Introduction
i.1The Dhāraṇī of Refuge for the Preta Flaming Mouth is one of two closely related texts found together in the Degé Kangyur in which the Buddha teaches a dhāraṇī and associated food offering ritual to relieve pretas of their sufferings. The other text is The Bali Ritual to Relieve the Female Preta Flaming Mouth (Toh 647/1079). These texts have had a significant legacy for the ritual traditions of Buddhist Asia, serving as foundations for the traditions of giving compassionate food offerings to alleviate the suffering of spirits and ghosts. The present text is the longer of the two, corresponding (though not precisely matching) Amoghavajra’s Chinese translation in the Chinese canon (Taishō 1313).
i.1《餓鬼焰口皈依陀羅尼》是德格藏文大藏經中所收的兩部相關密切的經文之一，其中佛為難陀傳授陀羅尼和相應的施食儀軌，以解救餓鬼的苦難。另一部經文是《女餓鬼焰口施食儀軌》（Toh 647/1079）。這些經文在佛教亞洲的儀軌傳統中留下了深遠的影響，成為了向靈魂和鬼魅施捨慈悲食物以減輕其痛苦傳統的基礎。本經文是兩部中較長的一部，與不空翻譯的漢文版本大致相應（雖然並非完全相同），該漢文版本收錄於漢文大藏經中（大正1313）。
i.2As with most dhāraṇīs, little is known about the early Indic history of this text, and there does not appear to be an extant Sanskrit version. A Chinese translation by Amoghavajra (不空) was made between 757 and 770 ᴄᴇ (Taishō 1313), an English translation of which, along with an introduction, has been published by Charles Orzech.
i.2像大多數陀羅尼一樣，這部文獻的早期印度歷史鮮為人知，目前似乎沒有現存的梵文版本。不空於西元757年至770年期間製作了一個漢文翻譯版本（《大正藏》1313），查爾斯·奧爾澤克已經發表了該版本的英文翻譯及其導論。
i.3A Dunhuang manuscript (IOL Tib J 349) of The Dhāraṇī of Refuge for the Preta Flaming Mouth is nearly identical in content to the version preserved in the various Tibetan Kangyurs and may reflect the source from which the canonical version was taken. Unfortunately, this manuscript is missing its final folio, which might have contained a colophon with translator attribution and other information. None of the canonical versions, either, have colophons that identify the translators.
i.3敦煌手稿（IOL Tib J 349）中的《餓鬼焰口避難陀羅尼》在內容上與各種藏文藏經中保存的版本幾乎相同，可能反映了典藏版本的來源。不幸的是，這份手稿缺少了最後一頁，那一頁可能包含了譯者署名和其他信息的題記。典藏版本中也沒有任何版本具有能夠識別譯者的題記。
i.4The closely related text, The Bali Ritual to Relieve the Female Preta Flaming Mouth (Toh 647/ 1079) is listed in the Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) imperial catalog compiled in the early ninth century ᴄᴇ. In this somewhat shorter text, the protagonist of the story is Ānanda rather than Nanda, and there is no invocation of the four tathāgatas, but otherwise it presents a nearly identical narrative. The Chinese translation of this closely related text was produced by Śikṣānanda (實叉難陀) ca. 700 ᴄᴇ (Taishō 1314).
i.4相關文本《施食儀軌超度女性焰口餓鬼》（藏文目錄編號647/1079）被列在九世紀初期編纂的《丹噶瑪》皇帝目錄中。在這部篇幅較短的經文中，故事的主人公是阿難而非難陀，而且沒有對四位如來的祈請，但在其他方面呈現出幾乎相同的敘事內容。這部相關文本的漢文翻譯由實叉難陀於公元七百年左右完成（大正1314）。
i.5Although neither text sheds any light on the possible Indian origins of the practice or any indication that they were derived from any other text in the canon, the two texts clearly present a variation on the same story and prescribed ritual, though using different language. Given the close resemblance between the Tibetan and Chinese versions (Toh 646 with Taishō 1313, and Toh 647 with Taishō 1314), it is possible that both Tibetan texts were translated from Chinese. Lye (2003) questions this, however, pointing to the fact that the preta who appears in Toh 647 is explicitly identified as female (yi dags mo) while no such gender identification is found in Taishō 1314.
i.5雖然這兩部經文都沒有說明該實踐的可能印度起源，也沒有跡象表明它們源自藏經中的任何其他經文，但這兩部經文明顯呈現了相同故事和規定儀式的變異，只是使用了不同的語言。鑑於藏文版本和漢文版本之間的密切相似性（Toh 646 與大正1313，以及Toh 647 與大正1314），有可能這兩部藏文經文都是從漢文翻譯而來。不過，Lye（2003）對此提出了質疑，指出在Toh 647中出現的餓鬼被明確識別為女性（yi dags mo），而在大正1314中則沒有找到這樣的性別識別。
i.6The proper rendering of the Sanskrit name of this preta—given here as “Flaming Mouth” (kha nas me ’ bar ba)—remains unresolved. Although no Sanskrit title for the text is given in the Narthang, Yongle, or Degé recensions, Sanskrit titles provided in the Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné recensions render the name of the preta as “Mukhāgnijvāla.” These titles, however, appear to be reconstructions back-translated from the Tibetan. In the Chinese versions, the name of the preta is translated as Yankou (燄口 or 焰口, “Flaming Mouth”) in Taishō 1313, and as Mianran (面燃, “Burning Face”) in Taishō 1314, which it has been suggested could correspond to the putative Sanskrit *Jvālāmukha or *Ulkāmukha. It remains unclear whether in this text this is a proper name referring to the specific preta who appears in the narrative, or a more generic identifier for a class of pretas (“those with flames coming from their mouths”). Fire and flames are indeed a relatively common—but by no means constant—secondary feature of descriptions of pretas in the canonical literature, the primary features being hunger, thirst, and pain, suffered both because of terrible physical deformities and because of being deprived of all but the most minimal or disgusting means of sustenance. The Sanskrit Jvālāmukha and Tibetan kha ’bar ma, as well as being the name of various minor deities in a range of tantras, is more specifically in the Guhyagarbhatantra and other tantras of the Nyingma tradition the name of the nirmāṇakāya sage (Muni) who manifests in the realm of the pretas, one of six such Munis corresponding to the six realms and numbered among the one hundred peaceful and wrathful deities of the maṇḍala.
i.6這個餓鬼的梵語名稱的準確翻譯——這裡譯作「焰口」（kha nas me 'bar ba）——仍然沒有定論。儘管在南藏、永樂、德格等版本中都沒有提供該文本的梵語標題，但在理塘、康熙和卓尼版本中提供的梵語標題將這個餓鬼的名字譯作「Mukhāgnijvāla」。然而，這些標題似乎是從藏文反向音譯回去的重構版本。在漢文版本中，該餓鬼的名稱在大正1313中譯作「焰口」（燄口或焰口），在大正1314中譯作「面燃」，有人推測這可能對應梵語的*Jvālāmukha或*Ulkāmukha。目前仍不清楚這在該文本中是指出現在敘述中的特定餓鬼的專有名詞，還是對一類餓鬼的更通用識別（「那些口中有火焰的」）。火焰確實是正典文獻中餓鬼描寫中相對常見的——但絕非一直存在的——次要特徵，主要特徵是飢餓、乾渴和痛苦，這些苦因既源於可怕的身體畸形，也源於被剝奪了除了最基本或令人厭惡的維生手段之外的一切。梵語Jvālāmukha和藏語kha 'bar ma除了是各種密續中的次要神靈名稱外，更具體地說，在《密集根本續》和寧瑪傳統的其他密續中，是化身聖人（牟尼）的名稱，他在餓鬼界顯現，是對應六界的六位聖人之一，也是曼陀羅中一百尊寂靜和忿怒尊中的一尊。
i.7As shown by Lye (2003), the story recounted here has had a major legacy in Chinese Buddhism, since it is treated as the origin myth for the Yuqie yankou (瑜伽燄口) rite at the heart of the Ghost Festival celebrated annually in the seventh month of the Chinese calendar. In Tibetan Buddhism, its legacies are found in a variety of rites that involve making torma (Skt. bali , Tib. gtor ma) offerings to the pretas, in which the dhāraṇī given in the sūtra is employed. Many such rites involve the invocation or visualization of Avalokiteśvara, just as some of the related practices in Chinese tradition may incorporate the bodhisattva Guanyin. The offering rite explicitly based on this text, including the evocation of the four tathāgatas, clearly had considerable popularity in Tibet since early times. In the thirteenth century, it is mentioned by Sakya Paṇḍita (1182–1251) as an example of a ritual inaccurately performed by Tibetans.
i.7根據萊(2003)的研究，這個故事在漢傳佛教中影響深遠，因為它被視為瑜伽焰口儀式的起源神話，而這個儀式是中國農曆七月舉行的中元節慶典的核心內容。在藏傳佛教中，其影響體現在各種施食儀式中，即向餓鬼供養塑形供品(梵文：施食，藏文：塑形供品)，其中使用了本經文中所給的陀羅尼。許多這樣的儀式涉及觀自在菩薩的祈請或觀想，就像一些相關的漢傳傳統修法可能會融入菩薩觀音一樣。基於本經文的供養儀式，包括祈請四位如來，顯然在藏地自古以來就相當流行。在十三世紀，宗喀巴班智達(1182-1251)曾以此為例，指出藏人有時會不恰當地進行某些儀式。
Contents of the Text
文本內容
i.8Following a preamble that provides the context and impetus for the teaching, the core of the text is the proclamation of a mantra dhāraṇī and a description of its use. The mantra dhāraṇī here, unlike some cryptic mantras and dhāraṇīs in other texts, is in intelligible Sanskrit: “nāmaḥ sarvatathāgatāvalokite oṃ sambhara sambhara hūṃ” (“Homage to the One With the Gaze of All Tathāgatas! Oṃ bring them together, bring them! Hūṃ!”). Though the object of the imperative verb sambhara (“bring them together”) is not explicit, similar dhāraṇīs include “all pretas” (sarvapretān) in the formula, which can be assumed to be the case here as well. Thus this dhāraṇī is phrased as a call to the pretas to gather to partake of bali being offered to them.
i.8在一段提供教導背景和動機的前言之後，文本的核心是一段真言陀羅尼的宣說及其用法的描述。與其他文本中某些隱晦的咒語和陀羅尼不同，這裡的真言陀羅尼是易於理解的梵文："nāmaḥ sarvatathāgatāvalokite oṃ sambhara sambhara hūṃ"（「敬禮觀一切如來之菩薩！唵，聚集吧，聚集吧！吽！」）。雖然祈使動詞 sambhara（「聚集」）的對象沒有明確表述，但類似的陀羅尼在公式中包含「一切餓鬼」(sarvapretān)，可以推定此處亦然。因此，這個陀羅尼被表述為呼喚餓鬼聚集來享用對他們的施食。
i.9Accompanying the expression of this dhāraṇī is an invocation of four tathāgatas whose names appear to connote features of the enlightened state: Abundant Riches ( prabhūtaratna ; rin chen mang; 多寶), Perfect Form ( surūpa ; gzugs dam pa; 妙色身), Expansive Body ( vipulagātra ; sku ’byam klas; 廣博身), and Fearless ( abhayakara ; ’jigs pa dang bral ba; 離怖畏). Only the first of these tathāgatas, Prabhūtaratna, is readily identifiable. This is the tathāgata who appears in the eleventh chapter of the Lotus Sūtra (The White Lotus of the Good Dharma; Saddharmapuṇḍarīka; dam pa’i chos pad ma dkar po Toh 113). There, the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna arises before the assembly in his stūpa and commends the Buddha Śākyamuni on teaching the Lotus Sūtra, the means by which he had attained enlightenment eons earlier. Of possibly greater significance, however, the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna also appears in The Sutra of Meditating on the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (佛說觀普賢菩薩行法經, Taishō 277), a text found in the Chinese canon—but without Tibetan parallel—that is considered the concluding part of The Threefold Lotus Sūtra. In that text, the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna is associated with purification practices to avoid rebirth in the lower realms, which is a theme similar to the focus of this text.
i.9伴隨著這個陀羅尼的表達，有對四位如來的祈請，其名號似乎象徵著開悟境界的特質：多寶（寶藏如來）、妙色身（妙色如來）、廣博身（廣身如來）和離怖畏（無畏如來）。這四位如來中，只有第一位寶藏如來容易被識別。這位如來出現在蓮華經（正法蓮華經）的第十一章中。在那裡，寶藏如來在大眾面前從他的塔中現身，稱讚釋迦牟尼佛傳授蓮華經，他正是通過這個法門在無數劫前證得菩提的。然而，可能更具重要意義的是，寶藏如來也出現在《佛說觀普賢菩薩行法經》中，這是一部存在於漢文佛經中但沒有藏文對應本的文獻，被認為是法華三部經的最後部分。在那部經典中，寶藏如來與淨化修持相關聯，以避免在下三道中轉生，這與本經的主題相似。
i.10Following the invocation of the four tathāgatas, several rituals for the mantra dhāraṇī’s compassionate deployment in different situations are briefly described. The text concludes with an admonition to memorize and teach the practice.
i.10在呼喚四位如來之後，文本簡要描述了幾種真言陀羅尼在不同情況下慈悲運用的修持儀軌。文本最後以勸誡誦持和教導此修持法門作為結尾。
i.11The Dhāraṇī of Refuge for the Preta Flaming Mouth is found twice in the Degé Kangyur, once in the Tantra section (Toh 646) and once in the Dhāraṇī section (Toh 1080). This English translation was made from the recension found in the Tantra section, with reference to the variant readings recorded in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Dunhuang manuscript (IOL Tib J 349). The Sanskrit names of the tathāgathas were deciphered with reference to the Chinese version (Taishō 1313). A translation of this text into French was made by Léon Feer and published in 1883, which was consulted for comparison following initial translation into English.
i.11《焰口餓鬼皈依陀羅尼》在德格藏文大藏經中出現了兩次，一次在密續部（編號646），一次在陀羅尼部（編號1080）。本英文翻譯根據密續部中的版本製作，並參考了校訂版（dpe bsdur ma）和敦煌手稿（IOL Tib J 349）中記載的異文。如來的梵文名稱是根據中文版本（大正藏1313）譯出的。萊昂·費爾於1883年製作了本文的法文翻譯版本，本翻譯完成後也參考了該版本進行比較。