英文摘要 |
This paper aims to investigate the transformation of the concept of death salvation in Medieval China. The Daoist idea of refinement of the body is closely related to the concept of the afterlife in Medieval China. From excavations of Han dynasty tombs, it is evident that specific preservation methods were used to preserve the body of the dead. It was believed that the soul of the deceased would not disappear; rather, it would dwell in a statue or the corpse. This paper begins with the relationship between early Daoism and Han grave contracts, placing the early development of the Daoist concept of body refinement after death in a historical context. The investigation includes an examination of the thought of early Celestial Masters regarding the refinement of the body in Grand Yin. It also includes the Lingbao Purification Rites, which, despite being touted as able to aid the dead, were only actually used for the salvation of long-dead ancestors. One of the important processes was to refine the bodies of ancestors. The further development of body refinement after death appears in the Scripture of Salvation and the Scripture of Five Refinements of Living Beings and Corpses in the Eastern Jin and early Southern Dynasties. It was only at this time that Daoist refinement of the body, particularly the rituals preserved in Lingbao scriptures, came to be considered a complete ritual of death salvation, which could offer salvation for ancestors. The ritual of body refinement became an individual rite in funerary rituals during the Song dynasty, and it is still preserved in contemporary Daoist rituals. The ritual not only offered support to those unable to complete cultivation during their own lifetimes; it also provided a means of salvation for ancestors suffering in hell. Based on the concept of body refinement, the rituals for salvation of the dead can perform a vital function by relating filial piety and Chinese culture in a proper way. |