名著精讀:《悉達多》 沙門(4)

Quoth Siddhartha: "Always, oh Govinda, I had thought, Govinda would stay with the Samanas, always I had believed his goal was to live to be sixty and seventy years of age and to keep on practising those feats and exercises, which are becoming a Samana. But behold, I had not known Govinda well enough, I knew little of his heart. So now you, my faithful friend, want to take a new path and go there, where the Buddha spreads his teachings."
Quoth Govinda: "You're Mocking me. Mock me if you like, Siddhartha! But have you not also developed a desire, an eagerness, to hear these teachings? And have you not at one time said to me, you would not walk the path of the Samanas for much longer?"
At this, Siddhartha laughed in his very own manner, in which his voice assumed a touch of sadness and a touch of mockery, and said: "Well, Govinda, you've spoken well, you've remembered correctly. If you only remembered the other thing as well, you've heard from me, which is that I have grown distrustful and tired against teachings and learning, and that my faith in words, which are brought to us by teachers, is small. But let's do it, my dear, I am willing to listen to these teachings--though in my heart I believe that we've already tasted the best fruit of these teachings."
Quoth Govinda: "Your willingness delights my heart. But tell me, how should this be possible? How should the Gotama's teachings, even before we have heard them, have already revealed their best fruit to us?"
Quoth Siddhartha: "Let us eat this fruit and wait for the rest, oh Govinda! But this fruit, which we already now received thanks to the Gotama, consisted in him calling us away from the Samanas! Whether he has also other and better things to give us, oh friend, let us await with calm hearts."
On this very same day, Siddhartha informed the oldest one of the Samanas of his decision, that he wanted to leave him. He informed the oldest one with all the courtesy and modesty becoming to a younger one and a student. But the Samana became angry, because the two young men wanted to leave him, and talked loudly and used crude swearwords.
Govinda was startled and became embarrassed. But Siddhartha put his mouth close to Govinda's ear and whispered to him: "Now, I want to show the old man that I've learned something from him."
Positioning himself closely in front of the Samana, with a concentrated soul, he captured the old man's glance with his glances, deprived him of his power, made him mute, took away his free will, subdued him under his own will, commanded him, to do silently, whatever he demanded him to do. The old man became mute, his eyes became motionless, his will was paralysed, his arms were hanging down; without power, he had fallen victim to Siddhartha's spell. But Siddhartha's thoughts brought the Samana under their control, he had to carry out, what they commanded. And thus, the old man made several bows, performed gestures of blessing, spoke stammeringly a godly wish for a good journey. And the young men returned the bows with thanks, returned the wish, went on their way with salutations.
On the way, Govinda said: "Oh Siddhartha, you have learned more from the Samanas than I knew. It is hard, it is very hard to cast a spell on an old Samana. Truly, if you had stayed there, you would soon have learned to walk on water."
"I do not seek to walk on water," said Siddhartha. "Let old Samanas be content with such feats!"

席特哈爾塔說:“哦，戈文達，我一直以爲戈文達會留在沙門這兒，一直以爲戈文達的目標是活到六十歲和七十歲，繼續從事那些爲沙門裝點門面的技巧和修行呢。可是你看，我對戈文達瞭解得太少，我對他的心知道得太少。朋友，如今你也想另選一條路，去活佛那兒聆聽他的教誨了!”
戈文達說:“你可真愛諷刺人。那就隨你諷刺吧，席特哈爾塔!不過，你心中不是也有一種要求，一種興趣，想去聆聽這種教誨麼?你以前不是跟我說過，這樣沙門之路不會再長久走下去了麼?”
席特哈爾塔以他特有的方式笑了，語氣裏帶着一絲悲哀和嘲諷，說道:“不錯，戈文達，你說得對，你記性真好。但願你也記得你從我這兒聽到的其他話，那就是我對學說和學習已經懷疑和厭倦了，我對老師們灌輸給我們的那些話也缺乏信仰了。好吧，親愛的，我已經準備好了去聽那種教誨——儘管我心裏確信，我們已經嘗過了那種教誨的甜美果實。”
戈文達說:“你的決心真叫我高興。可是你倒說說看，這怎麼會可能呢？在聆聽戈塔馬的教誨之前，咱們怎麼可能已經嚐到了它的甜美果實呢?”
席特哈爾塔說:“哦，戈文達，咱們還是去細細品味這果實，繼續耐心靜候吧!咱們現在就該感謝戈塔馬，因爲這果實就在於他促使我們脫離了沙門!至於他是否還會給予我們別的更好的東西，朋友，咱們就耐心靜候吧。”
就在同一天，席特哈爾塔把他的決定告訴了那個老沙門，表示要離開他。他說話的態度謙遜有禮，合乎晚輩與弟子的規矩，可是，老沙門卻對兩個年輕人要離開他大爲光火，高聲大叫，並且使用了粗野的罵人話。
戈文達嚇壞了，不知所措。而席特哈爾塔卻把嘴湊到戈文達耳邊，低語道:“現在我要讓這個老頭兒看看，我在他這兒到底學到了什麼?”
他湊到老沙門面前，聚精會神，直視老人的目光，用法術蠱惑他，使他出不得聲，沒了主見，屈服於徒弟的意志，不聲不響地去做要求他做的事情。老人果然不出聲了，眼神呆滯，意志癱瘓，胳臂也耷拉下來，無力對付席特哈爾塔的法術;而席特哈爾塔的思想卻控制了老沙門，使他不得不執行給他下的命令。於是，老人連連鞠躬，並且作出祝福的手勢，結結巴巴地說着“一路順風”之類的祝願。兩個年輕人也鞠躬致謝，答以祝願，然後有禮貌地離去了。
半路上，戈文達說:“哦，席特哈爾塔，你從沙門那兒學到的東西可比我所瞭解的多。要想蠱惑一個老沙門是困難的，十分困難。真的，要是你還留在那兒，你很快就能學會在水面上自由行走!”
“我纔不要求能在水面上行走呢。”席特哈爾塔說，“讓那些老沙門去爲這樣的本領而沾沾自喜吧!”