Доклады Международного конгресса ИИСАА. Т. 1

III. Far East, South and South-East Asia / Дальний Восток, Южная и Юго-Восточная Азия 490 Proceedings of the International Congress on Historiography and Source Studies of Asia and Africa.Vol. I. 2020 Cheng-he’s son, spends all the time training him in classics and as a result well- prepares the young scholar for two higher stages of the government examinations. Young Zai-chang ( 再昌 ) — son of Ye’s benefactor — becomes a top-official, and in alliance with his father they help Ye to successfully prepare for and pass the exams, and then to pay a visit to his home county. But unexpectedly, nobody seems to be happy meeting Ye at home — his wife runs away and hides, and when Ye explains how rich and prominent he’s become, she tells him, that in fact he’s died long ago and the coffin is still standing unburied, because of the family penury. Thus, it turned out, that in fact, it has been the spirit of the deceased student, who helped his benefactor’s son and passed the exams. For all this time everyone has taken him for a living person, and even the student himself was quite sure about that. Having seen the unburied coffin in the central hole, Ye suddenly falls down and vanishes with the only clothes and shoes left, resembling a lorn shell [Liao Zhai zhi yi, juan 2 of 12 1 or alternately 1 of 16 2 ]. Thus, again, the main idea is still the same — complex of the souls is indistinguishable form a living person, and not only the others, but the ghost himself may be unaware of his decease. Here we observe quite a phenomenon, combining some traditional beliefs with the later popular-Buddhist lineaments. Though classical Buddhism denies such a thing as soul and speaks only of karmic transition process, folksy beliefs have transformed this idea into a new exegesis of reincarnation. This exegesis casts away the initial issue of Yin and Yang souls’ separation as a main premise for rightful death, but speaks about sheer metempsychosis, where, on the contra, integrity of all the souls is recognized as the chief principle of a successful death and rebirth. This is fully demonstrated in such stories as, for example, “Zheng’s Daughter” ( 鄭氏女 ) from the mentioned Zhang Du’s collection «Records from Xuanshi Hall» [Taiping Guang Ji, juan 358 3 ], this is broadly betaken in stories about Buddhist preceptors’ astral journeys. The latter describe this complex of souls as a total copies of their owners, seen from aside and able to speak, walk — in short, indistinguishable from a living person: for example, short-story “Huai-xin” ( 懷信 ) from Li Rong’s collection [Taiping Guang Ji, juan 98 4 ], “Jian shi” ( 鑒師 ) from Zhang Du’s miscellany [Taiping Guang Ji, juan 1 Pu Song-ling ( 蒲松龄 ). Liao Zhai zhi yi ( 聊斋志异 , Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio). V. 1. P. 139–146. 2 Pu Song-ling ( 蒲松龄 ). Xiangzhu Liao Zhai zhi yi tu yong ( 詳注聊齋志異圖詠 , Commented and illustrated Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio). V. 1. P. 96–101. 3 Taiping Guang Ji ( 太平廣記 , Records of the Taiping Era) / Li Fang deng bian ( 李昉 等編 , composed by Li Fang and others). Beijing: Renmin wenxue chubanshe, 1959. V. 4. P. 2837. 4 Taiping Guang Ji ( 太平廣記 , Records of the Taiping Era). V. 1. P. 654.