A Buddhist Interpretation of ＂Life of Pi＂

以佛法的角度解讀「少年Pi的奇幻漂流」

許惠芬(Hui-Fen Hsu)

《育達科大學報》 40期 (2015/04) Pp. 19-36

摘要

「少年Pi的奇幻漂流」是Yann Martel於2002年所寫的奇幻小說，十年後導演李安將故事拍成3D電影，一舉奪下奧斯卡四項大獎。內容敘述16歲的印度少年Pi，在舉家移民加拿大的途中遭遇沈船。他靠著信仰，在救生艇上漂流227天後奇蹟似的生還，唯一的同伴是原先動物園內飼養的老虎。本文目的是以佛法角度檢視「少年Pi的奇幻漂流」的涵義。大海意指生命之存在被繫縛，隨海漂流不能自主。船難不只是意外事故，而是意味生命的挫折考驗。Pi所受的磨難是人之共業。佛教不是Pi所信仰的三個宗教之一，但是他的經歷可以用佛法的觀點去檢視，進而印證佛法的智慧可以去除生命之苦。本文內容分兩部分，第一部分闡釋佛法所說的八苦如何在Pi的故事中展現。第二部分探討Pi面對苦難的態度和佛法的智慧相呼應。本研究將證明，此小說不只是一般引人入勝的劫後餘生故事而已。以佛法的觀點來看，它是生命存在的寓言故事，呈現出苦諦及智慧的真相。現代社會以科學的客觀性為主流論述，這部小說提供了另類的真實讓我們深思並引以為鏡。

關鍵字

佛法 ； 苦難 ； 智慧 ； 宗教 ； 信念

並列摘要

＂Life of Pi＂ is a fantasy adventure novel written by Yann Martel in 2002. It depicted how an Indian boy survived a shipwreck by drifting on the lifeboat with a Bengal tiger for 227 days. The purpose of this paper is to explore the meaning of this book from the Buddhist perspective. The sea on which Pi drifted symbolizes the universal human condition of bondage and uncertainty. The shipwreck was not merely an accident; it signifies human life full of trials and torment. Pi's ordeals can be classified into eight different types of suffering common to humanity. Although Buddhism is not one of the three religions Pi embraced, its teachings find full expression in this novel. Pi's journey bears witness to the Buddhist philosophy on human existence, which is characterized by impermanence and suffering. The contents of this paper will be divided into two parts. The first part illustrates Pi's suffering as an inevitable experience of sentient beings. The second part analyzes his ways to relieve these afflictions. They fit the Buddhist doctrines on meditative stability, emptiness and karma. This research will prove that ＂Life of Pi＂ is not only an intriguing survival story; it is an allegory of human predicament and the wisdom to cease sufferings. While scientific objectivism has become the dominant discourse in today's world, this novel offers a different view about religious truth for us to ponder and follow.

並列關鍵字

Buddhism ； suffering ； wisdom ； faith ； religion

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