Research On The Imperial Decree Of Burying Corpses In The Song Dynasty

The burying corpses of the Song Dynasty are the highest directives of the rulers of the Song Dynasty on the activities of burying corpses,and also an important part of promoting the development of social burying corpses relief in the Song Dynasty.There were many types of The burying corpses in the Song Dynasty,including edicts,order,pardons,dharma,hand edicts and imperial pens.These different types of imperial edicts have their own characteristics,flexibility and authority,which meet the needs of actual burying corpses activities and further promote and improve the development of the burying corpses system.The burying corpses of the Song Dynasty is rich.More than 100 imperial edicts of burying were issued in the two Song Dynasties,involving a wide range of burying groups and various ways.Through the division of the contents of the imperial edict on the collection and burial of the Song Dynasty,it can be roughly divided into the following four situations: first,the arrangement of the collection and burial of the army;second、 Response to the situation of corpses everywhere caused by natural disasters and plagues;third、 The institutional arrangement and construction of louze park for official collection and burial institutions;fourth 、 The government is concerned about the working arrangements requiring religious people to participate in the collection and burial of human remains.In addition,there are some questions about the remains,family shirts and so on.From the specific content of the imperial edict of collecting and burying,the imperial edict of collecting and burying was also in constant change and development throughout the Song Dynasty,mainly including the gradual expansion of the objects of collecting and burying,the continuous improvement of the executive department of the imperial edict,the strengthening of the imperial edict on the collection and burying of monks and Taoists,and the increasing arrangement of fasting ceremony in the imperial edict of collecting and burying.In the formulation,promulgation and implementation of the imperial edict on burying in the Song Dynasty,the central decision-making group participated in the decision-making,and then the local institutions of Shangshu province were responsible for the implementation.The main executive agencies are: the official organization-the military institutional envoy department and the local state and county louze park;Non official institutions-monasteries,monks and Taoists,children’s groups,etc.Under the official requirements of the imperial edict on burial in the Song Dynasty,a variety of burial collection institutions jointly participated in social burial collection activities.In the implementation of the imperial edict,they showed the characteristics of strong practicability and sustainability,wide implementation scope and humanistic care.Through the study of the phenomena related to the imperial edict of burying,it is found that the emergence,change and operation of the imperial edict are closely related to the social and cultural background of the Song Dynasty.The development of Neo Confucianism in the Song Dynasty and the enhancement of the political responsibility consciousness of scholar bureaucrats require the rulers of the Song Dynasty to better clean up the hearts of the people by expanding the collection and burial and benevolence;The prevalence of cremation in Song Dynasty challenged the ruling thought of Confucianism.The rulers hoped to strengthen the education of the people by issuing the imperial edict of burying;The development of religious secularization and the change of funeral ceremony in the Song Dynasty provided a realistic basis for the development of the imperial edict of collection and burial.On the whole,the imperial edict of burying complemented the development of social culture in the Song Dynasty.Through the imperial edict of burying,we can more clearly see the times and particularity of the social and cultural development in the Song Dynasty.At the same time,the promulgation of the imperial edict of burying in the Song Dynasty also had a profound impact on the social development of the Song Dynasty.At the national political level,it has basically achieved the goal of benevolent government,maintained the combat effectiveness of the army,curbed the further spread of cremation,unified social thought,and maintained national security and stability.At the level of civil society,it is conducive to avoid the emergence of plague among the people and improve the people’s livelihood.However,the strong "sense of ceremony" of the imperial edict of collecting and burying and the expansion of the institutions of collecting and burying also contributed to the bad atmosphere of excessive mourning in the society and increased the financial burden to a certain extent.The yuan,Ming and Qing Dynasties drew lessons from the imperial edict of collecting and burying in the Song Dynasty,basically inherited the thought and relevant policies of the imperial edict of collecting and burying in the Song Dynasty,and continued to develop and improve on this basis.