The Japanese folktale of the selfish scholar - Iseult Gillespie

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

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

在古時的京都，

有位虔誠的神道學者 過著簡單的生活，

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

但城市的喧囂經常 讓他無法專心禱告。

He felt that his neighbors were polluting his soul,

他認為他的鄰居在汙染他的靈魂，

and he sought to perform some kind of personal harae—

所以他企圖進行某種個人的「祓」

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

——這是一種淨化的儀式， 能潔淨他的身心。

He decided to travel to the revered Hie Shrine.

他決定要前往受敬重的日枝神社。

The trip was an arduous climb that took all day.

路程是很艱難的坡路， 花了一整天的時間。

But he was glad for the solitude it afforded him,

但他很高興這一路上能夠獨處，

and the peace he felt upon returning home was profound.

欣喜返家所感受到的深沉平靜。

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

學者下定決心要盡可能 維持這種清明感，

and resolved to make this pilgrimage another 99 times.

同時決定還要再走九十九次 同樣的朝聖之路。

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

他會獨自上路，

不理會任何會造成分心的 人事物，追求平衡，

and never straying from his purpose.

且從來沒有偏離他的目標。

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

這名男子信守諾言，

一天天過去，一週週過去，

he walked through driving rain and searing sun.

他歷經猛烈的大雨、燒灼的日曬。

Over time, his devotion revealed the invisible world of spirits

隨時間過去，他的奉獻 讓他看見了隱形的靈界，

which exists alongside our own.

和我們的世界並行的另一個世界。

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

他開始感受到 使他腳下石頭生氣勃勃的神、

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

讓他涼爽的微風，

以及原野上吃草的動物。

Still he spoke to no one, spirit or human.

他仍然不和任何人或任何靈說話。

He was determined to avoid contact with those who had strayed

他決心要避免接觸那些偏離正道、

from the path and become polluted with kegare.

被汙穢給污染的人。

This taboo of defilement hung over the sick and deceased,

汙穢禁忌籠罩著病人、亡者，

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

以及那些汙染大地或犯下重罪的人。

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

學者在追尋靈性純淨時

所要面對的最大威脅就是汙穢。

kegare was by far the greatest.

After paying his respects for the 80th time,

在做了第八十次致敬之後，

he set out for home once more.

他再次啟程返家。

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

但隨著夜幕低垂，

他在夜晚的空氣中 聽見了焦慮的啜泣聲。

The scholar tried to push forward and ignore the moans.

學者試著繼續往前， 忽略這些嗚咽聲。

But the desperate cries overwhelmed him.

但那絕望的哭泣聲讓他無法招架。

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

帶著痛苦的表情， 他離開了他要走的路，

循著聲音去找源頭。

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

很快，他就來到一間狹小的屋子，

有一名女子癱倒在外面。

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

學者出於憐憫，請女子 傾訴她為什麼悲傷。

She explained that her mother had just died—

她解釋說她母親剛過世，

but no one would help her with the burial.

但沒有人願意協助她埋葬母親。

At that news, his heart sank.

聽到這事，他的心重重一沉。

Touching the body would defile his spirit,

觸碰屍體會汙染他的靈，

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

吸乾他的生命力，讓他被神抛棄。

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

但當他聽著她哭泣， 他的同理心大增。

And so, they buried the old woman together,

於是，他們一起埋葬了那名老婦，

to ensure her safe passage into the spirit world.

確保她能平安前往靈界。

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

埋葬完成了，

但死亡的禁忌重重壓在學者身上。

How could he have been so foolish,

他怎麼會這麼愚蠢，

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

逃避了他最重要的原則， 讓他神聖的旅程腐敗了？

After a tormented night,

在難熬的一夜之後，

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

他決定回到神社去潔淨自己。

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

讓他驚訝的是，通常 很安靜的寺廟竟人山人海，

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

大家都圍著能直接和神溝通的靈媒。

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

學者躲了起來，不敢靠近，

深怕有人會注意到 他的靈魂受到汙染。

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

但靈媒用其他方式看見了他， 叫他從群眾中站出來。

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

學者做好被拋棄的準備， 走向這名神聖的女子。

But the medium merely smiled.

但靈媒只是微笑。

She took his impure hand in hers,

她雙手握起學者不純淨的手，

and whispered a blessing only he could hear—

用只有他聽得見的聲音， 說出一段祝福，

thanking him for his kindness.

感謝他的仁慈。

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

那一刻，學者發現了 一個天大的靈性祕密：

contamination and corruption are two very different things.

汙染和腐敗

是非常不同的兩件事。

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

帶著洞見，學者重新返回他的旅程。

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

但這一次，他停下腳步 協助他所遇到的人。

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

漸漸地，不論走到哪裡， 他都開始看到靈界之美，

even in the city he'd previously shunned.

就連他先前迴避的城市也一樣。

Others cautioned that he risked kegare—

其他人警告他有汙穢的風險——

but he never told them why he so freely mingled

但他從來沒有告訴他們 為什麼他能如此自在地

with the sick and disadvantaged.

和病人及弱勢者往來。

For he knew that people could only truly understand harae

因為他知道，

人只有透過自己的旅程 才能真正理解「祓」。

through a journey of their own.