Karma and Bodhi : the Buddhist conception of life and death in Demi-gods and semi-devils = 因果與覺悟 : 《天龍八部》的佛學"生死"觀

Abstract

Louis Cha Leung-Yung has long been known as one of the most popular fantasy martial arts novelists. The popularity of his novels and their TV series adaptations in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan over the last thirty years leads many people to view Louis Cha as a popular spokesperson for the traditional Chinese culture. Some of his novels have also been translated from Chinese into a variety of foreign languages. The thought and culture presented in the novels are also a hot topic for academic research. Past scholars have already discussed Louis Cha’s works in relation Buddhism.

Among his 15 novels, “Demi-Gods and Semi- Devils” is believed by many as “the most representative” novel of Louis Cha's writing. While philosophers offer theories to explain the Buddhist conception of life and death, Louis Cha demonstrates the practical effects of these theories in the world of his novels. “Demi-Gods and Semi- Devils” offers not only valuable insights into Buddhism and the Buddhist conception of life and death, but it is also well structured with profound descriptions of characters, making it a valuable novel for textual analysis.

The thesis is consisted of three major sections: First, “Theories of Buddhism in relation the conception of life and death” summarizes the understanding of life and death in Buddhism. Second, “Louis Cha and Buddhism” explores the personal life and background of Louis Cha and also his struggles to reconcile his religious faith of Buddhist inclination with his vocation as a novelist. The third and final section “Textual Analysis” examines the contents of “Demi-Gods and Semi- Devils” and explores Louis Cha’s understanding of Buddhism.

金庸是現今華文武俠小說的代表作家，他的作 品深受中、港、臺讀者的喜愛，部分小說更 被翻譯成外語，供外國讀者閱讀。金庸小說中的傳統文化與佛教思想，也成為眾多學者研 究主題。不少學者曾指出，金庸小說的佛學思想很大程度地體現在他的作品之中。 金庸創作的十五部小說中，《天龍八部》被譽為 “最具代表性的武俠小說”。《天龍八部》 的結構緊密而複雜，對人物的命運與性格有深刻的描寫，因此作為研究金庸小說的文本， 其研究價值相當高。另外，《天龍八部》一書反映的佛學意識也是金庸眾多作品中最為明 顯的。小說以佛經名詞命名，書中的人物、角色設定、乃至主角的名字，也表現出佛家意 味，與佛門有緊密的關係。因此，若要從金庸小說了解他的佛學觀，《天龍八部》可謂不 二之選。 本研究旨在以金庸小說《天龍八部》為文本，探討書中所表達的佛學“生死＂觀及作者的 佛學意識。本研究可分成三大部分: (1) “佛學對‘生死’的看法＂，將整合佛學對 “生 死”的看法，包括對本研究所涵蓋的一些佛學概念，例如 “生命＂、 “因果＂、 “業＂等基本概念作簡單解釋: (2) “金庸小說佛學意識＂，以金庸的生平資料，嘗試分析他對生死佛學的看法，希望有助分析《天龍八部》的思想特色; (3) “《天龍八部》的佛學觀＂，就《天龍八部》(新修版)的人物及文本內容及其佛學主題、就 “人生八苦＂、 “因果循環 ＂、 “覺悟＂等佛學意識進行文本分析，以勾勒出整部《天龍八部》的佛學觀。