The Edicts of King Asoka（「阿育王法令」中文譯作）

英文原版請參見： http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html

The Edicts of King Asoka

阿育王法令

King Asoka, the third monarch of the Indian Mauryan dynasty, has come to be regarded as one of the most exemplary rulers in world history. The British historian H.G. Wells has written: "Amidst the tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history ... the name of Asoka shines, and shines almost alone, a star." Although Buddhist literature preserved the legend of this ruler -- the story of a cruel and ruthless king who converted to Buddhism and thereafter established a reign of virtue -- definitive historical records of his reign were lacking. Then in the nineteenth century there came to light a large number of edicts, in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. These edicts, inscribed on rocks and pillars, proclaim Asoka's reforms and policies and promulgate his advice to his subjects. The present rendering of these edicts, based on earlier translations, offers us insights into a powerful and capable ruler's attempt to establish an empire on the foundation of righteousness, a reign which makes the moral and spiritual welfare of his subjects its primary concern. The Australian bhikkhu Ven. S. Dhammika, the compiler of the present work, is the spiritual director of the Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society in Singapore.

阿育王，古印度孔雀王朝第三代國王，現逐漸尊其為堪稱萬世表率的君王之一。英國歷史學家H.G. Wells曾寫道，"在滾滾歷史長河中，不斷湧現出來君主名字不下上萬個，但阿育王這個名字，無疑是最為閃耀的。"雖然佛經記載著這位統治者的傳奇故事，它講述的是一個殘暴無情的國王皈依了佛教並在餘生推行德政。但史學上一直缺乏關於他的統治情況的最關鍵資料。但這一切，在19世紀通過對位於印度、尼泊爾、巴基斯坦、阿富汗的大量雕刻於岩石和石柱上法令的考古發現而得到扭轉。這些法令頒發的內容，包含了阿育王的改革措施，政策以及為達到他施政目標的建議。基於更早的譯文而得的這些法令，使得我們能夠明了這位富於才幹的強大統治者建立正義帝國，並且讓這樣的統治能夠達到他所原本關心的道德和精神富裕這個目標的嘗試。
本文編者是來自澳洲的bhikkhu Ven. S. Dhammika，他是新加坡Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society的精神導師。

未完待續

[ 本帖最後由 和而不同 於 2008-10-6 19:28 編輯 ]

可以轉帖嗎？

原帖由 月華 於 2008-9-27 22:18 發表 [The Edicts of King Asoka（「阿育王法令」中文譯作） - 菩提樹下 -  backchina.com]  
可以轉帖嗎？

可以啊，譯作不署名，無版權。原作也已經註明「This electronic edition is offered for free distribution」。
不過我也只能爭取一天翻譯一小段了，時間有限。請大家多對譯文的用詞準確度和潤色多提提意見，雖主要是意譯，但也會保證不偏離原作的意思，至少不會犯把「恨」譯為「愛」的錯誤

PREFACE

序言

This rendering of King Asoka's Edicts is based heavily on Amulyachandra Sen's English translation, which includes the original Magadhi and a Sanskrit and English translation of the text. However, many parts of the edicts are far from clear in meaning and the numerous translations of them differ widely. Therefore, I have also consulted the translations of C. D. Sircar and D. R. Bhandarkar and in parts favored their interpretations. Any credit this small book deserves is due entirely to the labors and learning of these scholars.

本文的翻譯很大程度上借重於Amulyachandra Sen的混合有原始摩揭陀語、梵語和英語譯文的那個英文譯本。但數量眾多的譯本中，法令的很多部分的翻譯在含義上都相差甚遠。我也為此諮詢C. D. Sircar和D. R. Bhandarkar並由此而受益。本書的成績要歸於這些學者的勞動和知識。

[ 本帖最後由 和而不同 於 2008-10-6 19:28 編輯 ]

INTRODUCTION

引言

//Dhamma sadhu, kiyam cu dhamme ti? Apasinave, bahu kayane, daya, dane, sace, socaye//.
Dhamma is good, but what constitutes Dhamma? (It includes) little evil, much good, kindness, generosity, truthfulness and purity.

//Dhamma sadhu, kiyam cu dhamme ti? Apasinave, bahu kayane, daya, dane, sace, socaye//.
佛法是好的，那佛法由什麼組成呢？它包含少許邪惡（譯者按：也許指佛經中談到的地獄或因果等概念？），但大部分是好的，仁慈的，慷慨的， 真實的以及純潔的。

[ 本帖最後由 和而不同 於 2008-10-6 19:29 編輯 ]

學習

欽佩大師的努力!

but what constitutes Dhamma?
和板，是不是也有佛法是由什麼組成的意思? 供參考。

原帖由 大熊貓 於 2008-9-30 09:21 發表 [The Edicts of King Asoka（「阿育王法令」中文譯作） - 菩提樹下 -  backchina.com]  
but what constitutes Dhamma?
和板，是不是也有佛法是由什麼組成的意思? 供參考。

是的啊，我當時理解成阿育王以佛法核心制定的法令了，翻譯錯誤啊，改過來了，多謝多謝

哈，這個帖子不能唱讚歌啊，大家多多批評，查查哪個地方譯得不準確的，多多直言，這樣才能對得起佛恩。

KING ASOKA

阿育王

With the rediscovery and translation of Indian literature by European scholars in the 19th century, it was not just the religion and philosophy of Buddhism that came to light, but also its many legendary histories and biographies. Amongst this class of literature, one name that came to be noticed was that of Asoka, a good king who was supposed to have ruled India in the distant past. Stories about this king, similar in outline but differing greatly in details, were found in the Divyavadana, the Asokavadana, the Mahavamsa and several other works. They told of an exceptionally cruel and ruthless prince who had many of his brothers killed in order to seize the throne, who was dramatically converted to Buddhism and who ruled wisely and justly for the rest of his life. None of these stories were taken seriously -- after all many pre-modern cultures had legends about "too good to be true" kings who had ruled righteously in the past and who, people hoped, would rule again soon. Most of these legends had their origins more in popular longing to be rid of the despotic and uncaring kings than in any historical fact. And the numerous stories about Asoka were assumed to be the same.

經過19世紀歐洲學者對印度文學的再發現和翻譯，為人所知的不僅僅有宗教和哲學的佛教，也有許多傳奇歷史和傳記。在這類文學當中，阿育王的名字慢慢為人所關注。據說他是一個在遠古統治過印度的英明國王。關於這個國王的許多故事，比如在Divyavadana、Asokavadana、Mahavamsa以及其他著作里的那些發現的那些故事，輪廓上是近似的但細節又很不相同。這些故事都在告訴我們關於一個異常殘暴和無情的王子，為了爭奪王位殺死了他的兄弟們，最後他戲劇性地皈依了佛教並在餘生仁慈和公正的統治人民。並沒有哪個故事受到嚴肅認真的對待，畢竟許多近現代文明中都流傳很多過於完美以致於沒法當作真實歷史的古代明君，並且人民也期待他們不久將會再次統治社會的傳說。大多數這些傳說是為了要推翻專制和冷漠國王的統治而不是要保留史實。關於流傳下來的阿育王的很多故事，人們也是假定出於同樣的目的。

[ 本帖最後由 和而不同 於 2008-10-6 19:29 編輯 ]

我盡量爭取每天翻譯一段，這樣大家的負擔都比較輕，又能長久推進這件事，比全部譯出然後再審校的方式要好很多。希望大家每天抽點時間對翻譯文法句法多多批評，不要留情面，一切為了把它翻譯好。

阿育王戲劇性的皈依了佛門
這部分讓人浮想聯翩了

原帖由 月華 於 2008-10-1 05:39 發表 [The Edicts of King Asoka（「阿育王法令」中文譯作） - 菩提樹下 -  backchina.com]  
阿育王戲劇性的皈依了佛門
這部分讓人浮想聯翩了

說這是戲劇性，是指這樣一個殘暴的統治者，在最後一次大屠殺之後，開始有意識的聽高僧說法，並最終皈依佛教，以佛教的核心教義施行仁政，讓常人很難想象。說不是戲劇性，畢竟他也經歷過不斷聽聞佛法的這樣一個過程，這個過程相信他也有敵對，也有震驚，也有悔改，於常人並無不同。
對比聖經提到的保羅信主的過程，以及羅馬皇帝狄奧多西一世宣布基督教為國教之前之後的所作所為，他們更具戲劇性一些。

But in 1837, James Prinsep succeeded in deciphering an ancient inscription on a large stone pillar in Delhi. Several other pillars and rocks with similar inscriptions had been known for some time and had attracted the curiosity of scholars. Prinsep's inscription proved to be a series of edicts issued by a king calling himself "Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi." In the following decades, more and more edicts by this same king were discovered and with increasingly accurate decipherment of their language, a more complete picture of this man and his deeds began to emerge. Gradually, it dawned on scholars that the King Piyadasi of the edicts might be the King Asoka so often praised in Buddhist legends. However, it was not until 1915, when another edict actually mentioning the name Asoka was discovered, that the identification was confirmed. Having been forgotten for nearly 700 years, one of the greatest men in history became known to the world once again.

但是在1837年，James Prinsep成功破譯了在位於新德里的刻在一塊巨大石柱上的碑銘。幾個其他的帶有相似碑銘的石柱和岩石也在一段時間內開始為人所知並吸引了學者的注意。 Prinsep破譯的碑銘被證實是由一位自稱"神的至愛，Piyadasi國王"的國王發布的一系列法令。在接下來的年代，更多的由這個國王發布的法令被發現，並被日益準確的破譯出來，關於此人的更完整的描繪以及他的所作所為開始浮現於世。逐漸地，學者們傾向猜想Piyadasi可能就是佛教中頻繁提起的阿育王。然而，直到1915年，當另外一個明確提及到阿育王的法令被發現之後，這個猜想最終才被證實。經過被世人遺忘了700年之久，人類歷史中的最偉大的明君之一開始再次被世人所了解。

[ 本帖最後由 和而不同 於 2008-10-6 19:30 編輯 ]

Asoka's edicts are mainly concerned with the reforms he instituted and the moral principles he recommended in his attempt to create a just and humane society. As such, they give us little information about his life, the details of which have to be culled from other sources. Although the exact dates of Asoka's life are a matter of dispute among scholars, he was born in about 304 B.C. and became the third king of the Mauryan dynasty after the death of his father, Bindusara. His given name was Asoka but he assumed the title Devanampiya Piyadasi which means "Beloved-of-the-Gods, He Who Looks On With Affection." There seems to have been a two-year war of succession during which at least one of Asoka's brothers was killed. In 262 B.C., eight years after his coronation, Asoka's armies attacked and conquered Kalinga, a country that roughly corresponds to the modern state of Orissa. The loss of life caused by battle, reprisals, deportations and the turmoil that always exists in the aftermath of war so horrified Asoka that it brought about a complete change in his personality. It seems that Asoka had been calling himself a Buddhist for at least two years prior to the Kalinga war, but his commitment to Buddhism was only lukewarm and perhaps had a political motive behind it. But after the war Asoka dedicated the rest of his life trying to apply Buddhist principles to the administration of his vast empire. He had a crucial part to play in helping Buddhism to spread both throughout India and abroad, and probably built the first major Buddhist monuments. Asoka died in 232 B.C. in the thirty-eighth year of his reign.

阿育王法令主要包含他制定的革新主張和他所推薦的道德法則以嘗試建立一個公正和人道的社會。如同其他原始材料精選出來的那樣，這些法令沒有給出多少關於他的生活細節，而且學者們仍然在爭論一些阿育王生活的準確數據。他出生於大約公元前304年，是繼他父親Bindusara之後的孔雀王朝第三代國王。他被稱為阿育王但他自認頭銜是Devanampiya Piyadasi，意思是"神之至愛，被慈愛之光籠罩著"。而且看起來發生了持續兩年的繼承權鬥爭，至少有一個阿育王的兄弟因此而被害。公元前262年，加冕8年之後，阿育王的軍隊攻克了Kalinga，大概就是位於現在Orissa邦的一個古代國家。由於戰鬥、報復、放逐以及騷亂所引起的人員死亡，所有這些戰爭後果讓阿育王感到恐怖，並使得他的人格方面發生了完全的改變。似乎阿育王在Kalinga戰爭前兩年已經宣稱自己是佛教徒，但那時他對於佛教仍然是若即若離的，這或許有政治的考量。但是，經過那場戰爭之後，阿育王開始用餘生的精力專註於將佛法原則應用於遼闊的帝國行政管理中。在幫助佛教傳播印度境內和境外，阿育王起到了至關重要的作用，並且他可能還創建了第一個主要的佛教的紀念碑。阿育王於公元前232年去世，他在位統治了38年。

[ 本帖最後由 和而不同 於 2008-10-6 19:30 編輯 ]

樓主辛苦了

帶回來一個轉帖

讚賞
今天難得有人如此懷有激情和執著之心去硬啃比較艱深的歷史和宗教著作，介紹給不懂其中奧妙的我們。所以我為加拿大的和而不同君的翻譯擊掌讚賞。譯者發出邀請，我不揣冒昧，貢獻拙見一二：
1。中譯文雖然可以簡省原文中一些無關宏旨的字詞，但象powerful,culture,等等容易翻譯而又在句中地位重要的辭彙不應遺漏。
2。原則上要避免譯成西式長句。例如offer us insights 那句，不如將從屬句拆開。
3。注意語感。語感是翻譯的一種境界，原文之妙就在於此，但為眾多初學譯者忽略。
閱讀和而不同君的譯文，有享受久違了的學術追索、歷史探秘、文字咀嚼的愉快。也謝謝樓主的介紹。

這篇文章看到目前為止，應該只能說是跟佛教相關的一段歷史而已，跟純粹的探討佛學知識還是有區別的。

作為孔雀王朝的第三任國王，阿育王畢竟是在釋迦牟尼創立佛教300多年後最偉大的倡導者，舉行了佛教史上的第三次結集。歷史上認為這是佛教走出印度，邁向世界性宗教的開始。所以，想了解佛教的歷史的確不能不知道阿育王。

轉回帖

原帖由 月華 於 2008-10-4 18:08 發表 [The Edicts of King Asoka（「阿育王法令」中文譯作） - 菩提樹下 -  backchina.com]  
帶回來一個轉帖

謝謝月華和你的朋友的建議，我又重新整理了一下，請重新審核
現在感覺翻譯也是很艱難的工作啊，剛開始譯文英不英中不中的，看來要慢慢才能找到感覺。翻譯完一遍之後，最後還是要回頭重新潤色一遍，往後的路估計會越走越順暢一些。