Dongyue, Dizang, Shiwang and the Folk Concept of Underworld in Late-Qing China : With the Focus on the Contents and Circulation of Yuli baochao = 東嶽、地藏、十王與晚清民間的冥界觀 : 以《玉歷寶鈔》的內容及流傳為中心

Abstract

 Due to the integration of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism, the concepts of the underworld and Hell in China are rich in variety with unique features. Dongyue (東嶽, God of Mount Tai), Dizang (地藏, Kṣitigarbha) and Shiwang (十王, Ten Kings of Hell) are all gods governing the underworld. According to Yuli baochao (玉歷寶鈔, Precious Records of the Jade Regulations), one of the shanshu (善書, popular morality books) in Ming-Qing Dynasties, Dizang is regarded as the head of the underworld having a status higher than that of Shiwang, but the relationship between Dizang and Dongyue is not explicitly specified. Currently only the late Qing editions of Yuli baochao can be found, therefore this thesis will focus on the content and circulation of the book for an analysis of the late Qing concept of the underworld consisting of Dongyue, Dizang and Shiwang. This thesis is divided into three parts: (1) the content of the belief of Dongyue, Dizang and Shiwang; (2) the circulation of Yuli baochao and the underworld as reflected in the book; and (3) the concept of the underworld centred around Dongyue, Dizang and Shiwang as revealed in the late Qing folklore. Lastly, with the information from Yuli baochao and local gazettes, it is found that Dongyue, Dizang and Shiwang are not mutually exclusive in Chinese folk religion but are jointly worshipped in the same temple. This discovery will provide a new perspective for future researches into this field. 中國三教，儒、道、釋融合的情況，令中國冥界、地獄思想豐富獨特。東嶽、地藏與十王皆為冥界神衹，在明清時期流傳的民間善書《玉歷寶鈔》視地藏為幽冥教主，地位在十王之上，但沒有明確提及地藏與東嶽的關係。由於《玉歷寶鈔》目前只有晚清版本流傳，因此本論文將以該等版本的內容及流傳為主題，分析以東嶽、地藏和十王為中心而建構出的晚清民間冥界觀。 本論文將分為三部分︰一、東嶽、地藏與十王信仰的內容；二、《玉歷寶鈔》的流傳及書中所描述的地獄世界；三、以東嶽、地藏和十王為中心反映的晚清民間冥界觀。最後，從《玉歷寶鈔》及地方志資料的相互參證，筆者發現東嶽、地藏與十王在民間信仰體系並不互相排斥，而是共同獲得供奉，這個發現將對今後的研究提供新視角。