嗡嗡

　　Buzz Buzz

　　在藏族的謎語中，是這樣形容蜜蜂的：不是老虎卻有老虎的花紋；不是犏牛卻有犏牛的聲音；不是老鼠卻鑽老鼠的地洞。不管如何，在很多人眼裏，蜜蜂是辛勤勞作的象征。

　　A riddle in Tibet describes bees in this way: It is not a tiger, but it has a tiger”s fur patterns; it is not a yak, but it sounds like a yak; it is not a rat, but it can fit in a rat hole. Bees, however portrayed, seem always connected with diligence and hard work in the eyes of many people.

　　早上吃糌粑時，來了一只大蜜蜂，不停地轉繞並發出嗡嗡聲。按照藏族的說法，如果一人被蜜蜂轉繞，就表示這是他中陰身的親人未得解脫，中陰法王開許其以蜜蜂之身來尋求善法。藏族人在此時一定會念一些觀音心咒、金剛薩埵心咒之類的咒語，以超度這些不甘的亡靈。

　　While I was having tsampa this morning, a huge bee appeared, hovering around me with a buzzing hum. According to Tibetan belief, the bee that circles a person is a relative yet to be liberated in the intermediate state; allowed by the Lord of the Bardo Realm, the relative comes to search for the Dharma in a bee”s body. At this time, Tibetans will always recite the Avaloketesvara mantra or the Vajrasattva mantra, etc., to bless these restless spirits.

　　“你是我的哪一位親人呢？”回答我的是一陣“嗡嗡”聲，陰陽間的交流只能以這種方式進行，近在咫尺，卻無法以語言溝通，這是多麼的無奈！我無言以對，只有竭力念誦心咒、佛號，以告慰“親人”。

　　“Dear little bee, which relative of mine are you

　　” But my question was met only with a series of buzzing notes. Though the living and the dead were right next to each other, there was no language to communicate except by a humming sound. How sad! I could say no more but tried my best to recite mantras and Buddha”s names, in order to benefit this “relative” of mine.

　　一些佛經中對此另有說法，《寶箧莊嚴經》中雲：“大悲尊主觀世音菩薩至斯裏蘭卡，見耶扣謀傑大城市糞便處住有成百上千種昆蟲，爾時觀音菩薩化爲蜜蜂形象，發出嗡嗡聲，義爲頂禮佛陀，其余蟲類聽此亦隨念頂禮佛陀，從而以智慧金剛摧毀二十種薩迦耶見，終皆成菩薩，名爲口香，往生到極樂世界。”“也許你是佛菩薩的化現，那麼請問您的“嗡嗡”聲包含何等密意？”回答我的仍是“嗡嗡、嗡嗡”。

　　Still other sayings have been found in the sutras, for instance the Karandavyuha Sutra records this episode: When the great compassionate Bodhisattva Avaloketesvara went to Sri Lanka he saw that thousands of creatures were living in piles of excrement at the corner of the city Yekoumoujie. Avaloketesvara then appeared in the form of a bee and made a buzzing sound as homage to the Buddhas. Hearing it, all the creatures there also made the sound to pay homage to the Buddhas. Henceforth they were able to destroy 20 kinds of sakaya-dithi (self-grasping) with the wisdom diamond and all became Bodhisattva named Fragrant Lip, and were all reborn to the Pure Land of Great Bliss.” “Perhaps you are the emanation of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva. Please tell me, then, what”s the hidden meaning in your buzz

　　” But again, the reply was still the buzzing hum.

　　無論它是前來求助的中陰身，還是普通的旁生，或者是諸佛菩薩的化現。我想，沒有比祈禱叁寶更好的做法了。

　　Whatever my visitor”s true identity—a bardo being seeking help, an ordinary creature, or the emanation of the enlightened ones—I think I can offer no better reception than to pray to the Three Jewels.

　　無論我們在花園中觀賞五彩缤紛的鮮花，還是在草原上飽覽一望無際的原野，時常會碰到微小可愛的生靈，玩賞興奮之余，不要忘記輪回衆生的境遇，更不要忘記怙主叁寶的恩德。

　　While we are in the garden enjoying beautiful flowers or feasting our eyes on the immense green field, we will also see many tiny bugs or cute creatures. At this time of our leisure and delight, remember how sentient beings are cycling in samsara and always bear in mind the kindness of our protector, the Three Jewels.

　　壬午年七月十叁日 　

　　2002年8月20日 　

　　13th of July, Year of RenWu

　　August 20, 2002