Comparison Of The Conception Of Supernatural World Between"Zhengao" And The Supernatural Tales In The Six-dynasty

"Zhengao" shares the similar periodic background and folk values with the supernatural tales in the Six-dynasty. There are many intimate connections as well as distinctive qualities between them. As an important classical of Taoism Shangqing is compiled by Tao Hongjing in the Southern Dynasty,"Zhengao" not only includes beliefs from the other sects of Taoism but also includes the mainstream social philosophy at that time. Concurrently, the supernatural tales flourishes in the Six-dynasty and gained historical value with the spirit of actual record. They both involves the supernatural world in quantity, and the conception of the supernatural world is ultimately a reflection of the real world, as a result, comparing the conception of supernatural world in "Zhengao" and the supernatural tales in the Six-dynasty, is a breakthrough approach towards exploring the relation between religion and folk social thought in the Six-dynasty and its changes.In this comparative analysis, the paper first gives an overview of the supernatural world in "Zhengao" and the supernatural tales in the Six-dynasty, by arranging the contents into three realms, the heavenly world, the underworld, and the Sanguan in the underworld. It highlights the relationship between the worlds. It divides the supernatural world in the Six-dynasty into two parts, the natural genie and the ghost from the mortal dead. The last one can be divided into government in heavens and the temple of the dead, according to the Soul Views. It also involves three tiers in hierarchy, namely they are the Taishan Fu, Beidou and Siming, each with its unique management system.Next, the analysis compares the supernatural world between "Zhengao" and the supernatural tales in the Six-dynasty in two aspects, the supernatural notions and space as well as time. In the case of Taoist trials, Grave litigation and ghost note, it compares the way it treats the natural genie and the supernatural in Zhengo and the supernatural tales of ghosts. It specializes in analyzing the relationship between Huayang fairyland, Fengdu Mountain and Beidou with Siming, as well as Fengdu Mountain as well as Sanguan and Taishan Fu. Besides that, in the aspect of space, it compares the geography of fairyland in "Zhengao" and the supernatural tales on entering the exotic space. In the aspect of time, it compares ghost officials of different generations at the same time in "Zhengao" and transformation of the seas into land and observing rotten Ke in supernatural tales. It finds that they have much in common, but "Zhengao" went one step beyond to objectify and mythicize them further, according to its religious requirements.Lastly, it takes the underground proprietor’s resurrection as a breakthrough point in exploring the relationship between man and God as well as the relationship between each other in their supernatural world. In the system of the world of ghosts, there are no fundamental differences with humans turning into ghost or god after death, and the ghost can get resurrected under the special situation. While, there is a reversible process, one can promote from human being or ghost up to fairy, the other is from fairy down to human down to ghost, but when viewed as a whole, it stresses on the upwards process. In other words, the human can be immortal and became the fairy, or turn into fairy by being underground after death, within this situation, some need to resurrect as human before turning into the fairy.The difference in that relationship between "Zhengao" and the supernatural tales, is ultimately the difference in the belief of life or death, the supernatural tales in the Six-dynasty continued with the concept of "death and life have different road ", stressing on the difference between human being and the spirits, showing how humans have a deep scare of the other world. As the text of Taoism,"Zhengao" encourages humans to seek to be immortal and finally become a fairy, to realize this aim, besides using kinds of practicing, it also tries to change people’s understanding of death, by removing the barrier between life and death, death and the immortal fairy.