Kumārajīva: The Translator Whose Tongue Did Not Burn
Person：Kumārajīva
Period：Eastern Jin / Later Qin (344–413)
Reading preferences
事見《法華經顯應錄》「高僧」門及《法華經持驗記》晉朝門。兩書均以羅什居首，視之為法華信仰的源頭。以下白話譯註以《顯應錄》文字為主；《持驗記》另載沙勒國說法、義熙五年卒於長安等細節，見原典對照。
故事
法師鳩摩羅什，漢譯「童壽」，龜茲國人。七歲出家，一日誦千偈。母親曾帶他到月支國，遇見一位羅漢，羅漢說：「這沙彌到三十五歲若不破戒，將大弘佛教，度人無數；戒若不全，便只是一位明達的法師而已。」
母親後來對他說：「方等深教應當在中土大大闡揚，這只有靠你的力量——只是對你自身沒有益處。」羅什答：「大士之道，利彼忘軀。若能使大法流傳，洗滌蒙俗，即使身入鑪鑊，也無遺憾。」
後秦姚興迎羅什入長安，以待國師之禮。弘始八年，羅什於逍遙園草堂寺，與僧䂮等八百餘人對舊經考校，譯出《妙法蓮華經》七卷。
羅什臨終患病，對大眾說：「因法相遇，殊未盡心，無何緣謝。所譯法華等經幸共流布。若所譯無謬，願焚軀之後，舌不焦爛。」言畢而終。到了闍維（火化）之時，舌果然不壞。
編者省思
一切後世的法華感應記述，都建立在同一個前提上：有一部可信、可誦的《妙法蓮華經》。羅什的故事提醒讀者這部經的來處——一位譯者以整個生命作保的語言轉換。「舌根不壞」是宗教敘事，也是一種莊嚴的隱喻：譯事之誠，死生不渝。今日讀者依兩種語言閱讀本站，亦是這件事的延續。
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