唐人小說所反映之魂魄義

The Concept of “Soul and Form” as Reflected in the Tang Novels

本文以唐人小說作為研究文本，考察其中對魂魄的觀感與解釋。已知兩漢及先秦以「魂魄」一詞代稱個人的主要意識，當人死後便化為鬼魂，延續著生前的個性與生活。惟諸子基於一己的主張，對魂魄有著不同的詮釋方式：或重人文社會若儒道兩家，主張人死後魂還於天，魄歸於地全然消散，近於唯物觀的觀點詮解；或強調鬼神真實存在若墨家，便認定魂魄在人死後化作鬼神，執行懲暴賞善的工作，而與傳統信仰同軌。惟漢末佛教傳入、道教始興，儒釋道三教對魂魄的解釋皆有不同，然經六朝的銷融，入唐後魂魄觀趨於固定，且為三教所承認。唐人仍援用傳統的概念，依氣化理論將魂魄二分陰陽，又對照著現實生活予以詮解。1、魂為個人主要意識，夢境意味魂遊於外，當患有精神疾病時，乃神魂不全或魂未歸身；2、魄則掌管身體機能，以維繫魂遊於外時生命的機能；惟魂為主，魄為從且無意識，當人命終魂離去，魄在無所依傍下就消散而歸於塵土。魂魄觀由於出自傳統信仰，在重視安葬遺體的文化影響下，魂不僅居於陰宅之中，當遺體未能安葬時則淹留在屍骨處不能離開，而與佛道兩教的地獄、天堂觀相牴觸。即使如此，卻仍安然地共存，成為中華傳統裡至為重要的文化內容。

This study used Tang novels to investigate the concept and interpretation of the “Soul and Form” of the Tang Dynasty. It was known before the Han Dynasty that the term “Soul and Form” was used for the individual consciousness. When a person dies, he turns into a ghost to continue his personality and life. However, different scholars interpreted “Soul and Form” in different ways based on their own opinions: Those who emphasized humanity and society, such as the Confucians and the Taoists, advocated that the soul returned to heaven and the form dissipated completely on the earth after the death. This type of interpretation is similar to the materialism. Those who emphasized the existence of ghosts and deities, such as the Mohists, believed that “Soul and Form” turned into a ghost or a deity after a person had died to carry out the task of punishing cruelty and rewarding virtue. This type of interpretation is in line with the traditional belief. However, with the introduction of Buddhism and the rise of Taoism during the late Han Dynasty, “Soul and Form” was interpreted differently in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Only after the integration of differences during the Six Dynasties, the concept of “Soul and Form” was finally settled and accepted by all three religions. Tang people used the traditional concept and the Qi theory (All things on earth are created and affected by Qi.) to designate “Soul and Form” as “Yin and Yang” respectively. They then interpreted “Soul and Form” in cross reference to the real life. “Soul” represents the major individual consciousness. Dreams are the results of the soul traveling outside the body. When the mental illness occurs, it is caused by the incompleteness of the soul or because the soul is not back in the body. “Form” controls the body functions. When the soul is out of the body, the form maintains the function of life. The soul is primary. The form is secondary and without consciousness. When a person dies, the soul leaves permanently. But the form helplessly dissipates into the earth. However, because the concept of “Soul and Form” derived from the traditional belief, under the influence of the culture of proper burial, the soul not only resides in the graveyard, but also remains with the skeleton of the corpse if it is not buried. This concept contradicts with the concept of “Hell and Heaven” of the Buddhists and Taoists. Nevertheless, it coexisted with Buddhism and Taoism and became a very important culture content of Chinese tradition.