老哈姆雷特新詮：從藏傳佛教「中陰身」論述看《哈姆雷特》中的鬼魂

A New Interpretation of Old Hamlet: Reading the Ghost in the Light of Sipa Bardo of Tibetan Buddhism

莎翁名劇《哈姆雷特》中的鬼魂一角，也就是哈姆雷特的父王──老哈姆雷特的亡靈，為莎學者經常關注的議題。本文則另闢蹊徑，以藏傳佛教的「中陰身」論述來重新探討此一角色，並對現存早期《哈姆雷特》主要版本中的相關對白、場景與舞台指示進行文本分析、比較與探討。中陰，藏文的原義是「中介境界」。藏傳佛教論述裡的中陰，指的多是死有中陰。按藏傳佛教的法教，當人過世，生命進入了死亡與另一期生命之間的「受生中陰」階段。此時心識已擺脫肉體，再加上業力的作用，因此具備了生前所未曾有的能力或神通。此一介於「臨終中陰」與「投身中陰」階段的實相中陰，為一種意識所生的慾望之身，和血肉之軀畢竟有別。而令人稱奇且值得探究的是，早期《哈姆雷特》主要版本中，鬼魂一角有諸多特性和能力，竟和中陰論述不謀而合。全文除導論與結語之外，將包含（一）中陰的定義與分析（二）《哈姆雷特》中的鬼魂與中陰比對，（三）《哈姆雷特》中的鬼魂與輪迴思想，以及（四）鬼魂與凡夫我執等面向。

The Ghost of Hamlet has long been the focus of Shakespearean scholars. The present essay seeks to reinterpret this figure in the light of Sipa Bardo of Tibetan Buddhism. Along the way it will also shed new light on relevant major characters, dialogues, scenes, and stage directions of the play’s early printed texts. In Tibetan Buddhism, “Bardo” originally means “intermediary realm.” According to Tantric teachings, when a person dies, his or her mental continuum will leave the physical body. As the consciousness breaks free from the restrictions of the physical body, coupled with the effects of karma, the consciousness will have supernatural powers during the Interim Bardo. The mental continuum, also known as “the mental body,” however, differs from the physical body. Interestingly, a few features and capabilities of the Ghost, as found in the early printed texts of Hamlet, coincide with those of bardo as taught in Tantric Buddhism. The entire essay is divided into six parts. The main body includes the following sections: (A) A Definition and Analysis of Bardo (B) The Ghost of Hamlet and Bardo (C) The Ghost and Samsāra in Hamlet, and (D) The Ghost and Human Ego.