梦影

Dream Glimpse

身居荒僻山野的人，向往城市的车水马龙。而久居城市的我，却怀念山间的清净生涯。

Those who live on a desolate mountainside yearn for the big city with its incessant stream of people, cars, and activities. While I myself, having been in the city for a long time, miss the quiet and peaceful life in the mountains.

日有所思，夜有所梦。关掉台灯，闭上眼睛，不一会儿就进入了梦乡。

What you dream at night is what you think during the day. Turning off the desk lamp, I closed my eyes, soon I fell fast asleep.

在梦境中，我住在一个寂静山洞里。洞内简朴整洁，洞外花繁树茂。飞鹰在空中翱翔，微风在山间吹拂，松鼠在林间窜动，溪流在丛林欢腾……格桑花在阳光的照耀下，绽放着动人的色彩；树叶在朦胧的雾中，淌滴着晶莹的露珠；我像无忧无虑的孩童，了无牵挂地生活着。

In my dream I was living in a quiet mountain cave that was simple and tidy inside. Outside the cave, there were big trees and beautiful flowers; eagles soared in the sky along with the gentle breezes; squirrels scurried around as if playing with the running brooks; gesang flowers brimmed with colors in bright sunlight and the crystalline dew drops dripped from the tips of tree leaves in morning mist… Here I led a carefree life, like an innocent child.

日子一天天地飞走。一天，一只小猴出现在我面前。我赶紧拿出最好的食品，款待这唯一的来宾。吃完后，它却怎么也不愿离开。也许，是和妈妈走散了；也许，它妈妈被猎人捕获了……总之，我不得不收留这可怜的小东西。

Days passed by quickly and quietly. One day, a little monkey appeared in front of me. I quickly took out my best food to treat it, my only guest. After the meal, the monkey somehow was unwilling to leave. Perhaps it had been separated from its mother, or a hunter had captured its mother…. Anyway, I had no other choice but to adopt this poor little fellow.

在我不厌其烦的调教下，它学会了磕头、供水、供香……每当我看书、念经时，它就在一旁玩耍，从不捣乱。偶尔不听话时，只要我一吓唬，它便老老实实地去顶礼。我们吃着同一口锅煮熟的饭，在同一块石板上休憩。无论我到哪里，它都形影不离。它给我的修行生活平添了许多乐趣，从未扰乱过我的心。

Taking a lot of patience, I trained it how to prostrate, make offerings of water, burn incense, and so on. When I was reading books, reciting sutra or chanting, it played quietly nearby and did not make trouble. On rare occasions when it acted up and I shooed it away, it would behave itself immediately and start prostration. We ate the rice cooked from the same pot and lay on the same big flat rock during breaks. Wherever I went, we were always together. The monkey brought a lot of joy to my life as a practitioner and it never disturbed my peaceful mind.

一天，我到山下去背粮食，命令它看守我们那并不需要看守的家。它可怜巴巴地蹲在门口的石板上。当我走了很远，回头眺望，仍能看见它孤独的身影……

One day, I had to walk down to the foot of the mountain to bring back food. I ordered the monkey to stay behind to watch the little hermitage, which really did not need to be watched after. It looked at me gloomily and settled reluctantly on the stone slab by the door. As I walked some distance away I looked back, its lonely tiny figure was still there…

忽然，梦醒了。山洞小猴都不见踪影。因为担心无人照管的小猴，也因为怀念山洞的清净生活。我努力想再睡着，回到梦中，但怎么也无法入梦。

All of a sudden, I woke up. Everything was gone. Nowhere was the cave or the little monkey. Worrying about the poor little monkey in need of care and missing the tranquil life in the cave, I tried hard to journey back to my dream, but to no avail whatsoever.

《释尊传》里曾有一公案，讲的是一寂地修行人，养了一只大象，遭到帝释天严厉呵责。看来修行人是不能养宠物的。但不知为什么，我还是十分怀念梦中那只小猴，它可能正在耐心地等待我呢！

The Great Biography of Buddha Shakyamuni tells a story: Someone kept an elephant while doing practices in a secluded place. The God Indra was displeased and reprimanded him sternly for that. Therefore, it seems inappropriate for spiritual practitioners to keep pets. But somehow I still miss the monkey in my dream intensely. Perhaps it is still waiting for me earnestly!

壬午年四月十六日 　
2002年5月27日

16th of April, Year of RenWu
May 27, 2002