The Chinese myth of the meddling monk - Shunan Teng

Translator: Medina R Reviewer: Reno Kanti Riananda

Xu Xian had just received yet another invitation

Xu Xian baru saja menerima sebuah undangan

to the opening ceremony of the new Jin Shan Temple.

untuk menghadiri upacara pembukaan Kuil Jin Shan.

His wife, Bai Su Zhen,

Istrinya, Bai Su Zhen,

had warned him not to attend.

mencegahnya datang ke acara itu.

Since she was in fact a benevolent white snake spirit in human form,

Karena Bai Su Zhen adalah siluman ular putih berwujud manusia,

their marriage had already weathered attacks by meddling monks.

pernikahan mereka sering terkena campur tangan para biksu.

But devout Buddhist that he was,

Namun, sebagai penganut Budha yang taat,

Xu Xian felt obligated to make an appearance.

ia merasa wajib untuk hadir.

What they didn’t know

Mereka tidak tahu

was that these invitations had come from none other than Fa Hai–

bahwa undangan tersebut berasal dari Fa Hai--

the misguided monk who had tried to separate the young lovers,

seorang biksu sesat yang pernah mencoba memisahkan mereka,

almost killing Xu Xian in the process.

dan hampir membunuh Xu Xian.

The monk confronted Xu Xian,

Sang biksu mengonfrontasi Xu Xian,

telling him that because he consorted with a demon,

memberitahunya bahwa karena istrinya adalah iblis,

he must remain at the monastery and cleanse his soul.

Xu Xian harus tetap tinggal dalam biara dan membersihkan jiwanya.

Xu Xian protested,

Xu Xian tidak terima,

but Fa Hai would not let him escape.

tetapi Fa Hai tidak membiarkannya pergi.

At home, Bai Su Zhen was uneasy.

Di rumah, Bai Su Zhen merasa tidak tenang.

Her husband had departed so quickly

Kepergian suaminya sangat mendadak,

that she hadn’t been able to tell him she was pregnant with his child.

sehingga ia tak sempat memberitahu bahwa ia tengah mengandung.

And now he had been gone so long she sensed something must be wrong.

Dan sekarang perasaannya tidak enak karena suaminya tak kunjung pulang.

She made her way to the temple,

Ia berjalan menuju kuil

and upon encountering Fa Hai the monk threw his prayer mat,

dan ketika Fa Hai melihatnya, sang biksu melempar tikar sembahyangnya

which erupted into fire and smoke.

yang meledak menjadi api dan asap.

Weakened from her pregnancy,

Lemah karena kehamilannya,

Bai Su Zhen desperately summoned a fleet of shrimp soldiers and crab generals

Bai Su Zhen memanggil pasukan tentara udang dan jenderal kepiting

to subdue the monk, and waves to put out the blaze.

untuk menahan sang biksu, dan ombak untuk memadamkan api

But the water also flooded the surrounding area,

Namun, air juga membanjiri daerah sekitarnya,

drowning many innocent villagers.

menenggelamkan banyak penghuni desa yang tidak bersalah.

For the first time, Bai Su Zhen had harmed humans,

Untuk pertama kalinya, Bai Su Zhen mencelakakan manusia

and she fell out of the gods’ favor.

dan kehilangan perlindungan dari para dewa.

With their blessing retracted,

Tanpa perlindungan para dewa,

Fa Hai attempted to trap her in his magical alms bowl.

Fa Hai berusaha mengurung Bai Zu Chen di dalam mangkuk ajaibnya.

But just when all hope seemed lost,

Saat Bai Su Zhen hampir menyerah,

a bright glow came from within her belly,

cahaya terang keluar dari perutnya,

saving her from the mad monk’s magic.

dan menyelamatkannya dari sihir sang biksu.

The couple fled home,

Pasangan ini kembali ke rumah,

grateful to the mysterious power that had saved them,

bersyukur atas kekuatan misterius yang menyelamatkan mereka.

and soon after, Bai Su Zhen gave birth to their son, Xu Shi Lin.

Tak lama kemudian, Bai Su Zhen melahirkan anak laki-laki, Xu Shi Lin.

Yet despite this joyous occasion,

Di balik kebahagiaan mereka,

Xu Xian was uneasy.

Xu Xian merasa khawatir.

He was shaken by his wife’s accidental act of destruction,

Dia tidak bisa melupakan bencana yang ditimbulkan istrinya

and he feared the misfortune it might bring upon their home.

dan takut akan petaka yang mungkin menimpa rumah tangga mereka.

Not a month later,

Kurang dari sebulan kemudian,

Fa Hai appeared at their doorstep.

Fa Hai mengunjungi mereka.

He offered Xu Xian an alms bowl to ensure good fortune for his newborn son.

Ia menawarkan Xu Xian sebuah mangkuk untuk menjamin keberuntungan putranya.

Masih curiga pada sang biksu,

Still wary of the monk,

but also remembering Bai Su Zhen’s destructive act,

tetapi teringat musibah yang disebabkan oleh istrinya,

Xu Xian accepted the gift.

Xu Xian pun menerimanya.

But as soon as the bowl entered their home,

Namun, begitu mangkuk berada di dalam rumah,

it flew to Bai Su Zhen’s head and trapped her inside.

mangkuk itu terbang dan menangkap istrinya.

Against the family’s wishes,

Berlawanan dengan keinginan keluarga,

Fa Hai buried the bowl beneath the Lei Feng Pagoda.

Fa Hai mengubur mangkuk di bawah pagoda Lei Feng.

And when Xu Xian begged him to release his wife,

Dan ketika Xu Xian memohon agar istrinya dibebaskan,

the monk sternly replied:

sang biksu menjawab:

“She will be free when the iron tree blooms.”

"Ia akan bebas saat pohon besi berbunga."

Overcome with guilt,

Dipenuhi rasa bersalah,

Xu Xian lari ke sebuah biara,

Xu Xian ran away to a monastery,

leaving Shi Lin in the care of his aunt.

meninggalkan Shi Lin dengan bibinya.

But there was something neither of them knew.

Namun, ada sesuatu yang mereka tak tahu.

Shi Lin adalah reinkarnasi dari Wen Qu Xing,

The boy was the reincarnation of Wen Qu Xing,

Dewa Kebijaksanaan,

the wisdom god,

sent to the family to reward Xu Xian’s devotion.

yang dianugerahkan sebagai hadiah atas ketaatan Xu Xian.

It was this power that had protected Bai Su Zhen at the temple,

Kekuatannyalah yang melindungi Bai Su Zhen di kuil,

dan seiring beranjak dewasa, Shi Lin semakin bijaksana.

and as he grew, so did his wisdom.

At age 19, Shi Lin went to the capital city to take the nation-wide imperial exam

Pada usia 19 tahun, Shi Lin ke ibukota untuk mengikuti ujian kekaisaran,

and obtained the highest score in all the empire.

dan memperoleh nilai tertinggi di seluruh kekaisaran.

The Emperor himself bestowed Shi Lin’s prize:

Kaisar sendiri yang menganugerahkan hadiahnya pada Shi Lin:

an ornate hat decorated with jewel-encrusted flowers.

sebuah topi yang dihiasi dengan permata berbentuk bunga.

Meskipun pulang dengan rasa bangga,

But though he returned home in glory,

the fate of his parents still weighed heavy on his mind.

nasib orang tuanya masih membuat Shi Lin sedih.

Coaxing his father from exile,

Shi Lin membujuk ayahnya keluar dari biara,

Shi Lin took him to visit the Lei Feng Pagoda to pay respects to his mother.

dan membawanya ke Pagoda Lei Feng untuk melawat ibunya.

Kneeling before it,

Duduk bersimpuh di pusara ibunya,

he placed his jeweled prize on the iron tree as an offering.

Shi Lin mempersembahkan topi hadiahnya di pohon besi.

Tiba-tiba, Bai Su Zhen muncul dari dalam tanah.

Suddenly, the ground opened and Bai Su Zhen stepped out.

With her sins absolved by the tribute of a god,

Dengan pengampunan dosanya oleh seorang dewa,

and a blossom on the iron tree,

dan sekuntum bunga di pohon besi,

Shi Lin had freed his mother,

Shi Lin membebaskan ibunya,

and reunited his family–

dan menyatukan kembali keluarganya–

both mortal and divine.

di alam fana maupun baka.