王鼎鈞

宗教的內(nèi)容包含人生、自然、超自然1，佛教和基督教是最明顯的例子。十誡說“當孝敬父母”，佛教有《父母恩深難報經(jīng)》，這是人生。耶穌說，天國好比一粒芥子，種下去長成大樹;佛教說，青青翠竹，郁郁黃花都是佛法，這是自然。耶穌是童貞女所生，佛陀是從肋下出生，這是超自然。2耶穌釘在十字架上不死，佛陀被肢解不死，這也是超自然。

Religion explores human life， as well as the natural and supernatural realms of existence. Buddhism and Christianity are the most obvious examples. On life， one of the Ten Commandments urges you to “honor thy father and mother”， and one of the Buddhist scriptures says that you can never pay back the debt you own your parents. On nature， Jesus compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a grain of mustard seed， which will grow and become a big tree， while Buddhist teachings claim that the spirit of the Buddha permeates green bamboo trees and yellow flowers. In a supernatural vein， the Bible insists that Christ was born of a virgin， and Buddhists believe that the Buddha was born from his mothers right side below the ribs. Similarly， Christ would rise from the dead after being crucified， and the Buddha would not die after being dismembered.

這兩大宗教的門徒常常譏笑對方的超自然，忘了彼此彼此。我曾對一位法師說：你能接受那個，我當然也可以接受這個3。只有無神論可以批判咱們，咱們何必同室操戈？

Christians and Buddhists often accuse each other of what they themselves are guilty of—exhibiting a supernatural bent. Once I tried to reason with a monk on the need for a ceasefire between the two belief systems. I told him that our quarrel is meaningless because only atheists are in a position to lash out against either of us for making supernatural claims.

人生，儒家說了很多，很少提到自然。自然，道家說了很多，很少提到超自然。他們對超自然都有不足。4佛教傳入中國，超自然大量輸入，對中國文化輸血，也迫使道家創(chuàng)立道教，建立了一套自己的超自然系統(tǒng)。然后是基督教來了，起初，他以“人道”與儒家契合，得以立足，但是不久他的“神道”與儒家沖突，無法發(fā)展，于是傳教自由與貿(mào)易自由掛鉤，寫入中國和列強訂立的不平等條約，使許多中國人至今猶說“耶穌是坐在炮彈上來的5”。

Confucianism talked a lot about human life， but very little about nature. It didnt really venture into the realm of the supernatural. Early Taoism was heavy on mans relations with nature but very light on the supernatural. The arrival of Buddhism introduced a strong dose of the supernatural into the Chinese cultural bloodstream， leading to the emergence of a Taoist system of supernatural beliefs.? Then along came Christianity. At first， it got blended nicely with Confucian humanism， and was able to establish its footing. Before long it got stuck， however， owing to its emphasis on Gods omnipotence， something in directly conflict with Confucian tenets. It later succeeded in expanding its reach only with the imposition upon China by foreign imperialist powers of unequal treaties that incorporated provisions ensuring freedom of Christian missionaries to propagate their faith， along with those on opium trade. Even today many Chinese believe that Jesus came on a gunboat.

超自然乃是宗教的頭等大事，超自然才是宗教的特色，失去超自然，宗教就成了藝術(shù)，失去自然，宗教就是教條，反對超自然，就是取消宗教。6這豈不成了迷信？不然，宗教的境界，宗教對教義的詮釋，都借著超自然表現(xiàn)，超自然是宗教的載體，人心惟危，道心惟微7，教育家說得不清楚，藝術(shù)家表現(xiàn)得不準確，宗教最后領(lǐng)你進入超自然的境界，讓你自己面對8上帝佛陀。

Exploring the supernatural tops any religious agenda， since religion is characterized by belief in supernatural beings. Without the supernatural， religion would become art， and devoid of the natural， it would become dogma. Any attempt to rid itself of the supernatural would negate its raison dêtre. Doesnt this mean that religion would be reduced to superstition？ Religious consciousness and interpretation of religious tenets rely on the supernatural as a vehicle for conveying ideas. The human mind is unfathomable， and the essence of nature is just as elusive. They stubbornly defy explanation by education experts or depiction by artists. Only religion is capable of ushering you into the realm of the supernatural and into the presence of a higher power.

所以宗教強調(diào)“悟”，你在人生9里頭不能悟，在自然里頭只能若有所悟，超自然擺脫了約定俗成，超出老生常談10，你失去了在家庭學校社會養(yǎng)成的固定反應、條件反射、邏輯思考，你才可能大徹大悟。悟了就不是迷信，不悟才是迷信。超自然成為迷信的時候，其中沒有上帝也沒有佛陀。11

Religion emphasizes the importance of transcendental awareness， which is often drowned out in the worldly bustle， and only faintly brought to the fore in nature. Embracing the supernatural helps you transcend convention and venture off the beaten track. Only in the absence of the response mechanisms and logical reasoning conditioned and cultivated in family， school or social settings， can you ascend to a higher state of awareness. Transcendental awareness stands in direct contrast with superstition， and failure to achieve it would land you in a superstitious trap. The descent of the supernatural into superstition is accompanied by the absence of a higher being， be it God or the Buddha.

我們在超自然里感動覺悟，我們不在超自然里生活?！妒ソ?jīng)》說，你憑著信心可以在海上行走，你去跳海，結(jié)果淹死了。佛經(jīng)說，房子失火的時候你打坐念阿彌陀佛，火自然熄滅，你不逃走，不打電話給消防隊，結(jié)果燒死了。這不是信仰，這是考驗上帝佛陀，要挾上帝佛陀，不管是佛陀還是上帝，他不接受你我的要挾。12

We reach a higher level of awareness in a supernatural world， but we dont live there. The Bible claims that as long as you have confidence you can walk on the water. But if you do jump into the sea， youll get drowned. According to Buddhist scriptures， if your house is on fire， you can just sit there chanting the name of Buddha Amitabha， and the fire will be extinguished. But the fact is that if you dont run for your life or call the fire department for help in a fire emergence， youre sure to meet your fiery end. Literal interpretation of religious parables isnt a manifestation of faith. Rather its a pathetic test of or a malicious challenge to the power of a higher being. Your challenge will however be simply cast aside.

宗教門派的碉堡也因超自然而筑成，他們在人生和自然的這一部分，原來也有共同目標，共同語言，有時降低層次，各教派也可以一同救災或祈禱世界和平，那深溝高壘的，還是一意與人隔絕。有位學者指出美國華人之所以不能團結(jié)，原因之一在宗教信仰，其實何止華人？何止美國？

The citadels of religious sects are also built on the supernatural. In daily life and in interaction with nature， different religious groups have a lot in common. On an earthly level， they often work towards common goals and avail themselves of common approaches to issues they all face. They coordinate with each other in disaster relief efforts and unite in praying for world peace. On issues that bear on dogmatic purity， however， they tend to wall themselves off from each other and the rest of the world. One pundit cited religion as one of the culprits thwarting unity among Chinese Americans. But is sectarian discord unique to the Chinese American community or to American society in general？

有人自以為活在超自然之中，可以用自己特殊的方法解決自己的問題，因而與其他人極不兼容。其實我們活在人生和自然之中，面對共同的問題，需要一直努力。有些宗教家說，我們在未生之前，已死之后，完全相同，今生今世才有重大的分歧;也許不然，我們生前死后彼此不同，一世為人，這才有了共同的命運。我們好比一個工作團隊，日出而作，照著一張藍圖，日入而息，各有各的臥榻。

Some may harbor the illusion that theyre living in a supernatural world， where all problems can be addressed through supernatural means， and they can simply stay far from the madding crowd. But reality proves otherwise. Theres no escape from our worldly existence or our natural environment. We all have to work hard to tackle mankinds woes. Some religious scholars claim that we were all the same before we were born and will be the same after were dead， and that our discord occurs only when were alive. That isnt true. On the contrary， we were not the same before we were born and wont be the same after we die; but we do share this world and this destiny. We are a team， so to speak. Team members go to work at sunrise and retire to their own living quarters at sundown， as if following a universally applicable schedule.

那在超自然里無法合作的，在人生和自然之中可以合作，也必須合作。我想起臺灣在大逮捕的年代，治安當局把許多人拘禁在學校的大禮堂內(nèi)，其中有許多基督徒，他們把胸前的十字架取下來，掛在東面的墻上，跪下祈禱，還有一些佛教徒，把胸前的佛像取下來，掛在西面的墻上合十膜拜，這時他們背對背，各自皈依自己的信仰。然后他們轉(zhuǎn)過臉來，各人在人叢中找各人的同事，找各人的親友，共謀如何送出消息，取保釋放，這時他們面對面，對付共同的困境。

Conflicts over issues concerning the supernatural often give way to cooperation in overcoming challenges facing humanity and our natural environment， challenges that require a coordinated response. Back in the days when a sweeping crackdown on dissent was in full force in Taiwan， many people were locked up by the security authorities in a school auditorium serving as a makeshift detention center. Among them were Christians and Buddhists. Some Christians took off the crosses they wore and hanged them on the east wall， and knelt down to pray. Some Buddhists took off the Buddhist images they wore and hanged them on the west wall， and put their palms together at the center of their chests to pray. At that moment members of the two groups were facing opposite directions and were in the embrace of different higher beings. Then they turned around to look for their colleagues and friends to discuss ways to get messages out to their loved ones and secure their release on bail. Now they were standing face to face， united in their desire to get out of the same dilemma.

有些宗教不是說天地一監(jiān)牢、人生一囚徒嗎，何不看看這個真實的故事？

Does this episode lend credence to the idea that the world is but a prison and every person spends his or her life as a prisoner？

1翻譯“宗教的內(nèi)容包含人生、自然、超自然”這句話時，一個陷阱可能是“內(nèi)容”和“包括”。追求字字對應的人很可能首先想到content和consists of，于是就把這句話譯成：The content of religion consists of life， the natural and the supernatural. 必須指出的是，content用在這里完全不合適。該詞是指substantive information，與之相對的是form or style，如the content of an essay、the content of the message等，而此處的“內(nèi)容”與substantive information無關(guān)?！白诮痰膬?nèi)容包含……”更接近于“宗教涵蓋……”“宗教涉及……”“宗教探討的是……”“宗教事關(guān)……”等。我們可以將其譯成“Religion covers…”或“Religion is about…”等。? 2原文里“……這是人生”“……這是自然”“……這是超自然”形成排比?！斑@是”放在句尾，作為對前文所述基督教和佛教情況的歸納（當然，這不是對內(nèi)容的歸納，而是說明這是關(guān)于哪一方面的問題）。這種結(jié)構(gòu)在中文里使用別有風味，既整齊，又明了。但在此語境里，這個結(jié)構(gòu)估計無法照搬到英文里。首先，中文的“這”字指代能力很強，“這是”前面既有基督教的說法，也有佛教的說法，“這”指代兩者，而英文里的this指代能力沒有這么強，如果前面有兩樣東西，用了this就不知道指代的是何者。其次，“人生”“自然”“超自然”這三者并不是對內(nèi)容的總結(jié)，而是反映內(nèi)容的屬性，在英文里用this is life/nature/supernature來表示無疑是不合理的（而且如果說this is life，其含義往往是壞事或不幸的事情已經(jīng)發(fā)生）。因此，翻譯時不得不放棄中文的結(jié)構(gòu)，跳出框框，另辟蹊徑。

3“你能接受那個，我當然也可以接受這個”是一種非常特殊的表達方式，根據(jù)上下文，意思非常清楚，因為前面談到雙方相互指責，這里無非是說不要相互指責了。在中文里這樣說很清楚，不意味著在英文里這樣說也會清楚。翻譯這句話如果不從內(nèi)在含義著手，恐怕很容易造成不知所云的結(jié)果。? 4“人生，儒家說了很多，很少提到自然。自然，道家說了很多，很少提到超自然。他們對超自然都有不足。”這段話中文讀起來挺順的，但筆者覺得如果按中文的邏輯關(guān)系譯成英文，恐怕有問題。原因是：第一句里談儒家時提到人生和自然兩點，第二句里談道家時提到自然和超自然兩點;這兩句是對稱的，而第三句稱儒家和道家對超自然都有不足，其中關(guān)于儒家對超自然的不足是新信息，而關(guān)于道家對超自然的不足則在重復第二句中的內(nèi)容。用英文表達時，對邏輯的要求高于中文，如果照搬中文句式，最后一句總結(jié)中的部分內(nèi)容就是重復，而如果我們尊重正常的邏輯思維方式，在英文里一般不容這種重復。筆者認為，我們不得不調(diào)整結(jié)構(gòu)，把關(guān)于儒家對超自然不足的信息放在前面敘述，同時鑒于第二句里已經(jīng)述及關(guān)于道家在這方面的情況，此處就不便重復。? 5“坐在炮彈上來的”似乎也無法按字面直譯，came on a bomb說不通，只能換一種說法，比如came on a gunboat。這樣譯雖然跳出了單詞字面含義的框框，但“炮彈”的形象依然存在于gunboat之中，所以意思不變，意境也不變。

6譯文結(jié)構(gòu)的安排依據(jù)的首先不是原文的結(jié)構(gòu)，而是原文意義上的邏輯關(guān)系。我們來分析一下這句話：“超自然乃是宗教的頭等大事，超自然才是宗教的特色，失去超自然，宗教就成了藝術(shù)，失去自然，宗教就是教條，反對超自然，就是取消宗教?！钡谝环志渑c第二分句可被視為因果關(guān)系，第三分句（失去超自然，宗教就成了藝術(shù)）與第四分句（失去自然，宗教就是教條）為并列關(guān)系，而這兩個分句與前兩個分句的關(guān)系不是特別密切，不必合并成一句，最后一個分句的情況也一樣。參考譯文中的處理方式就是以此分析為基礎的。? 7“人心惟危，道心惟微”的出處是《尚書·虞書·大禹謨》：“人心惟危，道心惟微;惟精惟一，允執(zhí)厥中。”百度百科的解釋是：“人心變化莫測，道心中正入微;惟精惟一是道心的心法，我們要真誠地保持惟精惟一之道，不改變、不變換自己的理想和目標，最后使人心與道心和合，執(zhí)中而行。”實際上，這八個字確實含義晦澀，學者的解釋各種各樣，對“道心”的解釋尤其有分歧。不過，“道”為天地之始，包羅萬象，這一點或許沒有疑問。有人認為，“道心”乃天地自然之心[見“人心惟危，道心惟微，惟精惟一，允執(zhí)厥中：十六字心傳如何理解”（中華詩文學習）https：//read01.com/oAMM4M.html（2017年12月10日訪問）]。當然，這八個字本來就可以有多種解讀方式，很難說誰家的解釋是最標準的。如果按照字面解讀，其意思可以是“人的心理、人的思想是最可怕的，天地自然之心是最微妙的”。那么，我們應該如何翻譯呢？其實，要考慮如何翻譯，我們不必追究何種解讀最權(quán)威或最合理，因為對這八個字本身的解讀是否權(quán)威或是否合理并不重要，重要的是要確定這八個字在這篇散文的特定語境里應該如何理解比較合理。中文詞語在特定語境里的特定含義不一定等同于孤立時解讀的一般含義，這是常見的現(xiàn)象，在引用詩句、典故、成語等時尤其如此。不少譯者見到名句，往往先找現(xiàn)成譯本?？墒?，就算原來的名句譯文本身問題不大，插入新的語境多半是格格不入的。如果按照一般解讀，“人心惟?！彼瓶勺g成the human heart is deceitful/treacherous，但這種說法沒有意義，與上下文格格不入。既然明明知道是deceitful/treacherous，教育家就能說得清楚，藝術(shù)家也能表現(xiàn)得準確。“道”經(jīng)常被譯成Tao或the Way，如果按此把“道心惟微”譯成the heart of Tao（或the Way）is subtle，那就完全不知所云，莫名其妙。然而，如果縱觀全文，我們會注意到文章開宗明義就說過“宗教的內(nèi)容包含人生、自然、超自然”，文中多次提及“人生、自然、超自然”，全文的主題就是談這三者的關(guān)系，在引用了“人心惟危，道心惟微”之后，作者緊接著說“教育家說得不清楚，藝術(shù)家表現(xiàn)得不準確”，于是我們便可斷定此處的“惟?！焙汀拔┪ⅰ本褪菍W者說不清楚、藝術(shù)家無法表現(xiàn)的，也就是高深莫測、無法理解的。另外，“人心”當然與人生有關(guān)，與全文主旨相呼應;“道”作“自然”解是合理的，也是全文探討的三方面關(guān)系的一個方面。? 8“面對”一詞如何翻譯，是一個陷阱，跳不出字面含義框框的人會用face，但face用在這里帶有confront的意思，而原文里的“面對”完全沒有confront的意思。所以，如果用了face，在表面上似乎很忠實原文，實質(zhì)上則偏離甚遠。? 9“人生”一詞含義十分豐富，在不同語境可作不同的解釋，即使有時差別細微，翻譯時也不能掉以輕心。用詞不當，經(jīng)常會造成令人哭笑不得的后果。“人生”在這篇散文里作為主題所涉的一個方面，也用得很多，許多時候譯成human life不成問題，可是在以上例子里如果稱you cannot have transcendental awareness in human life，那就完全說不通了，因為只要人活在世上，無論是沉浸在超自然之中還是在日常生活中，都屬于human life的范疇。所以，這里的“人生”應被視為人生的某一個方面。

10“老生常談”原指老書生經(jīng)常談論的事物或觀點，作為成語，泛指毫無新意的老話，如陳詞濫調(diào)，如果在英文里找對應詞，那可以是clichés或platitudes，但無論clichés還是platitudes都是話語，即remarks或statements，而在此語境里稱“超自然超出（某種）話語”，那是沒有意義的。? ?11參考譯文沒有照搬原文句式。? 12原文是：“這不是信仰，這是考驗上帝佛陀，要挾上帝佛陀，不管是佛陀還是上帝，他不接受你我的要挾?！鼻懊嬲勥^，中文里“這”字的指代范圍很廣（此處的“這”是指圣經(jīng)和佛經(jīng)里分別提及的兩件事以及相應的實際生活中的假設情況），而英文里this所指代的一般相對具體。這里顯然無法按照中文表達方式用“This is not…”，那樣指代會很不清楚。這個問題是一個過渡銜接的問題，中文過渡時經(jīng)?？梢杂休^大的跳躍，但在英文里不行。為了確保譯文的銜接正常，此處似有必要添加過渡成分，參考譯文為：Literal interpretation of religious parables isnt a manifestation of faith. Rather its a pathetic test of or a malicious challenge to the power of a higher being. Your challenge will however be simply cast aside.