虛空的恐怖 : 佛教與阿爾傑農·布萊克伍德

Abstract

阿爾傑農·布萊克伍德以創作大量恐怖故事和超自然小說而聞名。在他的恐怖故事中，主角往往著迷於大自然的奧秘。在某種程度上，他們擁有敏銳的自然觀察力；然而，他們越深入探索自然奧秘，就越感到困惑。萬物皆有靈性，似乎在荒僻的自然中存在某些東西，超乎人類理解或想像範疇。從此意義而言，布萊克伍德的文學作品中充滿神秘力量和難解之謎，促使人類正視自己的渺小和不足，並對以人為本的思想和態度提出質疑。除此之外，在維多利亞時代，佛教在英國萌芽並傳播。在很大程度上，布萊克伍德的故事順應了此時期佛教的歷史發展和時代潮流。本論文探討了東方哲學與西方恐怖小說之間的相互關係。第一章考察布萊克伍德的短篇故事《柳樹》中所呈現的三個佛教概念：概念的不真實性、無我和黑夜。同樣的，第二章分析布萊克伍德另一短篇故事《溫迪戈》中的三個佛教概念：幻覺、內心平靜和業力。在這兩個故事中，恐怖與佛教概念，尤其是虛空(梵文śūnyatā）密切相關。值得一提的是，布萊克伍德在借鑒佛教元素的同時，並補充基督教和當代文化思想。因此可以得出結論：布萊克伍德的文學作品是該時代的文化產物，反映該時代的精神特色和意識觀，並見證佛教的興盛和向英國轉型融合的過程。Algernon Blackwood is regarded as one of the masters of supernatural fiction. In his horror stories, characters are endlessly fascinated by the mysteries of nature. To some degree, they are accurate natural observers; however, the more they discover its hidden secrets, the more confused they feel. The entire environment is alive, and there is always a bit of underlying suspicion that something exists in the solitudes of nature, far beyond human comprehension. In a sense, this enigma pervades the work of Blackwood, arousing feelings of smallness and inadequacy of human beings. It casts doubt upon human-centric thinking and attitude that we are unaware of. In addition, during the Victorian age, Buddhism spread and gained popularity in Britain. To a great extent, Blackwood’s stories are in conformity with the trend of the historical development of Buddhism and that of the times.This thesis explores the interrelationship between Eastern philosophy and Western horror. Chapter One of this thesis examines three Buddhist concepts as they appear in the story “The Willows”: the unreality of concepts, the nonself, and the dark night. In a similar way, Chapter Two carries out an analysis of three Buddhist concepts that are presented in “The Wendigo”: illusion, inner peace, and karma. These concepts are derived from śūnyatā, a Sanskrit word conventionally translated as “emptiness.” Put differently, in these two stories, horror is closely linked with Buddhist concepts, especially śūnyatā. Moreover, while Blackwood borrows Buddhist elements, he also supplements it with Christian and contemporary cultural ideas. Therefore, it could be concluded that Blackwood’s stories are cultural artifacts of that time and place. They witnessed the prosperity of Buddhism and the process of its transformation and integration into Britain.