夢影
Dream Glimpse
身居荒僻山野的人，向往城市的車水馬龍。而久居城市的我，卻懷念山間的清淨生涯。
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，夜有所夢。關掉臺燈，閉上眼睛，不一會兒就進入了夢鄉。
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.
在夢境中，我住在一個寂靜山洞裏。洞內簡樸整潔，洞外花繁樹茂。飛鷹在空中翺翔，微風在山間吹拂，松鼠在林間竄動，溪流在叢林歡騰……格桑花在陽光的照耀下，綻放著動人的色彩；樹葉在朦胧的霧中，淌滴著晶瑩的露珠；我像無憂無慮的孩童，了無牽挂地生活著。
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.
日子一天天地飛走。一天，一只小猴出現在我面前。我趕緊拿出最好的食品，款待這唯一的來賓。吃完後，它卻怎麼也不願離開。也許，是和媽媽走散了；也許，它媽媽被獵人捕獲了……總之，我不得不收留這可憐的小東西。
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.
在我不厭其煩的調教下，它學會了磕頭、供水、供香……每當我看書、念經時，它就在一旁玩耍，從不搗亂。偶爾不聽話時，只要我一嚇唬，它便老老實實地去頂禮。我們吃著同一口鍋煮熟的飯，在同一塊石板上休憩。無論我到哪裏，它都形影不離。它給我的修行生活平添了許多樂趣，從未擾亂過我的心。
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，我到山下去背糧食，命令它看守我們那並不需要看守的家。它可憐巴巴地蹲在門口的石板上。當我走了很遠，回頭眺望，仍能看見它孤獨的身影……
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，夢醒了。山洞小猴都不見蹤影。因爲擔心無人照管的小猴，也因爲懷念山洞的清淨生活。我努力想再睡著，回到夢中，但怎麼也無法入夢。
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.
《釋尊傳》裏曾有一公案，講的是一寂地修行人，養了一只大象，遭到帝釋天嚴厲呵責。看來修行人是不能養寵物的。但不知爲什麼，我還是十分懷念夢中那只小猴，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