烤肉

Barbecuing Meat

偶尔听得一新鲜吃法，实在令我瞠目结舌。据说此为日本人发明的“烤肉”：先将待毙之牛捆严，再以一木板狠击其臀部，直至其肿胀至每一毛细血管均充满血浆。取其臀部之肉，用于烧烤，其味鲜美无比。说此之人津津乐道、唾沫飞扬，仿佛已闻到牛肉之“芬芳”。我想，那些在享受烤肉的人们也一定红光满面、神采飞扬，何曾想到牛之惨状？

想起不久前于报纸上看到的一则消息。日本人发明了一种“盆景猫”，将年幼之猫置于玻璃瓶中，上面以玻璃管导入营养液，下面以玻璃管导出排泄物，猫长大后，充满玻璃瓶，便形成各种形状的“宠物猫”。据说，该“宠物猫”一上市，即供不应求。有谁为可怜的猫将在狭窄的玻璃瓶内度过余生而生起一丝悲心呢？

I once heard about a new way of cooking meat that completely dumbfounded me. This special way of grilling meat, allegedly invented by some Japanese, involved first securely tying the condemned animal so that it could not move, and then smacking its butt forcefully with a wooden plank until the butt became swollen and red from expanded capillaries. The plasma-rich meat was then sliced for barbecuing, guaranteed to be extremely tender and juicy with no comparison. The person describing this got all excited and dwelled upon it with great relish, as if he had sniffed the sweet odor wafting from the grill. I could imagine those epicures wolfing down the roasted meat with great gusto, their faces blazed with satiation and high spirit. But had they considered the utter misery of the poor cow?

“谁道群生性命微，一般骨肉一般皮，劝君莫打枝头鸟，子在巢中望母归。”不知白居易的这首诗能否唤醒一些麻木的心灵？

“Who can say other creatures’ lives are low or worthless? They too have flesh, bones, and feelings. I exhort you to refrain from killing birds in nests in trees. The baby birds there are waiting for their mother to come home.” Will this poem, written by Bai Juyi, awaken the numbed, unfeeling hearts?

即使世人看来低贱的动物，也同样具有感觉器官，同样拥有妻室儿女。为何这些人竟没有一丝恻隐之心？而且，因果报应不虚，是亘古不变的真理，不顾死后即将面临之下场，实乃愚夫所为。

All creatures, even those regarded as inferior by humans, have sense organs, mates, offspring, and loved ones. How can these people lack the slightest sympathy? And be aware that the principle of cause and effect, a truism since ancient times, is always infallible. People just act without giving any thought to the consequences they’ll soon face upon death. Aren’t they foolish!

我实在无意贬低日本人，但如此发明实在令人遗憾，为何人类的历史总挥不开干戈的阴影？为何互相残杀的悲剧总是周而复始地上演？“欲知世上刀兵劫，但听屠门夜半声。”这也是众生之共业所致。如果前世没有亏欠，也不致遭如此果报，自食其果，实在无法抱怨。但冤冤相报何时了啊！我奋笔疾书，望世人能明鉴此理。

I absolutely don’t mean to put down the Japanese who thought of the barbecuing method. But this kind of invention is regrettable, to say the least. Why are humans constantly at war with each other throughout history? Why does the tragedy of killing one another have to repeat itself? The saying goes: “Should you seek the clue for catastrophes of human bloodshed, just listen to the wails coming out from the slaughterhouse at midnight.” What we are experiencing now is nothing but the combined effects of all our past actions. There is no foul consequence without past misdeeds in previous lives. One reaps only what one has sown; therefore no one has the right to complain about fate. But alas, when will these vicious cycles of seeking revenge on each other ever end? I feel so affected by these issues that I have to write them down even if hurriedly here. May people in the world come to a clear understanding of these principles!

壬午年四月十五日 　
2002年5月26日 　

14th of April, Year of RenWu
May 26, 2002