台北牛肉美國片
2022-01-09
蘇東坡的《觀潮》以重複句「廬山煙雨浙江潮」開頭結尾，看似平淡卻蘊含深刻禪意，象徵人生從執著到豁達的體悟。作者藉此探討「見山是山」的三重境界，並以自身經驗呼應「期望與現實」的落差，最後幽默仿作一首數字詩，展現文字與哲思的趣味。
廬山煙雨浙江潮，未到千般恨不消。
到得還來別無事，廬山煙雨浙江潮。
宋 蘇東坡《觀潮》
《觀潮》是一首七言絕句詩，共有四句，只28個字。 一般而言，詩人會儘量避免使用重複的字詞，更遑論使用重複的句子。大文豪蘇東坡這首詩的開頭第一句和最後一句，一模一樣，不但不遭致詬病，反而千百年來受到推崇和稱頌。這倒底是怎麼一回事？難道是只許文豪放火，不准百姓點燈嗎？
廬山美麗神秘的煙雨和錢塘江宏偉壯觀的潮汐，自古以來是許多人一生必須造訪的奇景，若是無緣去訪勝，是會遺憾終身的。蘇軾終於親臨廬山、浙江，看到了濛濛煙雨和澎湃潮水，卻沒有什麼特別的感受，覺得廬山煙雨就是廬山煙雨，浙江潮水就是浙江潮水。
這首詩是蘇軾在小兒子蘇過即將上路就任中山府通判時，送給兒子的一道偈子。當時，蘇軾剛剛結束了長期流放的生活，從一個躊躇滿志、一心從政報國的慷慨之士，慢慢變成一個從容面對、參透生活禪機的風燭老人。此詩僅從字面解釋是很簡單無奇的，但其奇妙之處便在於本詩的第一句與最後一句是重複之句——「廬山煙雨浙江潮」。正是這一重複的句子，隱含多少人生的從容與豁達，和深深禪機。
佛書有提到，世人學佛的路上，可能經過三種不同的境界：
- 見山是山，見水是水。
- 見山不是山，見水不是水。
- 見山是山，見水是水。
凡夫在學佛之前，因無明所惑，我執生起，深受貪嗔癡三毒所苦。此時，人們以假為真，以虛為實，執著萬法。這是「見山是山，見水是水」的第一階段——執有。
學習佛法之後，了解到世間萬法都是因綠和合而成，「諸法因緣生，諸法因緣滅」。了悟到世間萬物都不是真實、永恆存在的，萬法皆空。這是「見山不是山，見水不是水」的第二階段——執空。
到了這個階段，學佛人體悟到佛法乃不二法門，不執空、不執有。學佛者便會到達第三階段——「見山是山，見水是水」。但是這個階段的「山水」，卻與第一個階段的「山水」大大不同，因為他們已經了悟到「山水」只是因緣假合，短暫存在，當因緣散時，難逃「生、老、病、死」和「成、住、壞、空」。這是「真空妙有」的第三階段。
蘇軾前後兩句的「廬山煙雨浙江潮」，和前後兩句的「見山是山，見水是山」，是異曲同工，透露的是同一禪機。
關於蘇軾前後兩句「廬山煙雨浙江潮」，也有人提出不同的觀點，指出蘇軾所欲表達的是「不過如此」的想法。這種現象在心理學上有它的解釋，我也曾經有過幾次類似的經驗，相信很多人（包括您）也應該會有這種經驗。念大學時，友人去看了一部美國電影（因年代久遠，已不記得片名），觀後對電影推崇有加，報章雜誌上也給予不錯的評價。好不容易自己終於百忙之中抽空，滿懷希望去看同一部電影，結果是大失所望。十幾年前，台北市每年都會評選台北市最好吃的牛肉麵。有一次回國探親，特地抽空去嚐鮮排名第一、第二的牛肉麵。結果也是大失所望。這種現象在心理學上有它的解釋。其實，不是電影不好看，或是牛肉麵不好吃。問題的癥結在於，我懷抱著很高的期望值，而電影和牛肉麵其實也不差，只是沒有達到我的期望值，讓我產生了失望的感覺。您有類似的經驗嗎？談到此，我也詩興大發，不禁揮毫寫下我的曠世名詩如下：
台北牛肉美國片
未看未吃恨無限
看過吃過如此爾
台北牛肉美國片
我的這首不但押韻，而且和蘇東坡一樣，第一句和最後一句一橫一樣。不得不為自己的文釆讚嘆！
我不禁好奇，蘇軾的絕句中有兩句一槙一樣的詩句，就能名揚千古，是否有人在四句中有三句，尤有甚者，四句完全一樣的句子的詩呢？這首詩必須要能押韻，而且每一次重複都必須有不同的層次和意含。如果有的話，這位詩人必定會是個曠世奇才，萬年一遇的大文豪。於是我上網谷歌搜尋了一下。皇天不負苦心人，我終於找到了這首奇詩如下：
～
～
～
1234567
1234567
1234567
1234567
以下是關於這首曠世奇詩的註解：
第一行1234667代表阿拉伯數字，可以用來數手指頭，是幼稚園級別。
第二行1234567代表 Do Re Mi Fa So La Si，可以用來唱歌。例如3131312，就是世界名曲Mi Do Mi Do Mi Do Re。是小學級別。
第三行1234567代表是八進位的數字，例如八進位的123等於1 x 64 + 2 x 8 + 3 = 十進位的 83。所以，八進位的1234567等於十進位的342583，隱含「山似愛我爬山」的禪機。 這是中學級別。
第四行1234567代表任何符號，它可以是上述的任何一種意義，也可以隨機應變，隨心所欲地賦予不同的意涵，代表任何一種密碼、符號或意義。例如在問卷調查時，我們可以用1、2、3、4、5來代表優、良、中、可、劣（有人用相反的次序5、4、3、2、1）。 “The sky’s the limit”，您可以善用您的想像力，創造出無限的可能。這是大學的級別。
當然，您不禁要問，是哪一位曠世奇才創造出這一首前無古人，後無來者的曠世奇詩？
答案是：
～
～
～
就是偶啦！
為協助不懂中文的讀者，借助於AI，再經過自己修改，使其更符合自己原意。翻譯成英文如下：
Lushan Misty Rain and Zhejiang Tides
2022-01-09; Sunday; Weather: Cloudy, Rainy; 23F-43F (Photographed on 2018-10-12 at Acadia National Park, Maine)
Lushan misty rain and Zhejiang tides, Never having been there fills one with regret. After seeing them, there is nothing special, Lushan misty rain and Zhejiang tides.
- Song Dynasty, Su Dongpo, “Observing the Tide”
“Observing the Tide” is a seven-character quatrain poem, consisting of only four lines and 28 characters. Generally, poets avoid using repetitive words, let alone repeating entire lines. Yet, Su Dongpo, a great literary figure, begins and ends this poem with identical lines, and this has been praised for centuries. What is going on here? Is it a case of “only allowing the literati to set fires, but not permitting commoners to light lamps”?
The beautiful, mysterious misty rain of Lushan and the grand, magnificent tides of the Qiantang River have long been must-see wonders for many. If one fails to visit these scenes, they would regret it for life. Su Shi finally visited Lushan and Zhejiang, saw the misty rain and the surging tides, but felt nothing special, thinking that Lushan misty rain is just Lushan misty rain, and Zhejiang tides are just Zhejiang tides.
This poem was a parting gift to Su Shi’s youngest son, Su Guo, who was about to set off to take up the post of assistant magistrate of Zhongshan Prefecture. At the time, Su Shi had just ended his long exile and had transitioned from an ambitious statesman to a serene old man who had grasped the essence of life. The poem, on the surface, is simple, but its marvel lies in the repetition of the line “Lushan misty rain and Zhejiang tides.” This repetition embodies profound serenity and enlightenment.
Buddhist scriptures mention that people might experience three stages in learning Buddhism:
- Seeing the mountain as a mountain, seeing the water as water.
- Seeing the mountain as not a mountain, seeing the water as not water.
- Seeing the mountain again as a mountain, seeing the water again as water.
Before learning Buddhism, people are confused by ignorance, clinging to the illusion and suffering from the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance. At this stage, people take illusions as reality, and this is the first stage: seeing the mountain as a mountain, seeing the water as water.
After learning Buddhism, people realize that everything arises from conditions and causes. They understand that nothing is truly permanent, and this is the second stage: seeing the mountain as not a mountain, seeing the water as not water.
In the third stage, one achieves a profound understanding of the non-dualistic nature of Buddhism, seeing the mountain as a mountain and the water as water again. This stage embodies the realization that everything is transient and emptiness is form.
The repetition of “Lushan misty rain and Zhejiang tides” in Su Shi’s poem is akin to the three stages mentioned in Buddhism, reflecting the same profound wisdom.
Some believe that Su Shi meant to convey a sense of “nothing special” with the repetition. Psychologically, this can be explained as the disappointment when one’s high expectations are not met. For instance, a friend praised a movie highly, but when watched personally, it fell short of expectations. Similarly, trying the “best beef noodle” in Taipei after hearing rave reviews can lead to disappointment if it doesn’t meet high expectations.
Inspired, I composed my own poem: Taipei beef noodles and American movies, Not seen or tasted, regret is boundless, Seen and tasted, just so-so, Taipei beef noodles and American movies.
I wonder, could there be a poem where three or even all four lines are identical, but still hold deep meaning? After searching, I found such a poem: 1234567 1234567 1234567 1234567
Here are the interpretations:
- The first “1234567” represents Arabic numbers, useful for counting fingers, kindergarten level.
- The second “1234567” represents musical notes, useful for singing. For example, 3131312 is “Mi Do Mi Do Mi Do Re,” elementary level.
- The third “1234567” represents octal numbers, with 123 in octal equaling 83 in decimal, hinting at a deeper meaning, middle school level.
- The fourth “1234567” can represent any symbol or meaning, adaptable and creative, university level.
Who created this extraordinary poem? It was none other than me!
