Thoughts On Death:A Study Of Funeral Culture In Song Dynasty

Funeral rites are an important part of ancient Chinese rites.The ritual of seeing off the dead is actually a mirror to reflect on their own lives.Through the research and analysis of funeral rites in song dynasty,we can clearly see the evolution of the concept of life and death.This paper tries to explore the philosophical significance of funeral culture in song dynasty within the basic framework of death science.On the basis of previous studies,the evolution of the view of life and death in the song dynasty under the background of the integration of three religions was further sorted out,and the similarities and differences between official funeral rites and folk funerals were compared and analyzed,so as to explore the cultural concepts behind them.This paper tries to restore the whole picture of funeral in the song dynasty by using the notes and novels of song people and the literature of the time to explore the ideological structure of song people’s idea of life and death from the side by referring to the popular religious classics at that time.Then through the imitation song people’s posthumous world to present the song people’s understanding of the limits of life and death,with the help of the song dynasty funeral rites to study the song Confucian placement of life and death,so as to obtain the wisdom of life and death for the contemporary society.On the whole,the funeral culture of song dynasty presents diversified characteristics.Due to the influence of the confluence of the three religions,the song people,while attaching importance to the underworld,realized the inevitability of death and believed that they could surpass the limited life through the practice in the secular life.People are still drifting between life and death,but there is a deeper theoretical basis for where they stand.