佛鏡中的水仙花神話

Narcissus Myth Reflected in Dharma Mirror

水仙花神話解釋一朵池畔美麗之花的由來，「自戀狂」一詞由此神話而生，在藝術、文學及心理學等領域激盪出豐碩的臆想。雖然「自戀狂」在西方的評論中多屬負面，本文試圖從佛法的觀點解讀此神話，給予它不同的視野。佛法從中發掘到世人生死輪迴之苦。而解脫的可能性，在於精神的超越，轉化個體成為互攝共生的存在。本文分三部分，輪迴、業果及互攝共生。第一部分探討Narcissus和其他角色所承受的苦難。他們的生死輪迴，意指面對外境時，不由自主的情緒反應。第二部分研究苦的原因，分析造成痛苦的各種因素。第三部分闡釋此神話中的變形和互攝共生之關聯。佛鏡反射出水仙花神話獨特的意義，翻轉此悲情故事，使其具有正向的意涵。

The myth of Narcissus explains the origin of a lovely flower growing near water. Derived from the mythic account, the term “Narcissism” stimulates rich speculations in the field of art, literature and psychology. While the term invites negative connotations in western critique, this study reexamined the myth through the Buddhist perspective to shed a different light on it. Dharma extracts from the myth not only the samsaric existence of all sentient beings but also the potential of liberation through the spiritual transcendence of interbeing. The contents of this study are divided into three parts: samsara, karma and interbeing. The first part explores the suffering Narcissus and other characters have to endure. Their samsaric existence consists in the ceaseless emotional responses to external circumstances. The second part discusses the cause of their suffering, explicating the factors that contribute to their agony and anguish. The third part illustrates the relation of Narcissus’ transformation to interbeing. The Dharma mirror eflects a distinctive meaning from the myth and gives the tragic story a positive twist.