昙阳子信仰的建立兼论晚明文人宗教的特点 = BUILDING THE CULT OF TANYANGZI: A DISCUSSION OF LITERATI RELIGION IN LATE MING DYNASTY

Abstract

EXTENSIVE ACADEMIC RESEARCH ON RELIGION IN LATE IMPERIAL CHINA HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN, BUT SCHOLARS HAVE TENDED TO FOCUS MAINLY ON MAINSTREAM RELIGIONS AND SOME RELIGIOUS SECTS. THE LACK OF ATTENTION GIVEN TO CULTS OF THE LITERATI MAY HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF THE DISPERSION OF MATERIALS. THE CASE OF THE CULT OF TANYANGZI IS AN EXAMPLE. ESTABLISHED BY THE LATE MING LITERATI, THE CULT OF TANYANGZI SPREAD AND DEVELOPED MOSTLY WITHIN THE CIRCLE OF THE LITERATI AND GENTLEMEN, AND WAS THUS INFLUENCED DEEPLY BY THE CULTURE OF THE LITERATI. THE POLITICAL STATUS OF THE LITERATI DURING THE WANLI ERA, THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE WANG FAMILIES, THE POPULAR IDEOLOGY OF IMMORTALITY, AS WELL AS THE PRIVATE PUBLICATIONS AND THE LITERATURE CREATION INDUSTRY IMPACTED THE CULT OF TANYANGZI IN ITS RELIGIOUS SPACE, TEXTS, ORGANIZATION AND CULTURE. THIS INTERDISCIPLINARY THESIS AIMS TO ANALYZE THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE RELIGIOUS ASPECT OF THE TANYANGZI CULT AND THE CULTURE OF LATE MING LITERATI IN A SYNTHESIZED F