Flowing People, Flowing Ghost: ‘Fahui’ as Contemporary Practice of Chinese Popular Religion.

• Main Authors: Po-Wen Shih, 施博雯
• Other Authors: 林開世
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/a8tu77

碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 人類學研究所 === 107 === This study focuses on the ritual ‘‘Chao-du Fahui’’(超度法會) which purpose is to restore cosmic order and purify the local community by delivering the deceased. Different from traditional popular religion rituals, for example, the jiao(醮), which has a similar ritual purpose and base on the local community and local temple. Chao-du fahui is held by private temple shrine and conduct in various places. Moreover, this ritual claims to deliver the ‘indigenous ghost’ which is unfamiliar in the Han popular religion. Therefore, in this thesis, I tried to clarify how these local rituals can be worked in the de-territorial situation and why the chao-du fahui starts to include the indigenous culture in recent years. In this regard, I analyze the cult of Muniang(母娘) and the ritual practitioners. The doctrine of this cult emphasizes the idea of salvation rather than acquiring the transcendental power by pilgrimage as the local temples usually do. In other words, helping the death of different ethnic group to reincarnation is in accord with the requirements of the doctrine. On the other hand, these ritual practitioners are spirit medium called ‘‘lingji’’(靈乩). By participating in chao-du fahui , lingji can eliminate karma and improve the ability of mediumship. Meanwhile, through the reaction in lingji’s body causing by the clothing, music, and dancing, I argue that the intensive sensory effect and subjectivity of lingji which the practitioners can gain in the ritual scene is the reason why lingji believe themselves having the ability to accomplish salvation and the chao-du fahui can have the efficacy to reconstruct the cosmic order.