须菩提考

A Probe into the Archetype of Subhuti

《西游记》中孙悟空的师父须菩提的原型,可以追溯到原始佛教释迦牟尼十大弟子之一的须菩提。这位须菩提是历史上的真实人物。但是,在佛教后来的发展演变中,须菩提被逐步神化。在大乘佛教阶段,他是具有飞腾虚空等神通的罗汉;到秘密佛教阶段,他有时是具有极大神通力的金刚,有时又与菩萨并列,在密教曼荼罗中占有一席之地。

The archetype of Subhuti,the master of Sun Wukong or the Monkey King,a hero in the Journey to the West,can be traced to one of the ten greatest disciples of Sakyamuni with the same name in the period of primitive Buddhism.The original Subhuti was a real historical figure.Nevertheless,he was gradually deified with the evolution of Buddhism.During the period of Mahayana Buddhism,he became an arhat with magic powers,such as flying in the air.Reaching the period of secret Buddhism,he sometimes became a dharma protector with extraordinarily vast magic powers,and sometimes was on a par with a Boddhisatva,holding a place of his own in the mandala of Esoteric Buddhism.