「一葦渡江」與「喫肉邊菜」－兩個著名禪宗故事的歷史探究

禪宗有兩個大家耳熟能詳的故事。其一是初祖菩提達磨（Bodhidharma）的「一葦渡江」。這故事最早記載於克勤禪師的《碧巖集》，故事說達磨祖師訪問過中國的南朝之後，旋即折下一莖蘆葦，乘著它渡過長江到北朝去。而克勤本人亦稱這只是一個傳說。經過仕邦一番探討之後，知道這故事起於南宋建炎3 年（1129）金兵大舉南侵並攻佔宋都臨安之後。大抵經此一役，南宋人感到長江並非難越的天險。加上其中的知識份子們想起讀過的《三國志》載有吳國重臣邵續向吳國末代君主孫皓上疏稱倘使不加強長江沿岸防務，則敵人「一葦可航（乘著一株蘆葦便可航行過來進攻）」。緣於邵續的譬喻，人們便創作了「達磨一葦渡江」的傳說，來諷刺南宋政府的江防太弱。其二是六祖慧能的「吃肉邊菜」，這故事僅見於元僧宗寶的《六祖壇經》。故事說六祖剃度前曾追隨獵隊作近似僕役的服務，但他在這期間仍堅持素食。每當獵人們煮肉之時，慧能便將野菜寄肉鍋中煮，然後僅喫菜下飯，稱為「吃肉邊菜」。經過仕邦較深入的探討之後，發現慧能本屬南方蠻族的「獠人」，而這民族在古代以擅長夜獵出名，因此管見認為獵人隊伍所以接受未出家的慧能，是緣於他的夜獵技能，換言之，他其實是獵人的一份子而非隨從，身為獵人，自然免不了獵殺禽獸，因此慧能在塵世時可能並非素食主義者。此外，仕邦在另一探討有關華夏人西行求法史的著作（此書行將刊布）中，發現古時循陸的求法者不問僧俗，都依附旅行商人的集團西邁。一來旅行商人們熟悉路途；二來在旅途中商人們會提供求法者以飲食。根據戒律，沙門是許食「三淨肉」的，即未親見殺生的進行，未聽說特地為了招待我而宰殺畜生，更未疑心這些肉特地為了招待我而宰殺烹製，則我這出家人可以喫這份肉。因此在魏晉六朝的求法沙門，是可以接受肉類供養的。然而到了唐代，西行僧俗都清一色成了素食者，那麼在途中如何解決食物問題？仕邦有一假設，就是當旅行商人們煮肉作餐之時，求法者以自攜的乾菜或在郊野採摘的野菜寄肉鍋中煮，然後光吃菜疏下飯，如此便不必另行生火煮食。倘使仕邦的假設為確，求法僧俗在「吃肉邊菜」了，則大可斗膽地說這假設的故事為宗寶著書時所吸收，再轉化而為慧能的故事，用以掩飾六祖在俗世時曾經有一段行獵的生涯！

關鍵字

「一葦可航」；慧能大師披剃前的行獵生涯；蔬食與喫三淨肉；求法沙門與旅行商人

並列摘要

There are Two well-known stories of Chan Buddhism. The first one is recorded in Ven. Ke-Qin's (克勤, 1063~1135) Bi-yan Ji (《碧巖集》), or the Blue Cliff Record), says that the Indian monk Bodhidharma (+536), the cannonized First Patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China, after visited the Southern Dynasty of China, he went to the Northern Dynasty by Using a reed stalk as his ferry to sail across the Yangzi River. Ke-Qin himself remarks that it is only a legend. After his survey, the author found that the above-mentioned legend is arose after the Tartar Jin (金) in the Yellow River Valley sent troops to across the Yangzi to invade the Southern Song Dynasty in 1129, and even occupied her capital Lin-an (臨安). After the Jin troops returned home in the early of next year, people of the Yongzi Valley began to complain the military defence along the Yangzi was too weak. At the same time, the intelligences of this Valley also recalled that in San-guo Zhi (《三國志》, or The History of the Three Kingdoms) records a high ranking central official Shao Xu (邵續, 227~275) presented a memorial to King Sun Hao (孫皓, R. 264~280), the last monarch of the Wu (吳) Kingdom, warning that: ＂In case we did not enstrenghten our defence along the coast of the Yangzi now, probably our enemy would easily sailing across the river by aboarding on a stalk of reed to come to attack.＂ With the metaphor given by Shao Xu, then people created the above mentioned legend concerning Bodhidharma as a way of rediculing the weak defending power of their government. The second one, however, is only recorded in the Yuan (元) monk Ven. Zongbao's (宗寶n.d.) Liu-zu Tan-Jing (《六祖壇經》, or The Altar Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch), says that before he enfrocked, Hui-neng (慧能638~713), the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China, had once serving as an attendant to a team of professional hunters. Eventhough working in such a team, Hui-neng still keeping vegetarianism. When preparing meal for the hunters, he casted vegetables into the meat cooking pot, and then he ate only vegetables. According to the author's intensive survey, he discovers that Hui-nung is a native of Liao (獠), a savage tribe of Southern China, and this people is famous in night hunting. Therefore, he believes that Hui-neng being accepted by the team due to his hunting skill. In another word, Huineng was in fact one of the hunting members in his laity. In this situation, Huineng could not be escaped from killing animals. Perhaps he would not be a vegetarian also. Besides, from the authors another work that concerning the history of Buddhist pilgrimage from China to India (this book will published very soon), he discovers that in case a Chinese pilgrim, lay or cleric, who went to India by land, he should have to accompany the group of traveling merchants to go. For the merchants were so acquaintance with the routes, and also they could share their foods to the pilgrims enroute. In accordance with the Vinaya, a Sramana is allow to eat the three kinds of clean flesh, i.e. he has not seen or heard the animal killed, or has no doubt about it, therefore, a cleric pilgrim can accepts food supply in meat. After the Tang Dynasty was establish, however, all the Chinese pilgrims became vegetarians. Then, what will they do to coup with their catering problems? The author has an assumption that in cooking time, these pilgrims would casted some dryvegetables they brought with, or some wild vegetables they collected from the wilderland, into the merchants' meat cooking pot. And them, they ate only vegetables. If the above-mentioned assumption would have been occured, the author venture to say that Zongbao had already adopted the above-assumed story into his work and turned it into Huineng's story, as a way of glossing over the hunting career of the Sixth Patriarch in his laity.