《天龙八部》

JitKiat SG

鸠摩智

鸠摩智来头不小，他是吐蕃国的护国法王，精通佛法，开坛讲经，连大理国保定帝也去听过，闻者无不赞叹。但鸠摩智又不仅仅是说教者，还是一个武林高手。他自称与慕容博结为知已，曾在一起切磋武功。枯荣大师的武功甚妙，但鸠摩智一眼就看出其所参枯禅的来历。凡此种种，皆可见鸠摩智确是佛道中人。
金庸本人信佛，但他在《天龙八部》中屡次让鸠摩智大出洋相，先是让鸠摩智在天龙寺连栽几个跟头，后来又在燕子坞上阿朱的当，对小丫鬟连连磕头。一路写下去，鸠摩智的品行越来越差，保定帝说的“暗算偷袭，卑鄙无耻”，正好与他所作所为相合。我开始奇怪金庸的写法，后来才明白他的寓意，真正的佛教中人，并不是口吐莲花的鸠摩智之流。
鸠摩智对佛经不是不精，他的武功也不能算不高。他出场时，段誉曾被他的仪容所吸引，他的谈吐与举止都显示其人的高雅与庄严。但仪容与武功只是一个人的表相。他在少林寺众僧前演示大力金刚拳、般若掌法、摩诃指法，也令玄慈大师仰天长叹。鸠摩智以为众人为他的神功所慑服，就大言不惭，显出其内心的“贪、嗔、痴”三欲。
就类型而言，鸠摩智与慕容复是犯了同样的毛病，一个想为吐蕃国争利，一个为兴复大燕舍命，说到底，都是逃脱不了名利的引诱。在个性上说，鸠摩智不及慕容复冷静阴险，他身上多了一点戾气与蛮横。
金庸写鸠摩智，是想揭示表里不一的社会现象，鸠摩智言辞高雅，内心粗俗，“金玉其外，败絮其中”，这是一。第二，鸠摩智纵然讲解佛经头头是道，但对佛学中的核心却一窍不通。因为贪欲之念未绝，终究无法成为一代高僧。鸠摩智后来在枯井中丧失武功，悲恨交集，终于在反省中悟到如来佛的训诫，去贪、去爱、去取、去缠。他将《易筋经》送给段誉，回头是岸，泥地成佛，这才为弘扬佛教立下大功。
大轮明王鸠摩智的故事足可回味。一个人纵然熟知理论，又有智谋，但一旦沾上霸气，就会变得浅薄无知，变得蔑视众生，变得一意孤行，那么他多年修炼的武艺只会害了自身，而狂妄之心的必然表现便是凶残狰狞，这样的人虽能横行一时，却最终必然归于失败。
世人大可从鸠摩智的泥地成佛认识到人生的真谛。（曹正文）

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《天龙八部》里面，武功最高的不是北乔峰，不是南慕容，不是“恶贯满盈”段延庆，不是少林高僧，不是潜伏少林寺内的萧远山、慕容搏，而是一个操执杂役的老服事僧，他来了少林寺四十多年，天天扫地抹尘，供寺中高僧差遣，但这些高僧，竟无一个认得他是谁，他连名字也没有。
萧远山、慕容博在少林寺潜伏三十余年，肆意阅遍少林绝技秘集，来去自如，而玄寂玄慈这些一流高手竟懵然不觉，使人即时领略到这两人的高不可测，这位无名老僧一直知道他两人的行动企图，而这两人毫不觉察，更令人感到这位老僧才是真正的高不可测。少林寺果然是卧虎藏龙的武林圣地。
这位无名老僧突然现身，主要是要说出一段意义深长的哲理。萧远山、萧峰父子及慕容博、慕容复父子，互相追逐至藏经阁，斗室相逢，正要把血海深仇，作一了断，彼此正在裂毗相向之际，无名老僧忽然介入，指出萧远山、慕容博及鸠摩智三人，自道练成绝世武功，其实已经为自己招来大难。
他提出来的道理，看上去似乎玄虚得近乎无稽，但细思其实是极有意义的。他说，佛门子弟学武，乃是在强健身体，证法伏魔，修习之时，总是心存慈悲仁善之念，若不是这样，练武一定伤及自身，练的越是上乘的武功，便越具这个效果，每日不以慈悲佛法调和化解，则戾气深入脏腑，越陷越深。
其实，不但武功，任何学识技术也是一样。一个人所学的，总不免影响别人，而在影响别人的过程中，转回来影响自己。科学家、医生、商管学家，都是一样。学识越高，越有力量影响世界，越容易掉入狂妄，若不以慈悲仁慈之念平衡，必然害人害己。
“不存慈悲布施、普渡众生之念，虽然典籍淹通，妙辩无碍。却不能消解修习这些上乘武功时所中的戾气，”就是这种意念，把《天龙八部》提升至极高的境界。无名老僧指出的，不但是越高武功便越需以慈悲之心化解这个看法，更深的用意是在指出，由参悟佛法而来的慈悲心是最可贵的，武功是下乘得多的东西，即使最上流的武功也是。世人不了解，往往舍本逐未，但可惜的是，才智超卓之辈如萧远山、慕容博及鸠摩智，也掉迸了这个陷阱，执迷不悟。
无名老僧现身说法，目标就是为他们指点迷津。本来这套道理，由什么高僧隐者说出来都可以，但由一个无人认识、供人差遣的老僧说出，效果又自不同。
最明显的效果是意外及悬疑，使人格外留神，但这不过是表面。更值得留意的是无名僧人对这些大道理的轻描淡写。智慧不是供在殿堂、为高人一等的人所宣扬的，而是在日常生活中实践的事，高深佛法，于这位无名老僧，就如呼吸一样。
地位高低是不重要的。事实上，能够看破，地位高或是武功高强也不妨事。无名僧人不是单只说说，他就是身怀绝技而又不当它值得什么的人。他的目标在渡萧远山、慕容博二人，他毫不在意地让萧峰一掌把他打得胸骨折断，口喷鲜血。慷慨的舍己为人值得钦佩，毫不在意的舍己为人，就不是舍己为人那么简单，因为这种态度已是无人无我，对自身自然更不重视，这种慈悲心，又不与一般仁善之心同类了。
（吴霭仪·金庸小说的男子）

TWE SG

I think you watch too much movies and louis cha novells .

airgrinder SG

wah!! I love louis cha novels.

Hmm.. to add on to TS's point, In "return of the condor heros", there is a part when yang guo, xiao longniu and guo xiang encountered yi deng and ci en at the hut on snow mountain. Yi deng also selflessly allow Ci en to attack him, such that he was seriously injured, in hoping Ci en to gain control of his own emotions and hopelessness to seek the light.

Bodhi hut SG

There is 天龙八部 in buddhism(藏密)fyi, its not the novel from 金庸.

An Eternal Now SG

There is 天龙八部 in buddhism(藏密)fyi, its not the novel from 金庸.

Nope, 天龙八部 does not belong to Tibetan Buddhism (藏密), it is found in all traditions of Buddhism whether Theravada, Mahayana or Vajrayana.

justdoit77 SG

I think you watch too much movies and louis cha novells .

Yeah. But come to think of it, our life is also like a novel, isn't it?
If we look at our life like how we read a novel, we can view it a more objective manner, a lot of things can be looked through easily.

Imagine if you are 鸠摩智, don't think you will admit your own mistake so easily, right?

JitKiat SG

八部龙天指：一、天，二、龙，三、夜叉，四、干闼婆，五、阿修罗，六、迦楼罗，七、紧那罗，八、摩睺罗伽
“天龙八部这八种神道精怪，各有奇特个性和神通，虽是人间之外的众生，却也有尘世的欢喜和悲苦。这部小说里没有神道精怪，只是借用这个佛经名词，以象征一些现世人物。” 　 ——金庸《天龙八部·释名》 

在佛教中，帝释天是众天神的领袖。乔峰虽出身异族、杀人如麻，但保境安民，救天下苍生于水火，此正侠之大者；天人死前有五哀，乔峰正是哀莫大于心死，故八部之“天”非乔峰莫属。
段誉出身龙脉，自幼熟读经书，宅心仁厚、爱民如子，正是一代佛君，匹配八部之“龙”正得其所；而且段誉曾服莽牯，真是一条好大毒龙。
八部众之“迦楼罗”一生以毒龙为食，体内积蓄毒气过多，临死时毒发自焚，状况极惨。而慕容复为求复国梦想，杀人无数，冤孽深重，最后终于痴呆，形如废人，报应报应！
“摩呼罗迦”人身蛇头，是八部众中的大蟒神。阿紫虽容貌可人，对乔峰一往情深，但她性情之怪、用心之毒，皆令人直思蛇蟒。
“阿修罗”是八部众中最特别的神道，男的极丑陋，女的却极美丽，天姿绝色，不染纤尘，恰如惊世脱俗，不食人间烟火的“神仙姐姐”王语嫣。
“夜叉”者，捉鬼之神，实鬼王也。虚竹身源少林，却是前生旧业，非本心。及至接掌灵鹫，振臂天山，以宅心神技统领三十六洞，七十二岛诸魔，使之弃恶从善，歼敌保国。可谓以魔向道，善哉虚竹！
“紧那罗”在梵语中为“人非人”之意。他形状和人一样，但头上生一只角，善于歌舞，香气四溢，是帝释天的乐神，木婉清论香无人过之，正得其所。
“乾达婆”是服侍帝释天的乐神，梵语为“变幻莫测”，阿朱精通音律，善易容之术，人所难辨，且为乔峰（帝释天）生死爱侣，当居此位。

Not my opinion, source is from Internet ...

Bodhi hut SG

I saw one book on 天龙八部 which is sold in people park complex, the pictorial illustration inside is very much in 藏密, perhaps someone can produce more information on 天龙八部 in the buddhism context which what AEN said, it is among the three school of thought, and possible provide under the three main school context, I am quite interested to know.

Thanks

JitKiat SG

From Baidu:

“天龙八部”，又称为“龙神八部”、“八部众”，这些名词出于佛经。许多大乘佛经叙述佛向诸菩萨、比丘等说法时，常有天龙八部参与听法。如《法华经：提婆达多品》：“天龙八部、人与非人，皆遥见彼龙女成佛”

rokkie SG

鸠摩智就是鸠摩罗识。he is a great man ,translate a lot of buddhism sutra to chinese.I don't know why tianlongbabu portray him so bad

JitKiat SG

鸠摩智执著武功，幕容父子执著复国，段正淳执著女色，萧峰父子执著复仇，天山童姥等执著爱情。

鸠摩智，幕容博，萧远山最后能看破放下才是幸运的。

rokkie SG

yes ,it's easy to say that from buddhist point of view,but u know what ,not everyone accept buddhism so easily.All of them are superior as a swordman,they choose their choice ,and face their result

JitKiat SG

幕容博，萧远山，鸠摩智当在前世已接触佛法。今生能接触佛法而起信，愿，行是宿世善根善缘呀。

yamizi SG

幕容博，萧远山，鸠摩智当在前世已接触佛法。今生能接触佛法而起信，愿，行是宿世善根善缘呀。

The article that you had put to describe 鸠摩智 (aka 鸠摩罗识 or Kumarajiva) is an introduction of the characters that appear in the novel itself. It may not be historically accurate.

Kumarajiva may just ended up as just another reowned sutra translator, not necessary a highly skilled martial arts exponent.

幕容博，萧远山 are fictional characters.

Not sure what's your aim in putting this up but it will be greatly appreciate not to mix up facts and fictions.

Regards.

JitKiat SG

Comment about 鸠摩智 as a fictional character in 天龙八部 only... it is nothing to do with the translator Kumarajiva.

justdoit77 SG

Comment about 鸠摩智 as a fictional character in 天龙八部 only... it is nothing to do with the translator Kumarajiva.

To be fair, the author of this fiction never say 鸠摩智 is 鸠摩罗识.
Just that their name, religion and nationality is very similar, that's all.
Anyway, 鸠摩智 has later on back on the spiritual path again, so even if 金庸 refer them to the same person, it doesn't matter.

yamizi SG

I'm okay if 金庸 actually refering to the same person. But then I hope buddhists won't take fiction as fact to tell people that he used to attached to martial arts, etc then eventually back to spiritual path.

If it happened that 鸠摩智 and 鸠摩罗识 to be the same person, then we are doing a disservice in not knowing the facts correctly.

Regards.

Ed11790 SG

this was a very cool show!

yamizi SG

this was a very cool show!

Of course!!! Have 刘亦菲!!! Actually she quite pity thing. She was only 16 or 17
while filimg this drama and in one of the scene she was actually molested. She complained to the director but nothing was done...sighs...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eqICyGwXNGs

Isis SG

From wiki,

Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (traditional Chinese: 天龍八部; simplified Chinese: 天龙八部; pinyin: Tiān Lóng Bā Bù) is a long wuxia novel written by Jinyong.

It was originally published in 1963, and has since spawned several movies and television serials in both Mainland China and Hong Kong. The title of the novel has been a challenge for translators for years. It is based on the eight races of no-human entities described in Buddhist cosmology. In Buddhism, even though these demi-gods are ranked higher than humanity, they are still bound to the samsara by their own passions and desires. It is said that Jinyong originally modelled each major character after one of the Races. (eg. Qiao Feng obviously represents the Deva, due to his fall from grace, much like Indra in the Indian legends) But as he wrote on, the complexity of the story made it impossible for such a simplistic mapping. Today, the topic of which character corresponds to which Race is still an interesting matter of discussion among fans and readers.