A Study On The Nether World View Of The Middle And Late Tang Dynasties From The Buddhist Perspective

The early concept of the nether world in China was based on the immortality of the soul.It is because people generally believe in the existence of the soul that they have the constant imagination of the underground world,such as the return of the soul to "Huangquan","Youdu","Haoli","Liangfu" and "Mount Tai".During the Han Dynasty,Buddhism was introduced into Chinese society,and due to its combination of local customs and ethical traditions,it gained a large number of followers.The concepts of karma and the six paths of reincarnation were widely spread,and the idea of hell also entered people’s sight at that time;From the Han Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty,the idea of hell spread to the people,and a large number of Buddhist texts related to hell were translated.There were also many descriptions of hell in supernatural novels.The lord of hell became the legendary King of Hell from India,Buddhism and hell became the main factors influencing the concept of the underworld during that period.During the mid to late Tang Dynasty,the people’s concept of the underworld was influenced by the local Chinese culture,Buddhism,hell,and the current environment,resulting in new changes in the concept of the nethere world that were different from the past.Firstly,the Kistigarbha in Buddhism assumed the function of redemption from the underworld,which was closely related to the translation of Buddhist scriptures and the worship of Buddha by the ruling class during that period.The construction of statues and murals further promoted the reputation of the Kistigarbha among the people;On the other hand,the concept of hell was deeply rooted in people’s hearts through the development of the Han,Wei,and Jin dynasties.People were afraid of the horror of hell and wanted to avoid suffering from it after death,so they even worshipped the redemption of the nether world and hoped to escape from it.Secondly,during this period,the belief in the Ten Kings flourished,and the emergence of the "Sutra of the Ten Kings" provided new ideas for the imagination of hell.In the late Tang Dynasty,the statues of the Kistigarbha and Ten Kings appeared,and the Kistigarbha also formed a connection with the Ten Kings,becoming a symbol of fairness in supervising the judgment of the King in Hell;The concept of fasting for the deceased and practicing the Seven Saints in the scriptures also had a significant impact on the daily life of the people during this period,and this practice of fasting was seen as a manifestation of filial piety and filial piety,mainly manifested through customs such as the "Seven Saints" and "Yulan Pen Festival".Making the Seven Saints or even the Ten Saints for the deceased became a common funeral custom during this period,and the Yulan Pen Festival was held grandly by the ruling class,Even became an official holiday in the Tang Dynasty;some funerary objects in this period also reflect the influence of Buddhism on the view of the dark world in the middle and late Tang Dynasty.In addition,some of the wandering stories and supernatural novels of this period were rich in creation,not only describing the horror of the underworld,but also adding scenes like real life,downplaying people’s fear of the underworld.At the same time,as an important part of the development of the Chinese underworld view during the mid to late Tang Dynasty,the underworld view laid the foundation for the formation of the Ten Kings of the Earth Treasure system during the Five Dynasties and Song Dynasties,which mainly focused on the Earth Treasure.It also became an important theme adopted in the Water and Land Law Society during the Two Song Dynasties,this influence not only had an impact on the Chinese society at that time,but also on other neighboring countries such as Japan and South Korea,and has continuously influenced people’s concept of the underworld until now.