Karmic Law in Oedipus the King

《伊底帕斯王》中的因緣法則

許惠芬(Hui-fen Hsu)

Oedipus ； Greek tragedy ； Dharma ； karma ； 伊底帕斯 ； 希臘悲劇 ； 佛法 ； 因緣

高雄師大學報：人文與藝術類

46期（2019 / 06 / 01）

67 - 82

英文

Since Aristotle's Poetics, whatever qualities thought necessary in a Greek tragedy have to be found in Oedipus the King. While King Oedipus seems to have the preordained destiny and flaw of all tragic heroes, his misery can be attributed to the attachment to his selfhood. Oedipus' life is conditioned by the self-created karma instead of being manipulated helplessly by the divine intervention. The purpose of this study is to interpret Oedipus the King from the Buddhist philosophy of karma, which elucidates the subtle reasons for the tragic hero's fall. The contents of this study are divided into three parts. The first part deals with Nietzsche's insight on the significance of Greek tragedy and his appreciation of Buddhism. The second part explores Nāgārjuna's theory of the Middle Way. The conception of emptiness and dependent origination forms spiritual alliance with Nietzsche's thought. The third part explicates the karmic law as manifest in the play. Placed under the scrutiny of Dharma, Oedipus becomes the paradigm of humanity. We are all Oedipus, entrapped in ceaseless suffering but with a free will. The fate as shown in this tragedy reflects the rigor of karmic consequence. Hubris is the predominant internal factor that causes his downfall, whereas divine oracle, the forking road and social milieu constitute the external factors of his suffering. The external factors cannot function without the internal ones of pride and wrath. Karma sheds light on this tragedy, illuminating suffering to be dependent-arising without an inherent essence.

從亞里斯多德的《詩學》理論以降，希臘悲劇的必要元素，必定存在於《伊底帕斯王》。伊底帕斯王具備所有悲劇英雄的缺點及不可違逆的命運。他的悲苦似乎是命中注定的，但事實上是自我的偏執所造成。伊底帕斯的人生並非完全無助地由神力所操控，而是自己的性格所決定。本研究旨在以佛法的因緣觀詮釋《伊底帕斯王》，分析劇中導致悲劇英雄殞落的細膩因素。內容分三部分。第一部分探討尼采對於希臘悲劇的見解及對佛法的認同。第二部分闡述龍樹的中觀論，其性空及緣起觀和尼采有共通處。第三部分解析此劇所蘊含的因緣法則。在佛法的檢視下，伊底帕斯即為眾生的代表。雖困在無止盡的苦海中，仍具有自由意志。因緣支配著伊底帕斯的命運，他的苦難由內、外因素所造成。驕傲自大是內在因素，外在因素有神諭、三叉路口及社會環境。這些外因需要如自大及憤怒之內因才能運作。因緣觀為此劇增添另外的解讀角度，顯示苦難必有其因，非先天註定。

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