The Japanese folktale of the selfish scholar - Iseult Gillespie

翻译人员: C Cheng 校对人员: Haylin Qin

In ancient Kyoto, a devout Shinto scholar lived a simple life,

在古代的京都，一位虔诚的 神道教书生过着简朴的生活。

but he was often distracted from his prayers by the bustling city.

但是，他常常因为熙熙攘攘的 城市而无法专心祈祷。

He felt that his neighbors were polluting his soul,

他觉得他的邻居 正在污染他的的灵魂，

and he sought to perform some kind of personal harae—

于是他设法举行某种私人的祓——

a purification ritual that would cleanse his body and his mind.

一种可以净化身心的仪式。

He decided to travel to the revered Hie Shrine.

他决定前往受人敬仰的日枝神社。

The trip was an arduous climb that took all day.

这次旅程是一整日艰苦的攀登。

But he was glad for the solitude it afforded him,

但是他对因此而得到 独处的机会而感到高兴。

and the peace he felt upon returning home was profound.

回到家时， 他感受到了巨大的平静。

The scholar was determined to maintain this clarity for as long as possible,

书生决意要尽可能长久地 保持这种清晰的状态，

and resolved to make this pilgrimage another 99 times.

并下定决心再进行 99 次这样的朝圣。

He would walk the path alone, ignoring any distractions in his quest for balance,

他将独自行走， 为了寻求平衡而无视任何干扰，

and never straying from his purpose.

也绝不背离他的目标。

The man was true to his word, and as days stretched into weeks,

这个人说到做到。 随着时间一天天过去，

he walked through driving rain and searing sun.

他走过了瓢泼的大雨 和灼热的骄阳。

Over time, his devotion revealed the invisible world of spirits

久而久之，他的虔诚 揭示了不可见、

which exists alongside our own.

但与我们的世界并存的灵界。

He began to sense the kami, which animated the rocks underfoot,

他开始体会到神的存在， 它使脚下的岩石、

the breeze that cooled him, and the animals grazing in the fields.

凉爽的微风和田间 吃草的动物都活了起来。

Still he spoke to no one, spirit or human.

他依旧不与任何人交谈， 不论是灵魂，还是人类。

He was determined to avoid contact with those who had strayed

他决意避免接触那些偏离正轨，

from the path and become polluted with kegare.

而被霉气污染了的人——

This taboo of defilement hung over the sick and deceased,

这种亵渎的禁忌笼罩着病人和死者，

as well as those who defiled the land or committed violent crimes.

以及那些玷污了大地 或犯下了暴力罪行的人。

Of all of the threats to the scholar’s quest for spiritual purity,

在所有威胁到书生追求 心灵纯净的事物中，

kegare was by far the greatest.

霉气是最大的威胁。

After paying his respects for the 80th time,

在第 80 次朝拜之后，

he set out for home once more.

他再次出发回家。

But as darkness fell, he heard strained sobs in the night air.

但是，当夜幕降临时， 他听到暮色中有抽泣的声音。

The scholar tried to push forward and ignore the moans.

书生试图继续前行， 忽视这个呜咽之声。

But the desperate cries overwhelmed him.

但是那个绝望的哭声 令他难以承受。

Grimacing, he left his path to follow the sound to its source.

他咧了咧嘴，寻声溯源， 而背离了原本的路。

He soon came to a cramped cottage, with a woman crumpled outside.

很快，他来到了一间小屋， 一位女子瘫倒在屋外。

Filled with pity, the scholar implored the woman to share her sorrow.

满怀同情的书生 询问女子悲伤的缘由。

She explained that her mother had just died—

她解释说， 她的母亲刚刚过世——

but no one would help her with the burial.

但是没人愿意帮她埋葬母亲。

At that news, his heart sank.

听到这个消息， 他的心沉了一下。

Touching the body would defile his spirit,

接触尸体会玷污他的精神，

draining his life force and leaving him forsaken by the kami.

消耗他的生命力， 还会让他遭到神的唾弃。

But as he listened to her cries, his sympathy soared.

但是，听到她的哭声， 他实在难掩心中的同情。

And so, they buried the old woman together,

于是，他们一起 埋葬了那位老妇人，

to ensure her safe passage into the spirit world.

以确保她能安全地跨入灵界。

The burial was complete, but the taboo of death weighed heavily on the scholar.

埋葬结束了，但是死亡的禁忌 却给书生带来了沉重的负担。

How could he have been so foolish,

他怎么会如此愚蠢，

to shirk his most important rule and corrupt his divine journey?

忽视了他最重要的原则， 并且毁了自己的神界之旅？

After a tormented night,

一夜煎熬之后，

he resolved to go back to the shrine to cleanse himself.

他决心回神庙去净化自己。

To his surprise, the usually quiet temple was filled with people,

让他感到惊讶的是， 通常清净的寺庙里挤满了人。

all gathering around a medium who communicated directly with the kami.

大家都聚集在一位巫女的周围， 她可以直接与神交流。

The man hid himself, not daring approach in case anyone glimpse his polluted soul.

他躲了起来，不敢靠近， 以免被人瞥见他不洁的灵魂。

But the medium had other ways of seeing, and called him forward from the crowd.

但是巫女另有观人之道， 并把他从人群中叫上前来。

Ready to be forsaken, the scholar approached the holy woman.

做好了被神唾弃的准备， 书生走向了那位圣女。

But the medium merely smiled.

但是，巫女只是微笑而已。

She took his impure hand in hers,

她握住他不洁的手，

and whispered a blessing only he could hear—

耳语了一句只有他 才能听到的祝福——

thanking him for his kindness.

感谢他的仁慈。

In that moment, the scholar discovered a great spiritual secret:

在那一刻，书生发现了 一个重大的心灵奥秘：

contamination and corruption are two very different things.

污染与腐败是 截然不同的两回事。

Filled with insight, the scholar set himself back on his journey.

经历了彻悟的书生重又启程。

But this time, he stopped to help those he met.

但是这次，他不断停下来 帮助他所遇到的人。

He began to see the beauty of the spirit world everywhere he went,

不论走到哪里，他都开始 领略到灵界之美，

even in the city he'd previously shunned.

甚至是在他曾经逃避的城市里。

Others cautioned that he risked kegare—

别人告诫说， 他有冲撞霉气的风险——

but he never told them why he so freely mingled

但是，他从来没有告诉过他们， 他为什么会如此自如地

with the sick and disadvantaged.

与病人和弱势的人相交往。

For he knew that people could only truly understand harae

因为他知道，人们只有通过 自己的跋涉才能真正理解祓。

through a journey of their own.