形神分離之後：唐代對於死亡及葬後靈魂與形骸關係的想像

After the Separation of Soul from Body: The Imagination of Death in the Tang Dynasty

唐代延續漢代以來的想法，相信人是由形骸（形）與靈魂（神）所組成，形神合一則生，分離則死。當人初死之時，會以「復」的招魂儀式將離去的靈魂招喚回屍骸處，以便進行後續的喪葬儀式。下葬之後，人們相信靈魂會與屍骸共同待在墓中，墓因而被視為「藏形」與「安魂」之處，是靈魂日常的居所。靈魂雖存在，卻難以看見，只有屍骸才是真確存在，人們相信兩者死後仍會在一起，屍骸可用來確定靈魂的所在。因此不管是合葬、歸葬、冥婚、招魂葬，關鍵都是要安葬死者屍骸，藉此讓靈魂也跟著在一起。總而言之，唐人對於死亡及葬後靈魂與屍骸關係的基本想像，相信死亡之後形神雖分離，其實並未完全分離，仍會共同待在墓中。

The way people understood death and spirit in the Tang Dynasty was inherited from the Han Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, people believed human was a composite of“xing (形)”and“shen (神)”. If“xing”and“shen”were united, one lived; otherwise, one would die. Soon after one died, people recalled the leaving spirit back to the place where the corpse was with a ritual called“fu (復)”, in order to hold the funeral ceremony afterward. After the funeral, people believed the spirit would stay in the tomb together with the corpse. Therefore, the tomb is regarded as the place of“hiding xing (藏形)”and“pacifying spirit (安魂)”, where the spirit staed. Although the spirit existed, it was hard to be seen and perceive. The only thing which surely existed was the corpse. People believed both would stay together after death. The corpse could be used to make sure that the spirit existed. No matter which form of the funeral was adopted, such as joint-burial (合葬),“guizang (歸葬)”, nether-world marriage (冥婚) or hun-summoning burial, the key point is to bury the corpses of the dead ones properly, which promised that the spirits would stay there. In sum, people believed“xing”and“shen”would separate after death during the Tang Dynasty, but actually, the two elements were not totally separated. They would still stay in the tomb together. This is the basic understanding of the relationship between the spirit and the corpse after death and burial.