水陆仪起源的理论思考

Theoretical Reflections on the Origins of the Water and Land Ritual

随着图像学研究在历史与艺术史学科的深入,水陆画进入学者研究的领域。由此产生的一个问题是:在中国流行于宋代的水陆仪与保存下来大量明清的水陆画的起源在哪里?针对目前有关水陆仪是源于佛教还是道教的说法,笔者经过考证认为,以祭祖度亡为目的水陆仪与水陆画的源头可能是中国传统的道教文化,而不是来自印度的佛教。

As modern scholars came to gain a better understanding of the history of religious art, there appeared many studies on the Water and Land ritual paintings. Yet, one crucial historical question has not been suffciently explored. Water and Land ritual paintings were already widespread during the Song dynasty, and until the present time many relevant works of art, most of which dated back to Ming and Qing dynasties, are still extant. But what is the origin of this ritual art？ This paper attempts to explore, whether the Water and Land ritual paintings originated in Buddhism or in Daoism. The purpose of the ritual of Water and Later is liberation of the dead, and it is defnitely related to ancestral worship. Therefore, the paper argues that the Water and Land ritual and the Water and Land ritual paintings have their origins in traditional Chinese culture and Daoism, rather than in Buddhism from India.