| Abstract |
In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties when Buddhism was rejuvenated, believers triedto express their beliefs by drama. Tu Long first conveyed the idea of monasticism through hisdramas. His “Tan Hua Ji”, “Tsai Hao Ji” and “Siou Wun Ji” are works on human salvation, revealingthe path from the secular life to the monastic life. He believed dramas are one essential salvationmeans for the Buddha but he had been questioned for this, as drama may “mislead people awayfrom the right path their desires should follow.” Chin Da’s “Gui Yuan Jing” was also accused,so he wrote “Xi Ju Rong Tong”, “Wen Da Yin Yuan”and “Ke Wen Jue Yi”to elaborate the fusionof Chinese opera and Buddhism and underscored Buddha’s five essential salvation elements:Dharma, worldly truth, words, prosody and popular culture. Both dramatists incorporated theoriesin their creation, in which the creative ideas highlight “truth” and “popularity”. The truth of contentand beliefs was underscored to fully manifest the divine meanings contained, and the use ofpopular language was emphasized to promote Buddhism. Besides, actors and audience mustfollow certain rules to transform dramas into a ritual of religious significance; this helped erasethe Buddhism and drama opposition.
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