龙华三会思想的形成及其与民间宗教之关系

Formation of the Theory of “Three Assemblies Under the Dragon Flower Tree” and Its Relation with Folk Religion

"龙华三会"自黄天教以后,成为民间宗教最基本的思想之一。这一思想最关键之处有两点:一是无生老母之主神信仰,而这一无生老母,和弥陀实是异名同指;二是弥勒下生信仰,即"龙华三会"中之"三会龙华弥勒祖"。黄天教在罗祖批判弥陀与弥勒信仰之后,重拾这一信仰内容,并首次将其以完整的故事形态呈现出来,而以龙华三会思想为重要组成部分的无生老母信仰,也正是在黄天教之后,以一个系统化了的姿态,成为民间宗教世界里共奉的一套信仰观念。黄天教或许并不是此一信仰体系之最初的缔造者,但却是目前在历史记载中可见的在罗祖批判"无生父母"之后,反罗教而行之并最终将其发扬光大者。

The content of ＂Three Assemblies under the Dragon Flower Tree＂ was the basic thoughts in folk religion after Huangtianism. The thoughts are characterized by two points： one is the belief in ＂The Unborn Old Mother＂ which is Amitabha Buddha in fact, the other is the belief in the ＂Descent of Maitreya＂. After the criticism of Amitabha Buddha and Maitreya by LuoZu, Huangtianism restored the beliefs and presented them with stories. The belief of ＂The Unborn Old Mother＂ with ＂Three Assemblies under the Dragon Flower Tree＂ as the main part has become the universal belief in the folk religion after Huangtianism. Huangtianism is perhaps not the founder of this belief, hut the major developer in history after Luoism.