華化摩尼教冥界觀與敦煌本《十王經》關系索隱=A Textual Study on the Relationship between the Chinese Manichean Concept of Hell and the Sutra of the Ten Kings in Dunhuang Documents
Among the Manichean texts discovered in Xiapu, Fujian Province since 2008, many records about “rescuing souls” have been discovered. From these records it can be seen that the Manicheanism in the region came to develop a richly detailed concept of hell. In the Manichean nether world, “Ten Kings” appear frequently and seem to occupy a relatively important position among the deities of hell. Research has revealed that these kings are closely associated with the“Ten Kings” of the Buddhist Sutra of the Ten Kings preserved in Dunhuang. After entering China from Persia, Manicheanism assimilated and extended the concept of hell already present in the Central Plains and ultimately formed a conception of the underworld that was unique to the Manicheanism in Xiapu.
