Paper abstract:

This paper is going to make a historical analysis by comparing different religions in order to examine the topic of ‘Ten Kings of the Hell’ from both Buddhism and Manichaeism during the period in and after Tang Dynasty. The names and conceptions of the ‘Ten Kings’ and their kingships are very same according to the manuscripts from Dunhuang and Xiapu. It is probably inferred that there is relationship between them. Since there is a discussion about how and whether the topic of ‘Ten Kings’ came from Buddhism and influenced Manichaeism or oppositely in China, and there is another more original description about the conception of hell in Manichaeism in Sasanid, I am going to argue three points: first, the ‘Ten Kings’ in Manichaeism is influenced by Buddhism and there is a development of the topic about ‘thrones in hell’ within Manichaeism from Sasanid to China, which shows a change of; second, there are different understandings to think of the change about the conception and description of ‘Hell’ in Manichaeism, from which it can point to different comments about the Manichaeism in China; third, there are different schools of Buddhism and the one which influenced Manichaeism most with the topic of ’Ten Kings of the Hell’ should be the School of Three Stages. The paper will be based on the murals of the Mogao Caves, the manuscripts from Turpan, Dunhuang and Xiapu, Books of Manichaeism and Buddhism. I will focus on the comparison between Buddhism and Manichaeism, Sasanian Manichaeism and Chinese Manichaeism, and different schools in Buddhism and make historical research. My argument should be relevant with the interaction between Buddhism and Manichaeism, the development of Manichaeism in the Mid-age, the interaction between China and the foreign religions coming in, and the cross-culture research about the world after death.