首過與懺悔：中古時期罪感文化之探討

Repentance and Confession: A Study of the Concept of Guilt in Medieval China

本文探討中國中世紀時期的罪感觀念，並從各種宗教傳統對罪的界定，以及首過、懺悔方法的文本與儀式當中，討論當時從文人乃至百姓如何透過各種宗教手段，去認知罪感以及解消罪感。藉由這些分析，本文將探討罪感的內涵，並說明在此時期個人性的罪感其實是很薄弱的，而罪感通常是家族性的、祖先承負式的或累世承積式的。換言之，罪感是網絡性的，與其他人以及過去、未來息息相關。同時，解消罪感的方式也不是單一的，在不同的情境與場合之下，人們可以選擇不同的悔過、懺罪方式，以因應不同的狀況。因此，中世紀中國的罪感不是西方式的個人罪業的懺悔，而是網絡性與流動性的。中世紀的中國人處在多元宗教生活的氛圍，彼此交會在生命的各層面中，而個人可以依不同的場合、身分、對象而選擇相應的宗教資源。這種現象也表現在對罪感的認知與罪的懺悔上，不同的宗教傳統都能在生命的某個層面上給予救贖，因此會運用不同宗教傳統來紓解內在的罪感。在中古時期已經有不同而多元的罪感意識，並有著不同的首過懺罪方式，處在這種多元宗教氛圍的人，很可能同時採取或因情境而選擇採用特定的罪感模式與懺悔方法。另一方面，罪感具有層累的特質，因而除了一己之身的罪以外，還承擔了祖先所承負之罪，乃至前世宿罪。在古靈寶經典當中儀式的實踐，整合這些多樣而複雜的罪業來源，經過長時間的積累而集中於己身，並透過齋直懺謝，以此功德加以解消罪業。

Through the examination of the concept of guilt in medieval China and the different confession rituals in various religious traditions, this paper discusses how literati and common people identified their transgressions and released their guilt. In medieval China, guilt was not personal but related to family, ancestors, or previous lives. The sins of the dead were visited upon descendants by afflicting them with suffering and disease, in accordance with the records of misdeeds that were kept by heavenly officials. The religious systems of punishment and retribution for transgressions were either enacted by heavenly officials or the law of karma. People availed themselves of elements from multiple traditions, and they used contemporary religious culture in complex and varying ways on various occasions, shifting their cultural framing in order to gain prestigious or preferable allegiances. In the Lingbao scriptures in particular, confession acted as a link or a model to integrate into an organic whole all the medieval precepts and ideas of morality, judgment, illness, law, and salvation.