The Culture of the Nether World 

Better and Better                                                                                                Day 57

      Today we will learn the culture of the nether world in China. Chinese people’s imagination of the nether world mainly comes from two aspects, one is the concept of hell and samsara in Buddhist culture, the other is the extension of secular life. In contrast, Christianity believes that the world after death is very different from the real world. People are bound with sin in the present world. What believers seek is to save the soul and enter the Holy heaven. As for Chinese, the ideal state of life is Taoism’s immortality. Even if the external fails to enter the nether world, so long as it passes the judgment smoothly, and is born again, which is also the ideal result. It can be seen that Chinese love for real real is so strong and persistent.         

      今天我們來學習中國的幽冥文化。中國人對陽間的想象主要來自兩方面，一是佛教中的地獄和輪回觀念，一是世俗生活的延伸。相比起來，基督教認爲，死後世界和現實世界截然不同，人在現實世界和罪惡捆綁在一起，信徒所追求的是靈魂得救、進入完全聖潔天國。至於中國人，人生最理想的狀態是道教的長生不老。即便長生失敗進入陰間，衹要順利通過審判，再次轉世爲人，也是理想結果。由此可見，中國幽冥文化所表達的是中國隊現世非常强烈的、持久的愛。 

                                                                                                            Oct.20th ,2018                                                                                                                  Bazhou.