Brahma's Request

14．梵天的请求

The Blessed One having attained Buddhahood while resting under the shepherd's Nigrodha tree
on the banks of the river Neranyjara, pronounced this solemn utterance: [1]

当至福者在尼连禅河岸上牧羊人的菩提树下休息时已悟道成佛，他说了这些严肃的话语： 1

"How blest in happy solitude
Is he who hears of truth the call!
How blest to be both kind and good,
To practice self-restraint to all!
How blest from passion to be free,
All sensuous joys to let pass by!
Yet highest bliss enjoyeth he
Who quits the pride of 'I am I.' [2]

“那在愉快的独处中听见真理召唤的人是多么幸福啊！

践行自制，为善行仁的人是多么幸福啊！

让一切感观的愉悦都远去吧！

离开感情获得自由是多么幸福啊！

凡放弃傲慢的‘我是我’的人，

会享有至高的喜乐。 2

"I have recognized the deepest truth,
which is sublime and peace-giving,
but difficult to understand;
for most men move in a sphere of worldly interests
and find their delights in worldly desires. [3]

“我已经认识到了最深的真理，它是神圣、平和但却难以理解，因为绝大多数世人痴迷于世俗名利，只在世俗欲望中寻找快乐。 3

"The worldling will not understand the doctrine,
for to him there is happiness in selfhood only,
and the bliss that lies in a complete surrender to truth
is unintelligible to him. [4]

“俗人不会理解这佛法，对他而言只有在自我中才有幸福，喜乐在真理的信奉者心中，俗人难以知晓这喜乐。 4

"He will call resignation what to the enlightened mind is the purest joy.
He will see annihilation where the perfected one finds immortality.
He will regard as death what the conqueror of self knows to be life everlasting. [5]

“那些对觉悟之心而言是至纯喜悦的事，俗人则称之为隐退。完美之人找到不朽之处，俗人则将其看作毁灭。自我的战胜者所知道的永恒生命，俗人则认其为死亡。 5

"The truth remains hidden from him who is in the bondage of hate and desire.
Nirvana remains incomprehensible and mysterious
to the vulgar whose minds are beclouded with worldly interests.
Should I preach the doctrine and mankind not comprehend it,
it would bring me only fatigue and trouble." [6]

菩提树旁的佛陀，泰国吞武里Sangkrachai 寺壁画摹本。

“束缚在仇恨和欲望之中的人，真理在他面前隐匿了。心灵被俗世名利蒙蔽的俗人，涅槃对他是难以理解和神秘莫测的。如果我宣讲佛法，众人却不理解，这只能使我疲惫不堪，困难重重。” 6

Mara, the Evil One, on hearing the words of the Blessed Buddha,
approached and said: "Be greeted, thou Holy One.
Thou hast attained the highest bliss
and it is time for thee to enter into the final Nirvana." [7]

邪恶者波旬听到福者佛陀的话，走过来说道：“祝贺你，圣者。你已经获得了至高的喜乐，现在是你进入最后涅槃的时候了。” 7

Then Brahma Sahampati descended from the heavens
and, having worshipped the Blessed One, said: [8]

接着梵天萨哈穆潘提从天界降下，他向至福者致敬，说道： 8

"Alas! the world must perish,
should the Holy One, the Tathagata, decide not to teach the Dharma. [9]

“唉，如果至圣者如来决定不教授佛法，那么世界必将毁灭。 9

"Be merciful to those that struggle;
have compassion upon the sufferers;
pity the creatures who are hopelessly entangled in the snares of sorrow. [10]

“可怜那些在痛苦中挣扎的人吧，同情那些苦难者吧，怜悯那些纠缠在悲伤之网中的众生吧。 10

"There are some beings that are almost free from the dust of worldliness.
If they hear not the doctrine preached, they will be lost.
But if they hear it, they will believe and be saved." [11]

“有一些人几乎要脱离世俗的欲望了。如果他们听不到你宣讲的教义，他们会迷失方向。但如果他们听到了，将会信奉并得到拯救。” 11

The Blessed One, full of compassion,
looked with the eye of a Buddha upon all sentient creatures,
and he saw among them beings whose minds were but scarcely covered by the dust of worldliness,
who were of good disposition and easy to instruct.
He saw some who were conscious of the dangers of lust and wrong doing. [12]

至福者心中充满了同情，他以佛眼观看一切有情众生，他看到其中一些人的心灵几乎没有被俗世的欲望所遮掩，他们性情良善，易于教诲。他看到一些人已经意识到了欲望和恶行的危险性。 12

And the Blessed One said to Brahma Sahampati:
"Wide open be the door of immortality to all who have ears to hear.
May they receive the Dharma with faith." [13]

接着至福者对梵天萨哈穆潘提说道：“对一切有耳聆听的人打开不朽之门吧。愿他们有信心接受佛法。” 13

And the Blessed One turned to Mara, saying:
"I shall not pass into the final Nirvana, O Evil One,
until there be not only brethren and sisters of an Order,
but also lay-disciples of both sexes,
who shall have become true hearers, wise, well-trained, ready and learned,
versed in the scriptures, fulfilling all the greater and lesser duties,
correct in life, walking according to the precepts -
until they, having thus themselves learned the doctrine,
shall be able to give information to others concerning it,
preach it, make it known, establish it,
open it, minutely explain it, and make it clear -
until they, when others start vain doctrines,
shall be able to vanquish and refute them,
and so to spread the wonder-working truth abroad.
I shall not die until the pure religion of truth shall have become successful,
prosperous, wide-spread and popular in all its full extent -
until, in a word, it shall have been well proclaimed among men!" [14]

然后至福者转向波旬，说道：“邪恶者，我现在不进入最后的涅槃，直到不仅僧团的众位兄弟姊妹，而且俗家男女弟子都成为真正的闻道者、有了智慧、接受了好的教导、愿意学习、精通佛经、履行所有大大小小的职责、正确生活、按正确认识行事之时，直到他们自己学会佛法、能够向有心学佛的人提供消息、宣讲教义、使人知晓佛法、建树佛法、传播佛法、详细解说并阐明佛法之时，直到当他人宣传虚妄学说，他们能够击败驳斥这些虚妄之人，并因此将这创造奇迹的真理(指佛法)传遍天下之时，我才进入最后的涅槃境界。直到关于真理的纯粹宗教变得成功、繁荣、在所有的领域内都广为传播之时，总之，直到佛法在人们中得到很好地传布之时，我的生命才将终结。” 14

Then Brahma Sahampati understood that the Blessed One had granted his request
and would preach the doctrine. [15]

梵天萨哈穆潘提明白了佛陀已经接受了他的请求，他将会宣传佛法。 15