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姓岳，名飛，字鵬舉。北宋河南湯陰人。家貧力學，事母至孝。所謂「家貧出孝子；國亂有忠臣。」青年從軍，母於其背刺「精忠報國」四字。在軍中建立奇功，以寡敵眾，旗開得勝。故宋高宗賜旗，書「精忠岳飛」，稱為岳家軍，百戰百勝，令金人有「風聲鶴唳，草木皆兵」之感。一日，帝問﹕「如何能強國耶？」對曰：「文官不愛錢，武官不怕死，則天下太平矣！」於朱仙鎮大破金兵，有直搗黃龍之志，惜奸臣當道，十二道金牌召返京，以「莫須有」被害於風波亭，時年三十有九。壯志未酬身先喪，葬於杭州西湖之畔，後諡武穆，追諡鄂王。
岳武穆，姓岳，名飛，就是飛起來了。岳飛，岳飛的讀音和躍飛相近；字鵬舉，好像大鵬金翅鳥，一飛就是萬里。金翅鳥專門吃龍，牠的翅膀一張開來，有三百三十由旬，一搧便把海水瓣開兩半，威力很強。海水被掰開來，應該死的龍便原形暴露，被牠一口吞下。牠每天要吃一條大龍，五百條小龍。牠吃龍，就像我們人吃麵條一樣稀鬆平常，所以龍最怕大鵬金翅鳥。牠天天吃龍，眼看龍種就快滅絕了，龍王遂大生恐慌，便來到佛處求救，請佛慈悲，救救牠們。佛就賜牠一件袈裟，告訴牠：「你將這件袈裟拆成一縷、一縷，讓每隻龍的角上都掛上一縷，就不會被大鵬鳥所吞了。」這樣，龍族才得以繼續生存。
但大鵬金翅鳥就挨餓了，也來佛處求救，說：「世尊！你幫助龍，我沒有龍吃，都快餓死了！這不公道呀！」佛就說：「好！你若發誓從此不再吃龍，我就命我的弟子，每天吃飯時，送飯給你吃。」所以現在出家人中午過堂時，一定要把一份米飯送到外面，並口念「大鵬金翅鳥，曠野鬼神眾，羅剎鬼子母，甘露悉充滿」的供養咒。
大鵬金翅鳥有佛的弟子給東西吃後，就不再吃龍，所以到現在龍還是有的。有人或許會說：「既然有龍，那我為什麼看不見呢？」當你做龍的時候，你就看得見了；你若不是龍，為什麼要看見龍呢？龍雖屬畜生類，但牠是通靈的，是一種能隱、能顯、可大、可小的神物。大概金兵的統帥金兀朮也是一條龍，所以岳飛就要把他給吞了。秦檜大概是隻蛤蟆，從中作梗，岳飛才沒有把他給吞了。
岳飛生在北宋，是河南湯陰人。徽欽二帝被金人擄去北方後，宋朝王室遂往南遷移，偏安一隅，稱為南宋，國勢一落千丈；國家混亂，正是出忠臣的時候。
岳飛家裡很窮，他又是一個多災多難的人。出生不久，湯陰就鬧水災。他母親為了避難，就抱著他，坐在水缸裡。水缸在水面漂呀漂的。不知漂了多遠，才漂到一邊去，差一點沒被淹死。這大約是他殺心太重，像阿修羅似的，才會一生出來就有難。
他家裡雖窮，但很好學，對母親也很孝順。所謂「家貧出孝子，國亂有忠臣。」青年時，他看國家多難，就去從軍了。臨行前，他母親在他背上刺了「精忠報國」四個字。精是微細的意思，要他在最微細的地方，也要盡上他的忠心，不可以馬馬虎虎。
他在軍隊裡很有辦法，常常出奇制勝，屢建奇功。即使是以寡敵眾，他也能旗開得勝，打一仗就勝一仗。真是戰無不勝，攻無不克，所向無敵。所以宋高宗就賜給他一面軍旗，上面寫著「精忠岳飛」四個大字。從此，他無論帶兵到哪裡，都高舉這面軍旗，所以別人就稱他的軍隊為「岳家軍」。
一天，宋高宗問他：「你認為怎麼樣才能使國家強盛起來呢？」岳飛回說：「如果所有的文官都能潔身自好，不貪贓枉法；武官都能忠勇衛國，不貪生怕死，天下就太平無事了。」
待續 |
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Essay:
Yue Fei’s other name was Pengju. He was a native of Tangyin, in the province of Henan in Northern Song. His family was poor, but he was hardworking and studious, and extremely filial to his mother. As the saying goes, “In times of poverty, the family has filial sons; in times of chaos, the country has loyal ministers.” When he entered the army in his youth, his mother tattooed the words, “Repay the country with your utmost loyalty” on his back. His performance in the army was outstanding, and he was able to defeat a large army with a small one, and win the battle as soon as it commenced. Hence the Emperor Gao of the Song dynasty bestowed upon him a banner inscribed with the words “Yue Fei, the most loyal one.” His soldiers were called the army of Yue, and they won victory after victory, causing the people of Jin to “mistake the sound of the wind and the call of the egret for pursuing battalions, and to mistake distant grasses and woods to be oncoming troops.” One day, the emperor asked Yue Fei, “How can the country be fortified?” Yue Fei replied, “If the officials and ministers do not covet money, if the generals and marshals do not fear death, peace will reign throughout the country.” At the garrison post of Zhuxian, he soundly defeated the Jin soldiers and resolved to vanquish the country of Jin. Alas, a traitorous minister sabotaged his plans, and with the issue of twelve gold tablets, recalled him back to the capital. With the charge of “No reason needed,” he was put to death at Fengbo Pavilion. He was then thirty-nine years old. Before he could fulfill his noble ambition, he lost his life, and he was subsequently buried by the bank of West Lake, in Hangzhou. He was posthumously conferred the title of ‘Distinguished Warrior and the Duke of Hubei’.
Commentary:
Distinguished Warrior Yue’s surname was Yue and his name was Fei, which means to fly. The phrase ‘Yue Fei’ is a homonym for the phrase ‘to soar and fly.’ His other name was Pengju. The word
peng is the same as the word for garuda, the great golden-winged
peng bird. This bird can cover 3000 miles at one time, and its main diet was dragons. Its wings span 330
yojanas, and a flap of its wings can part the seas. So great
peng bird is very strong and powerful. When it parted the seawaters, the dragons were exposed, and it would gobble them down. Everyday it needed to eat one large dragon and 500 small ones, swallowing them as nonchalantly as we eat noodles. So the dragons lived in terror of the great golden-winged
peng bird. At the rate at which they were being eaten everyday, the dragon species dwindled rapidly and was in danger of becoming extinct. Hence the terrified dragon king went to the Buddha and requested him to extend his great compassion and save his race from extinction. The Buddha gave him a
kashaya [monk’s robe] and said, “Tear this kashaya in pieces and tie a thread around the horn of each dragon. That way the great
peng bird will not be able to eat you.” Hence the dragon race has continued to survive.
But the great golden-winged peng bird was deprived of its food, and it too came to the Buddha seeking help. “World-Honored One! You have helped the dragons and now I am in danger of starving to death. This is not fair!” The Buddha replied, “Very well, if you can vow never to eat dragons from now on, I will command my disciples to give you rice everyday at mealtime.” That is why before monastics partake of their meal at noon, they must leave a little rice outside as an offering and chant the mantra, “Great golden-winged
peng bird, ghosts and spirits of the wilderness, and the
rakshasa ghost mother and her sons, may all of you be filled with sweet dew.”
Now that the great golden-winged peng bird is fed by the disciples of the Buddha, it has ceased to eat dragons, and hence the dragon species has survived to today. Someone may say, “Since there are dragons, how come I don’t see any of them?” When you are a dragon, you will be able to see them. Since you are not a dragon, why do you want to see them? Dragons belong to the path of animals, but they have magical powers, and can vanish and appear, enlarge and shrink themselves at will. Probably the chief military commander of the Jin soldiers, Jin Wuzhu, was a dragon, and that was why Yue Fei wanted to gobble him up. Qin Kuai was probably a toad, who wrecked Yue Fei’s plans so that Yue Fei could not exterminate the Jin commander.
Yue Fei was born in Tangyin, in the province of Henan in Northern Song. At that time, the emperors Hui and Qin had been captured by the Jin soldiers one after the other and taken up north. The royal family of the Song Dynasty hence moved south to the remaining Song territory, where they sought temporary respite, and the remaining land which had not been annexed was called Southern Song. The government was in shambles and the country in a state of turmoil and chaos, and it was a time when loyal ministers were most needed.
Yue Fei’s family was very poor, and he was destined to undergo many calamities and disasters. Not long after he was born, there was a flood in Tangyin. To escape the flooding waters, Yue Fei’s mother carried him in her arms and sat in an urn. The urn floated on the waters for who knows how long, and finally floated to safety. So Yue Fei and his mother barely escaped drowning. Probably Yue Fei’s propensity to kill was too strong, like that of an asura, and so he met with a calamity soon after he was born.
Although his family was poor, he was very fond of learning and was also very filial to his mother. As the saying goes, “In times of poverty, the family has filial sons; in times of chaos, the country has loyal ministers.” In his youth, he saw his country beset with difficulties and decided to join the army. Before he left, his mother tattooed the words “Repay the country with utmost loyalty” on his back. “Utmost” means the finest and very best, and the meaning is that he should use his finest and very best loyalty to serve the country, and not be casual and careless in his efforts.
He performed outstandingly in the army, and was often able to use unusual military strategies and tactics to defeat his enemies. He repeatedly rendered exceptional service in battle and was able to defeat a large army with his small one. He could gain victory as soon as the battle commenced and won battle after battle. There was no war that he could not win, no stronghold that he could not capture, and he was unimpeded in his conquests. Hence the emperor, Song Gaozong, bestowed upon him a military banner inscribed with the words “Yue Fei, the most loyal one.” From then on, no matter where he led his troops, they would raise this banner up high, and hence his army came to be called the army of Yue.
One day, Song Gaozong asked Yue Fei, “In your opinion, how do you think the country can become strong and prosperous?” Yue Fei replied, “If all the government officials were to exercise self-control over evil temptations, and not be greedy and corrupted and pervert the law; if the military commanders could be loyal and courageous in protecting the country, and not covet life and fear death, peace would reign throughout the country and there would be no difficulties.”
To be continued
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