。

悉達多只好黯然離開，再次啟程去尋找他的答案。

半寄

Siddhartha was finding it difficult to decide which teacher he should follow, since they all emphasized the importance of making merit and being a good person.

Although he recognized the value of this teaching, he couldn’t help but think that he was attracted to it precisely because he was unclear about what it meant to be a good person! He wondered about lots of things: Are there other ways of spiritual practice? Is it enough to be a good person, or is there more to it than that? Was it really necessary to leave one’s family and make such a long and arduous journey to a distant ashram just to learn how to be a good person? What does it mean to be a good person? Is someone who ministers only to his relatives a good person? These are some of the things he yearned to understand.

Whenever he asked a teacher about what it means to be a good person, the reaction was complete surprise: “What sort of person could be so daft as to ask such an impertinent question? There must be something wrong with his brain, or perhaps he has a learning disability. A good person is someone who does good deeds. Why bother asking such a silly question? Nobody else does. What could this Siddhartha possibly be getting at with this line of inquiry?”

Siddhartha still remembers the time he left the village and why he did so. When he asked his fellow yogis why his wound had still not healed, they went straight to the scriptures to find out what they had to say about wounds, but nobody actually looked at his wound.

Seeing no alternative, he dejectedly set out on yet another journey in search of an answer.

Master Ban Ji

 Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

                                   

流浪者之歌8 Siddhartha VIII

流浪者之歌8 Siddhartha VIII(悉達多的流浪故事)

悉達多，很艱難的不吃聖旨，才發覺聖旨會受歡迎的主要原因，

是簡單又不用太費力氣，他不敢再享用，開始多方面的進食，一

段時間過去，他的腦海線條明顯增加起來，想起自己為什麼要去

流浪？想起自己受過的指導，自己想把所學施展的期待，狼的吞

噬，這才驚覺到自己，既不懂人群的想望，更不明白狼的慾望，

卻一直以為自己已經可以轉變人群的思考模式，可以讓狼完全變

成人。

一切都還不清楚，原來指導者的教導，他還沒懂！

一股流浪者想要完美的心情，讓他沉沒在人與動物之間。

剛有的腦海線條，像撕裂的傷痕在恢復，難挨，又觸摸不得，很

熟悉的線條，很陌生的自己。

悉達多又踏上流浪的旅途。

半寄

With much difficulty, Siddhartha stopped eating shengzhi, whereupon he finally realized why the villagers liked it so much: It was relatively easy to grow and simple to prepare. Some time after he stopped eating shengzhi and began eating a variety of foods, his breadth of mind began to expand, and he remembered why he had set out wandering in the first place. He also thought about the teachings he had received and now intended to share, and the wolf’s gluttony, whereupon he realized that his understanding of the motivations of people was quite limited, not to mention those of the wolf. Yet, all along he thought he could change the way people think, and could even transform the wolf into a man.

He finally realized that he was unclear about lots of things, including the full import of what his original teacher taught him.

Demanding perfection leaves a wandering ascetic in a state between man and animal.

These threads of thought were like a wound trying to heal, difficult to endure, hard to grasp---familiar thoughts, and an unfamiliar self.

Now was the time for Siddhartha to recommence his life as a wandering ascetic.

 

 Master Ban Ji

 Translated by Ken Kraynak

                                   

 

  

                                                                   

流浪者之歌7 Siddhartha VII

流浪者之歌7 Siddhartha VII(悉達多的流浪故事)

悉達多聽說有一個村莊很文明，很喜歡學習，是教學者心目中的聖地，不假思索的他也來到村莊。

跟在智者身邊學習的悉達多，擁有很多的學問，他一定要好好的傳授出去，來到村落後，才發覺很多來教授學問的先生都離開了村落，雖然他也沒辦法只吃聖旨維生，但他想，我一定可以改變村民，不讓他們只吃聖旨。

為了讓村民放心的接受他，悉達多吃比村民更多的聖旨，讓村民清楚他比任何來過村莊的人，更適合留在這裡。

很快 !  悉達多在村莊擁有唯一教授師的地位，村民很樂意親近他，尤其看到他吃那麼多聖旨時，更是個個樂開懷。

悉達多從沒有忘記他到村莊的願望，他要傳授他的學問，但吃進去的聖旨在發揮效用，他一下子記得自己的理想，一下子覺得村民的做法是世上唯一的好方法，他自己的大腦不斷跟吃聖旨後的自己交戰，慢慢的，他的大腦線條愈來愈少，有一天，他自己的大腦，用嚴厲的口氣對悉達多說：趁著我還有其他的線條幫你記憶，趕快把你的學問教出去，不然我自己快不見了，大腦很憂鬱焦躁的跟悉達多説。

悉達多跟隨著大腦的呼喚，來到村民前面，想開始教學，只見大家都很尊敬的跟他說：老師別急，先來吃聖旨，吃過聖旨我們再開課。

半寄

As soon as Siddhartha heard about this highly cultured village which had become a Mecca of scholarship, he immediately decided to visit.

Studying at the feet of the village’s learned teachers, Siddhartha excelled in his studies, and soon had plans for teaching others what he had learned. It was only after coming to the village that he learned that quite a few teachers had left, due to their inability to subsist on a diet consisting exclusively of shengzhi. In fact, Siddhartha also had the same difficulty at first, and he hoped that eventually the village would begin to diversify its diet.

In the meantime, however, in order to gain the villagers’ confidence, Siddhartha ate more shengzhi than anyone else, thereby demonstrating that he would fit in better than anyone who had come before.

Before long, Siddhartha became the head teacher in the village. He was held in high esteem by everyone, and his reputation was further enhanced by the copious amount of shengzhi he consumed.

Although his original intention in coming to the village had been to share his knowledge with others, consuming such a large amount of shengzhi began to have a certain effect on his mind. At one moment he would be aware of his own ideal and goal, and at another moment he felt that the way things were done in the village is the only right way to do things. It was as if his pre- and post-shengzhi mind was constantly at war with itself, and that his breadth of mind was gradually shrinking, until one day his conscience severely rebuked him in a tone both anxious and melancholy, “Now’s the time to share your knowledge with others. Don’t wait, lest I disappear and you forget.”

Admonished by his conscience, Siddhartha assembled the villagers and announced his intention to teach something different, according to his original intention, whereupon the villagers respectfully demurred, “There’s no hurry. Let’s first eat some shengzhi; leave that for later.”

Master Ban Ji

 Translated by Ken Kraynak

                                    

 

                                                                   

 

流浪者之歌6 Siddhartha VI

流浪者之歌6 Siddhartha VI(悉達多的流浪故事)

悉達多指導的村莊是一個有著文明歷史的村莊，從很久的年代開始，這個村莊就是很多有知識、學問的人嚮往的場所，有學問的人們，都希望到這裡一展長才，教出更傑出的傳人。

好多的賢者，大學問家都來過這個村莊，剛開始村民個個興奮異常的迎接他們的到來，何等的榮耀 ! 才讓群賢聚集在我們的村裡。

大學問家一個個施展他們的學問，村民一天到晚都在忙著吸收教學的內容，每個學者都說 : 這個太重要了，不學 ! 你們會變成低等動物，大家聽說不學習，會變成低等動物個個開始不分晝夜的學習，有教謀生知識的，有教如何把動物變成人的，更有教，當一個人要如何坐好、站好才像個人的，還有說: 去看水，水可以給你們一切的啟示..........

一年一年的累積，好累喔 ! 村民彼此說著，累到老師是誰都看不清了!

能不能有一個方法，只選用簡單的食物，讓吃下去的食物，透過消化後讓大腦自己動起來，這樣就不用天天團團轉，還可以當個高等動物，學習那麼多，大部份是他們自己都不能理解的學問。

通過村民大會的同意，大家都認同只吃聖旨，這樣就可以多出時間去做其他的事，也可以提高效率，一種食物的供給很省事，又不用學習很多，大家都累了。

於是聖旨這種食物，快速的被種植，享用。

半寄

The village for which Siddhartha served as the spiritual guide had a long history as a seat of learning, attracting lots of erudite scholars keen on deepening their knowledge and passing it on to others.

Everyone living in the village was proud of its reputation as a center of scholarship, so much so that only virtuous pundits were allowed to stay there.These learned scholars taught their respective subjects day and night, as all the villagers eagerly listened. Each lecture began and concluded with such words as, “If you don’t learn this well, you will be reborn as a lowly creature,” thereby making everyone even more intent on their studies. Some imparted practical knowledge useful for making a living; others taught how to turn an animal into a human being; others taught the proper way to sit and stand; still others instructed their pupils in how to learn the secrets of the universe by observing water.

In this way, year after year, the villagers sedulously accumulated such a surfeit of knowledge that they began to confuse one teacher for another!      

Eventually, some began to wonder if there might be some kind of food one could eat to enhance the functioning of the brain, obviating intensive study of abstruse subjects and bringing about rebirth on a higher grade of existence.  

For the purpose of discussing this issue, the villagers convened a meeting, at which it was agreed that only shengzhi would be eaten in the village, so as to increase the efficiency of their studies, allowing them more time and energy for other things.

Thus they promptly set about planting shengzhi, which soon became their staple food.

Master Ban Ji

 Translated by Ken Kraynak