你知道嗎？【斯巴達的狗狗公主——史上首位在奧運「摘金*」的女性 】 和這紀錄現代人無法效法的各種理由 #本日冷知識1577 #文長注意
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本則冷知識兼祝賀台灣舉重女神郭婞淳，無懸念破紀錄兼摘金，把奧運變成單機遊戲啦。
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撒花 ｡:.ﾟヽ(*´∀`)ﾉﾟ.:｡ 撒花
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2021 東京奧運有個重點數字——百分之 49——是史上最高的女性運動員參與比率。
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回首 1896 年，在顧拜旦男爵（Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, 1863-1937）的多年鼓吹之後，第一屆的現代奧運在雅典舉辦。時代風氣使然，當時女性運動員是徹底（被）缺席的。顧拜旦心目中的奧運會，是純粹由男子業餘運動員進行的友好競賽。猶如古希臘的奧林匹克賽事也是謝絕女子參加的。
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古代奧運更是嚴禁已婚婦人在場觀戰，理由倒不難懂：希臘男子在田徑賽事中一貫是正面全裸的。奇怪的是未婚女子的待遇就完全不同，不僅可以旁觀男子賽事，甚至可能會在天后希拉（Hera）的慶典上，或與奧運會同步舉辦未婚女子版的運動競賽，可惜這類賽事（Heraean games）的具體記述甚少。
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以上是想強調「古代奧林匹克」和「女性」這兩個詞有多互斥。順帶一提，古代奧運勝利不摘金，畢竟頒發金、銀、銅牌是現代發明，古代是頒發橄欖枝的桂冠，所以標題我加了引號。
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但是酷妮絲卡公主（Cyniska of Sparta, 442-?）就是一位超犯規的存在，她是連續兩屆古代奧林匹克奧運會：396 年與 392 年的大贏家。
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關於本文中提到古希臘的年代，都遵從偷懶原則，省略了「西元前」或 BC 字樣，各位請自己在腦中加負號。關於公主芳名，雖然拉丁拼法很引誘人念成賽妮絲卡，但考慮希臘文是拼成 Κυνίσκα，其中 υ (upsilon) 古音發 /u/，所以，酷妮絲卡。名字涵義是小狗狗♀源自希臘語 κύων 狗。又想到 cynic→犬儒也是同個字根。於是標題「狗狗公主」。
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現代人無法效法酷妮絲卡的第一個理由是，她取勝的項目已經不存在了：飆四匹馬拉的雙輪戰車（chariot）賽。就是所謂的少女與戰車......其實不是，因為 396 年時她已 46 歲了。而且其實酷妮絲卡雖然未婚，卻仍是不能親自上場競技的，即使是公主也無法無視習俗。所以她鑽了一個漏洞。但並不是女扮男裝（酷拉皮卡也不是）。公主的奧運夢是這樣圓夢的：她出錢養馬、親自訓練馬匹，奧運時聘個男人上場駕駛但仍是以她的名義競賽。換句話說，古代奧運的馬術常常是騎手獲勝，但金主獲得榮耀。畢竟馬就像古代的超跑，超貴，貴到平民根本養不起，騎師騎雇主的馬就是常態了。 #我是今夜最稀有的品種
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作家色諾芬（Xenophon of Athens, c. 430-354）更不客氣評論道，大多奧運競技如田徑靠的是男兒傑出的勇氣♂和技藝 → 多半是戰爭技能的衍伸，例如有一項是著全副重裝步兵的裝甲，約六公斤重在 1 stade ≒ 180 公尺的跑道上往返跑一趟，稱為 hoplitodromos （hoplite 重裝步兵, dromo 跑）。離題講一下，大型運動會場叫 stadium 就是因為古希臘田徑場通常寬 1 stade 左右，此一希臘古長度單位是跑道通常的長度。
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色諾芬狂酸說，反觀和馬相關的競賽靠的根本是「恁爸有錢」。畢竟要入手優異的名馬、飼養、日復一日訓練都需一擲千金。超譯成現代術語就類似說，以大量投資墊高競爭者的入場門檻，就是用錢 KO 對手這樣。
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又双離個題，在酷妮絲卡初次奪冠後過了十屆，356 年的奧運會上，馬其頓的菲利浦二世的馬贏了某馬術項目。傳說同一天適逢亞歷山大出生，被當成大吉之兆——幸好亞歷山大沒有因此被命名為 Hippodromniki 之類的，hippodrome 跑馬，nike 勝利。想他姐姐出生那天菲利浦國王恰在 Thessaly 打了勝仗，大喜之下就命名女兒 Thessaloniki 了 （也是現代希臘第二大城）。
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扯太遠啦，浪子回頭。斯巴達的酷妮絲卡公主的功績，現代人無法效法也大概無須吹捧的第二個理由在於她的身分：她的父親 Archidamus 二世是斯巴達國王（雙王之一），她的哥哥也繼任父親，是為斯巴達國王 Agesilaus 二世。斯巴達的「雙王」理解成是戰時的兩名最高軍事領袖，且是斯巴達最顯赫家系才能擔任的。
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時間軸大概是這樣：狗狗公主出生在伯羅奔尼薩戰爭（431-404）前不久，她的名字是紀念斯巴達國王的祖父的小名，而她的父王帶領斯巴達軍三次大肆攻擊了雅典，在公主獲得桂冠殊榮時，斯巴達已在這場古希臘的世界大戰中獲勝（而雅典幾乎全毀），那時她的王兄已繼位，為斯巴達的希臘霸主（hegemon）時期。她便繼承了過世父王的馬匹，且在王兄的大力資助下參賽。
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酷妮絲卡能躋身古代奧運勝者之林的最後一個重要理由，就是斯巴達那古代罕見的奇葩社會型態。在斯巴達女性擁有很大的自主權，甚至自己名下擁有財產。斯巴達女人受到的教育程度也高，理由後述。最後不愧是斯巴達，戰死了無數男人，繼承了遺產的斯巴達的寡婦以富裕聞名。
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話說日後，哲學家亞里斯多德（384-322）將會見證斯巴達從希臘的霸主衰退成一地方勢力，讓出其霸主地位給馬其頓。亞里斯多德評論說，斯巴達的衰退起因是它「淪為女性治國的地方」。只不過亞里斯多德有個特色：他說過的每句話幾乎都錯了——還真不容易——我們切莫聽他。例如他也曾斬釘截鐵說女人的牙齒比男人少 XD。
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但亞氏這番攻擊也在在反映了斯巴達女子掌握權力之大、獨立性之高，在整個希臘世界都是異類存在，果然就被針對了。其他古希臘城邦中，婦女權利依附於男性家主，女性的預設角色是承擔家務與雜役，只比奴隸高一層級而已。不擁有私有財產，養馬什麼的更不用說了。
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為何有這麼大差異？其實，斯巴達的社會有一項至高原則......你以為是「尚武」對吧？但其實有個法則比尚武更優先，那就是「徹底貫徹優生學」——生產出繁多又強壯的下一代是國民義務，這樣即使斯巴達在征戰中折損男丁，都能很快就生回來，生生不息繁榮昌盛才好當霸主。
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出於這種優生考量，斯巴達人相信體質強健的女子對於生育壯丁也同等重要，於是產生了格言：「生男當然最好，但即使生女也要把她教養的和她的兄弟一樣強」。這樣到底算不算一種性別分工下的權力平均咧？也因此，斯巴達女性接受的教育包括了健體強身的各種運動、音樂舞蹈甚至騎乘，都由年長的女性教授，只差沒有軍事訓練而已（卡珊德拉表示）。斯巴達很可能有女子運動會，甚至可能讓年輕的男女在賽事上裸裎相見相互競技。又順帶一提，英語的健身房/體育館 gymnasium 這個字就來自希臘語的裸體 γυμνός (gumnos)，不過奇怪的，德語 gymnasium 的意思是大學預科學校......不細說了XD
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再加上，其實斯巴達男人在 30 歲之前是不能和妻子同居的，斯巴達男人從相當於我們小學的年紀就被要求集體生活，集體受軍事訓練，和同儕與師長養成親密♂無間的信任關係，如果早早成家生子，要總不在家的男人張羅家務事和養育後代......就無法，於是斯巴達女性需當家，並掙得了高度自主權。與之相對，理想的斯巴達女性美德完全在於能否養育出勇士。斯巴達的悍母民風在歷史的一頁展現了。希臘化時代的名將，國王皮洛士（Pyrrhus of Epirus, 306-272）在他生命的最後一年揮軍試圖硬吃斯巴達，當兩軍在城下對峙，斯巴達女性一擁而出，連夜在兩軍之間挖了一條戰壕，還叫士兵男孩們今晚多休息，儲備體力以待拂曉決戰，多威猛的斯巴達媽媽。
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最後來說壓軸的限制級內容，斯巴達社會型態的根本由來——其強悍勇武與其說是出於抵禦外敵，更是無時無刻不在防範身邊眾多的奴隸：黑勞士（Helots）的反叛。歷史之父希羅多德曾估計，每 1 個斯巴達公民或許對應到 7 個黑勞士奴隸，這種懸殊比例，表示斯巴達人隨時都要有以一砍十的自信。
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斯巴達人始終使用一種非人的恐怖，在統御/蹂躪著這大量的他們眼中的人形牲畜，詳情不可描述。因此斯巴達人的男女分工才會如前述，貫徹優生考量，資源全用產兵，技能全點武力，斯巴達女人並不需紡織下田飼養，生產勞作由奴隸做，女人唯需要生養教育出男子，男子唯需要高效率的殺人。知道這些背景，再看《300 壯士》你或許會有完全不同的感受。
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好了好了，太嚴肅了，換個話題。話說贏了古希臘奧林匹克的人「只會得到橄欖枝桂冠和榮譽」而沒有物質上的餽贈，究竟合不合實情呢？
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顧拜旦男爵認為古希臘人純屬為榮譽、為愛而投入奧林匹克競賽，只是個一廂情願的曲解罷了。參與多半還是冀望拿些好處的，不管爭名還是牟利。較世俗的城邦常配發年金或給予冠軍終生免稅的待遇，換取一個光榮的代言權，把英雄寫進城邦的神話裡。有點像補習班拿高分榜首同學當招生號召，就會給一點意思意思的獎金那樣。也有有野心之士利用奧運的光環（或是說橄欖環）作為進入政界的入口。想，你都變成世界級名人了，以知名度做槓桿試著在世上做出些改變應該算是人之常情。
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另一種政治操作就高調了：冠軍會被當成半神，即古希臘的英雄崇拜（hero cult）。斯巴達的酷妮絲卡，我們的狗狗公主就獲得這種待遇，即使在她過世後多年，在斯巴達對她的崇拜仍不停歇，激勵了更多斯巴達女子投入奧運。畢竟在希臘人心目中傑出的人 = 英雄 = 有神性。出了英雄的家系更是世世代代講話卡大聲。酷妮絲卡的王兄會大力支持她追求奧運夢，大概有著這種算盤，即使他們家世早就夠顯赫了，但能利用的政治資本就要利用......
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行文至此，我的腦忽然嘖了一聲，說：「喂，科宅，奧運比賽大家開心就好。不需要追究這麼多喔」。好的大家，那我們下次再見，祝各位觀賽武運昌隆！
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插圖：歐蘿拉·栖夜·莉絲·凱明公主。和本文關係是沒有。
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參考資料：wikipedia - Cynisca ; wikipedia - Women in ancient Sparta。現代奧運的男女運動員人數比 Number of athletes at the Summer Olympics by gender 1896-2016
Published by Aaron O'Neill, Jul 15, 2020。

#東奧即時報【2020東京奧運延遲一年疫情下開幕，王貞治擔任火炬手、大坂直美點燃聖火；台灣在第104位，由盧彥勳、郭婞淳掌旗入場】

受到COVID-19（又稱新冠肺炎、武漢肺炎）影響，首度延後一年的奧林匹克夏季奧運「TOKYO 2020」，終於在今（23）日於主辦國日本首都東京登場，由於日本當地疫情嚴峻，不得不在緊急事態宣言下舉辦，成為奧運史上第一次沒有觀眾的開幕式。少了掌聲與吶喊，也因疫情多了悲傷氣氛，僅有不到千人的運動員、表演團體與工作人員參加，伴隨著日本電玩配樂進場，台灣代表隊則是排在第104位，由五朝元老、網球名將盧彥勳，以及舉重女神郭婞淳一起擔任掌旗官。

眾所矚目的奧運聖火，事前保密到家，國人熟悉的世界全壘打王王貞治、讀賣巨人榮譽教練長嶋茂雄，與前大聯盟球員松井秀喜共同擔任第二棒的火炬手，接著由防疫醫護人員、帕運選手土田和歌子、宮城及福島縣的小朋友，最終交由擁有4座大滿貫冠軍的日本網球天后大坂直美點燃聖火。

在東京奧運暨帕運組織委員會主席橋本聖子與國際奧會主席巴赫（Thomas Bach）致詞後，由日本天皇德仁正式宣布開幕。持奧運會旗進場的成員中，其中一位為阿根廷48公斤女子柔道選手帕雷托（Paula Paretto），本身即是外科醫師，也投身防疫之列，並把會旗交接給疫情期間奉獻的醫護人員，感謝他們對防疫的貢獻。

￭沒有觀眾的奧運開幕，本屆除了「Chinese Taipei」還出現「ROC」

即使奧運主辦地東京都已經連續四日COVID-19確診人數都超過千例，22日更高達1,979例，逼近兩千大關，國際奧會與主辦國日本仍在疫情嚴峻狀態下舉辦奧運。由於在新國立競技場舉辦的開幕式禁止觀眾入場，不只少了掌聲與吶喊，運動員們興奮進入運動最高殿堂的笑容也被口罩遮住，各國代表隊只能在口罩上花心思，不少國家都把國旗或國家元素加入口罩，成為東京奧運獨特看點。

日本德仁天皇親自出席開幕式，首相菅義偉、國際奧會主席巴赫以及美國第一夫人吉兒（Jill Biden）則是在貴賓席上觀禮。即使主辦單位規定所有運動員進場必須保持2公尺社交距離，進場時間也因為要保持社交距離多延長30分鐘，但運動員興奮心情無法擋，包括來自南美洲阿根廷與歐洲葡萄牙等國的運動員，勾肩邊走邊跳，反觀亞洲參賽國家就比較安分，多數僅以揮手慢慢進場。

台灣代表隊則是排在韓國後頭進場，由已經宣布奧運賽後將退役的五朝元老盧彥勳，與舉重59公斤級多項世界紀錄保持人郭婞淳，一起共同持會旗進場擔任掌旗官。這也是本屆奧運特色，鼓勵各國分別派出男女各一名選手掌旗，台灣代表隊考量今晚的天氣炎熱，加上明天有高達11個運動項目要出賽，因此由明天輪空的輕艇激流選手張筑涵、唯一的游泳女將黃渼茜，及體操女將丁華恬參加開幕式。除了選手之外，代表團總領隊蔡辰威、隊醫林瀛洲等人也一起進場。

特別的是，這次除了「Chinese Taipei」之外，「ROC」也出現在進場隊伍中，只是這個「ROC」是俄羅斯奧林匹克委員會（Russian Olympic Committee）的簡稱。因為俄羅斯深陷禁藥醜聞，國際奧會重罰禁止俄羅斯國旗、國歌與國名出現在東京奧運會場，因此俄羅斯運動員以ROC來參賽，實力依舊不容忽視，預估仍有競爭獎牌排名前幾名的實力。而台灣進場雖舉「Chinese Taipei」牌子，日本NHK轉播的播報員仍以「台灣」介紹。

￭開幕式濃濃的日系風，音速小子、太空戰士動漫配樂登場

開幕式一開始由日本鐵肺歌手米希亞（MISIA）演唱日本國歌〈君之代〉，隨即在新國立競技場橢圓圈屋頂上施放694發煙火，放射狀的發射，象徵著歡迎各國頂尖運動員來到日本，為2020東京奧運揭開序幕。

由於這次奧運嚴重受到疫情影響，即使延後一年依舊無法排除疫情因素，因此表演項目一改過去幾屆奧運的歡樂，以弔念因為染疫過世的人們以及默哀來取代，表現項目中特別以日本引以為傲的傳統工藝，製作木製的奧運五環，傳達木匠文化。

運動員進場更是一大亮點，國家招牌是日漫風的對話框，牌子的兩面分別用日文片假名與英文字母寫下國名。由於這次沒有觀眾掌聲，日本特別以知名日本電玩組合音樂伴隨運動員進場，包括勇者鬥惡龍、魔物獵人、音速小子、太空戰士Final Fantasy等配樂。

運動員代表團進場則是以片假名為順序，由奧運發源地希臘首先入場，排名第二位進場則是繼上一屆里約奧運後，再次組隊的奧林匹克難民隊。台灣代表隊則是名列104位進場，美國由於是2028年洛杉磯奧運的主辦國，排在倒數第三位進場，下一屆2024巴黎奧運主辦國法國，則是倒數第二進場。最後壓軸則是主辦國日本，身穿米白色西裝外套與紅色褲子，將國旗顏色穿在身上進場。

￭1,600台無人機襯托〈IMAGINE〉和「超級變變變」掀高潮

為反映全球面對疫情時團結一心，國際奧林匹克委員會在東京奧運登場前的會議上，通過修改奧運官方格言，將原本的「更快、更高、更強」（Faster, Higher, Stronger），增加「更團結」（Together）。開幕式的表演主軸也緊扣「團結」以及跨世代的意含，由一名長年的體操選手帶大家回顧百年奧運的演變，最終對照今年新增加的新世代滑板項目，象徵奧運不斷傳承與創新的視野。

開幕式的高潮是1,600台無人機，排成本屆奧會的會徽，當約翰・藍儂（John Lennon）與妻子小野洋子共同創作的名曲〈IMAGINE〉音樂前奏開始時，無人機變換排列成一顆地球，並由日本當地小朋友，以及事先錄製的五大洲知名歌手一起演唱，象徵著超越國界的和平。

主辦單位更以日本知名綜藝節目「超級變變變」橋段，三個人以一連串毫不拖泥帶水的演示設計師創作的50個競賽項目標誌，最後站上頒獎台分別獲得金銀銅牌，獲得全場運動員的熱烈掌聲。

（文／嚴文廷；攝影／AFP）

#延伸閱讀
【陳子軒／東京奧運的冷酷異境──只剩人造歡呼和病毒環繞的運動員】https://bit.ly/3iGkvAg
【2020東京奥運魔術數字：10張圖掌握東奥與台灣之最】https://bit.ly/2UvAedj
【沒有煙硝的戰爭──奧運的歡呼與悲鳴】https://bit.ly/3zmoxnY

#報導者 #2020東奧特輯 #東京奧運 #東奧 #奧運 #中華隊 #開幕 #聖火 #盧彥勳 #郭婞淳 #王貞治 #大坂直美 #TeamTaiwan #Tokyo2020

「地獄空」攝影集即將在八月中元節前出版，由知名設計師與攝影家黃子欽設計，內附在下二位高徒精美繪製符咒、心經版畫書籤、愣嚴咒牌、尊勝咒語...等，感恩十方大德助印，希望疫情退散，平安喜樂，後記如下：

野放台灣五十餘年，貪狼獨坐，三方四正殺破狼格局，少年多舛，白手起家，隨展覽雲遊四海，如閒雲野鶴常持各類底片機流連廢墟、山川、宮廟忘返，遂設幻影堂自詡堂主，一日三省「凡所有相皆是虛妄」，常宅於暗房沖片放大通宵、鍾情黑白世界之單純，彩色照片俗世繽紛花俏做作甜美甚至比現實更現實故少拍也。知天命之年有餘，了悟人生一瞬、眨眼即逝，雖非仙人，亦無道骨，初聞離垢地生清淨心，但離華嚴「不動地」尚遠，待修持也。
2017年盛暑拍畢《巨神連線》，心律不整差點心肌梗塞向閻羅王報到，意識死神隨伺在側，人生苦短，如何了生脫死、盡斷煩惱、無所罣礙、遠離顛倒……總不得解，蒙釋迦摩尼佛開示飆淚三晝夜，聞佛法數載始知自我渺如塵埃，甚感慚愧。閒暇乃參訪名寺古剎，禮敬焚香佛陀菩薩羅漢諸神天仙王爺媽娘，台灣宮廟千奇百怪、宗派錯綜複雜（佛教、道教、一貫道、天主教、基督教、齋教、回教＆大同教、儒教鑾堂、天帝教＆天德教、慈惠堂＆勝安宮、軒轅教、道院、理教、萬國道德會、會靈山……）、神棍橫行（依人不依法、偶像崇拜、斂財、邪淫），因歷史變遷、社會動盪、政治鬥爭、意識形態等因素導致佛道混雜，但地獄造景稀少，後專注拍攝各殿閻王、判官、陰司、獄卒、七爺、八爺乃至一切罪人，各寺造景巧妙、耐人尋味，意境乖張溢於言表，造型扭曲非常人所能塑也，然匠心獨運、自成一格，專研西方藝術數十載方知真誠樸拙最美，絲毫不輸喬托（Giotto di Bondone，1267～1337）乃至米開朗基羅（Michelangelo Di lodovico Buonarroti Simoni 1475 ~ 1564）矣。

創立於1986年的石門金剛宮風景優美可眺望北濱，雖主祀四面佛，儒釋道眾神尊也不含糊，可過七星橋解厄、繞行五百黝黑羅漢敲鑼印心、跪拜亞洲最大臥佛涅槃像，安太歲自不在話下，甲子太歲爺雙眼長出手掌印象甚深，1994年經閻羅王指示廟公建造一條肚內設極樂世界及陰曹地府之神龍，行走暗黑通道觸動感應機關，只見面容猙獰受刑者呼天搶地喊冤、身邊盡是血肉糢糊殘肢敗屍腦漿塗地，十殿閻羅各司其職、威儀攝人。新北市林口區青嶺湖北文紫祥宮包公廟則以壁面彩塑地獄浮雕獨步全台，粉嫩色彩搭配卡漫風格，尤為造型簡直恐怖到可愛透頂，該廟主祀森羅殿閻羅天子包拯（包青天），陽世冤屈者可至此參拜祭解，求破懸案者眾，逢中元普渡皆以紙紮船渡亡魂至彼岸，全台唯一閻羅天子巨像籌備中，四周環繞墓地，適合修不淨觀也。台灣首尊彰化八卦山大佛旁南天宮（1971）地府則是首座電動地府，規模精小但驚嚇度破表，略顯破敗但五光十色仍蠻凶悍，出自已故台南大道長金登富之作，而電動神明起始可追溯至1960年代北港朝天宮。倒是嘉義水上鄉白人牙膏觀光工廠「戴相府」、「將軍府」設置十殿地府出乎意料之外，乾淨亮麗、ㄧ殿ㄧ間、簡單樸實。由高雄蓮潭龍虎塔龍口入內可見全臺唯一交趾陶地獄牆面，尊尊栩栩如生，續入龍身乃進聞聲救苦白衣觀音大士三十三化身浮雕隧道，造型設色甚為古錐。高雄大岡山超峰寺入口處「西方三聖蓮池海會」（阿彌陀佛、觀世音菩薩、大勢至菩薩巨像）旁設靜態十殿閻羅（1970年代初），雖略為陳舊然韻味猶存，續往上行可抵「證菩提道－釋迦如來應化事迹」雕塑園區，一攬世尊畢生精華。如來年邁時，琉璃國王為報長期被釋迦族輕蔑之傲慢心，世尊雖三次單獨伽跌坐 阻擋大軍進攻之路，但因緣果報無法逆轉，昔日婢女所生王子瞋恨無以復加，還是滅了祖國。自持神通第一目犍連不忍無辜百姓慘遭屠殺，遂以缽盛救度五百族人，最終卻化為血水，佛言神通廣大仍不敵千百劫業力，因緣果報屢試不爽。其母死後墜入餓鬼道飢餓難耐，目犍連遂展神通救渡，但所食尚未入口皆化為赤火，佛陀囑咐農曆七月十五日僧眾解安居自恣日，於盆中設甘露美食供養十方僧眾，因此超度亡母。後世「盂蘭盆法會」乃至「水懺法會」、「瑜珈焰口法會 」皆為消業障、斷塵垢之超渡儀軌，既渡亡魂也自懺悔。

台南麻豆代天府規模宏大、造型豔麗，不但可遊十八層地獄尚可逛天堂（1979年興建，1983年開放)，燈光絢爛、聲響駭人，獨自漫步宛如觀落陰、地獄走一回。先過「心頭山」、入「清心池」、進「陰陽界」、抵「交簿廳」、達「鬼門關」、遊「補經所」、探「枉死城」、行「奈何橋」，至ㄧ殿泰廣王照「孽鏡台」現造惡原形，睹抱柱、火床等小地獄。二殿楚江王開「陰查簿 」判案定奪，觀糞尿泥、餓鬼、舞池、寒冰、膿血、鞭韃、舌犁、劍葉、戟腹拋接、砧截……等小地獄。三殿宋帝王刑罰為倒吊、銅鐵刮臉、挖眼、搗樁、倒烤、吸血、穿肋、抽筋、蛆蛀等小地獄……兼遊「四生（胎、卵、濕、化）回魂府」。四殿五官王掌管腰斬、拔舌、沸湯、刺嘴、剝皮、箭樹、車崩、射眼……等十六小地獄。隨五殿森羅王豋「望鄉臺」回眸親人最終眼後觀擊膝、誅心、刀山、飛刀火石……小地獄。六殿卞城王別稱「大叫喚大地獄」，轄火牛、虎啖、噬腎、鉗嘴含鍼、釘喉、磨摧、砍頭……等小地獄。七殿泰山王為「熱惱大地獄」，窺烙手指、抽腸、頂石蹲身、油釜滾烹、割舌穿腮……等十六小地獄。八殿都市王掌管「大熱惱大地獄」兼火狗、鐵汁、鐵蛇、鋸劈斷肢、釘板、灸脊、鐵丸、磅秤……等小地獄。九殿平等王直轄十八層「阿鼻大地獄」，直透地心、內中陰森、不見五指、滿溢地漿，皆為極犯，另轄紫赤毒蛇鑽孔、夾頂、鐵鴉、針雨、蜂蠍……等小地獄。至十殿輪轉王上「觀生臺」、「轉劫所八司」（查驗司 、稽善司 、考過司 、恩怨司 、壽命司 、支配司、掌劫司 、授生司）後至「孟婆亭」飲「醧忘湯」忘盡前塵往事，依前世功德過金、銀、玉、石、木、竹六種橋樑至「轉輪臺（紫河車）」入六道輪迴轉生投胎。據《十八泥犁經》記載，人過世後七七四十九天為「中陰生」，經閻羅王審判善惡業力判定去留或懲罰百千萬劫，犯五逆重罪則墮入「無間地獄（阿鼻地獄）」永劫不復。地藏王乃幽冥教主，統轄十殿閻羅，逢三曹普渡便在各殿設「講道所」超度尚存善根之鬼魂。

人類居於五趣（阿修羅、人、傍生、餓鬼、地獄）雜居地五濁惡世之堪忍世界，犯十惡業（殺生、偷盜、邪淫、妄語、兩舌、惡口、綺語、貪慾、嗔恚、愚痴）者必墮三趣惡道。如何出「三界」（欲界、色界、無色界）二十八天？凡人無此意識，別說能破「十二因緣」（無明、行、識、名色、六入、觸、受、愛、取、有、生、老死）還滅門，更別想斷除「四聖諦」（苦、集、滅、道）集地八十一品見惑與八十八使思惑（五利使-身見、邊見、邪見、見取見、戒禁取見、五鈍使-貪、瞋、癡、慢、疑），了悟「五蘊」（色、受、想、行、識）本空、「十二入」（眼、耳、鼻、舌、意、色、聲、香、味、觸、法）空、「十八界」空，破俱生我執與分別我執、法執甚至空執，生十一處「善心所」（信、精進、慚、愧、無貪、無瞋、無痴、輕安、不放逸、行捨、不害），降二十六處「惡心所」（貪、瞋、癡、慢、疑、惡見、忿、恨、覆、惱、嫉、慳、誑、諂、害、憍、無慚、無愧、掉舉、惛沉、不信、懈怠、放逸、失念、散亂、不正知），須知善根斷盡則陷永劫輪迴、無垠轉世之苦。

地獄可能空滅嗎？若地獄空乏人間多鬼怪，地獄淨空世間何嘗非淨土？若能證空性何處現地獄？

地獄曠古來便廣泛流傳各部族間，老死生滅為自然運行之基礎、宇宙意識之核心，然今文明昌盛如咱城邦並非慾望消弭之所，惡性所及實無可根除，礙於憲法國家法律社會軍隊企業公司學校家庭團體之層層束縛不亞於十八層，乃遁於壓抑、束己情懷，暗埋心底、日久貪嗔痴慢疑怨噌會疊穢。而六塵未熄，心多妄念，妖魔鬼怪魑魅魍魎孤魂閃靈出沒於荒郊乃至人間，會靈於曠野密林以增性靈乃出世高人修煉之舉，我等凡人擅闖宛如迪士尼般之人造地獄，三魂七魄尚不足以出竅，驚邪恐怖淒厲猙獰倒滿足了自以為是的慚愧，豈不謬哉？

病毒肆虐年半有餘，全球確診者逼近一億八千萬，枉死者近四百萬，堪比戰爭規模，望眾生發慈悲心、令往生者安息、善待其他物種、平等有情眾生。地獄本空，唯妄念生起一切羨慕嫉妒恨而地獄現前。盡以此書作為世界新冷戰獨裁者、超限戰者、暗網駭客、陰險狡猾冷嘲熱諷落井下石者之良知備忘錄矣。

姚瑞中寫於2021年端午節

Postscript

I have been living recklessly in Taiwan for more than fifty years. According to Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star Astrology), Tan Lang is the sole star in my house of Self. This star, which represents xxx, forms an equilateral triangle with that star Qi Sha and Po Jun on the square chart and constitutes a Sha Po Lang pattern. The pattern indicates a kind of turbulence and change, a life of wandering with ups and downs and it tells a lot about my life. After my ill-fated youth, I started from scratch and traveled around the world with exhibitions that I participated. Like a flaneur, I wandered around ruins, nature, and temples with every type of film camera obliviously. Thus, I founded the Hall of Illusion and claimed to be the master of the hall. Several times a day, I pondered a quote from the Diamond Sutra, “Everything with form is unreal.” In addition, I usually stayed in the darkroom developing film and enlarging those negatives overnight. However, I treasured the simplicity of the black and white world. The earthly, gaudy, garish, phony and pleasing qualities within colored photos make the images even more realistic than the real world. It is not my cup of tea, so I seldom took colored photos. In Confucian thought, the age of fifty marks the stage knowing the mandate of Heaven. I am now at my fifties and realize how ephemeral human life is. However, I am not an immortal, nor having sagelike characteristics. I just learned that the stage of stainless (the second bhūmi) and develop a pure mind that is free from doubt and defilement. However, I’m still far from the immovable state and need to practice.

In the summer of 2017, after filming the work Incarnation, I experienced a severe heart rhythm problem which almost triggered myocardial infarction and could have killed me. Consequently, I realized that death was waiting for me and the life is too short to figure out how I can liberate myself from the cycle of Birth and Death. I couldn’t comprehend how to be free from all afflictions and worries and how to avoid delusive ideas. I wept for three days and nights after being enlightened by Shakyamuni Buddha. Up to the moment, I felt ashamed that I failed to realize that the self is as insignificant as dust after these years learning and practicing Buddhism. Since then, I have visited famous temples and monasteries in my spare time, worshiping Buddha, Bodhisattvas, arhats, and all the deities and immortals. Taiwan’s temples are myriad with a enormous number of sects, including Buddhism, Taoism, Yiguandao, Catholicism, Christianity, Chinese religions of fasting, Islam& Baháʼí Faith, Confucianism, Tiandiism& Tian-De Teachings, Xiwangmu cult, Yellow Emperor Sect, Precosmic Salvationism, Liism, World Wide Ethical Society, séance cult, etc. Some people even claim that they can mediate communication between the deities or spirits of the dead with human beings, having their believer rely on themselves instead of the orthodox dharma or dogma and pay excessive respect and admiration for the mediums or objects, accumulating wealth through such an unfair means or even harassing their believer sexually. Due to Taiwan’s historical changes, social turbulence, political struggles, and ideological issues, Buddhism and Taoism are somehow mixed. However, there are few emphases on the concept of the hell. As I took photographs of Yama of each court, judges, wardens of the underworld, jailers, General Fan and Hsieh (the ghost escorts) and all sinners, I found few temples cleverly created hellish scenes that are intriguing, exaggerating, and extraordinary. However, the creations are unparalleled unique. I have been studying Western arts for decades and then I came to realize that simplicity makes the most beautiful works of art. These hellish scenes can even compete with works of Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337) and Michelangelo Di lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564).

Jingang Temple Shimen District, founded in 1986, overlooks the beautiful North shore. Although the temple is mainly dedicated to Phra Phrom (the Thai representation of Mahabrahma), spirits of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism can also be founded in the temple. The worshipper can go cross the Seven Star bridge to relieve bad luck, walk along the five hundred arhat statues and knock on the gong to affirm one’s Buddha nature. Furthermore, the worshipper can also prostrate themself before Asia’s largest statue of Buddha in Nirvana (the Reclining Buddha statue) and pacify the Taoist Tai Sui deity of the year. I was impressed by the Jia-Zi Tai Sui General that a pair of palms grow out of his eyes. In 1994, the biō-kong (the person taking charge of the temporal affairs of a temple) received a divine inspiration from Yama (the King of Hell) that he had to build a sacred hall in the shape of a divine dragon, with the interior designed according to the World of Ultimate Bliss and the Underworld. When the visitor walks in the dark hallway, they will see the tortured people (dioramas, of course) scrunching their faces and crying bitterly and loudly in excessive grief as the visitor triggers the mechanism. One will even find them in the midst of flesh, body liquid and blood, mutilated limbs, and rotten corpses. While each of the ten Yamas are focusing on their own duties, showing their sacred dignity that collect visitors’ attention. The Baogong Temple in Linkou District, New Taipei City exclusively features colorful depiction of hellish scenes in relief in Taiwan. With its pastel shades and cartoon-like style, the relief is both grotesque and adorable at the same time. This temple is dedicated to Bao Zhen (also known as Justice Bao) representing the incarnation of Yama. Living people who have been treated unjustly can come worshipping Bao Gong and receive exorcism. Therefore, many people come here for seeking to solve unsolved cases. In Zhongyuan Festival (the ghost festival), the temple will burn the Zhizha (paper craft) boat to ferry the ghosts to the other shore, which is the shore of enlightenment. The only giant statue of Yama in Taiwan is still in the making. The temple is surrounded by a cemetery, suitable for meditating on the loathsomeness and impurity. Nantian Temple (1971), located next to the Eight Trigram Mountains Buddha in Changhua, features the first animatronic underworld. Despite the small size, the animatronic underworld is intensely shocking. Though it’s slightly worn, the colorful dioramas are still brutally ferocious. The creator was the late venerable Dao Zhang (Taoist priest) Jing Deng-fu while the origin of animatronic deities can be traced back to the 1960s Beigang Chaotian Temple. On the contrary, the Whiteman Toothpaste Tourism Factory in Shuishang Township, Chiayi, features ten Yamas with individual booth. The place is unexpectedly clean and polished yet keeps a simple and modest tone. Then, the Dragon Pagoda of the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Lake in Zuoying, Kaohsiung, holds the only relief of hellish scenes made of Kochin ceramic. All the figures are vivid and life-like. If one goes further into the pagoda, they will see a relief tunnel of the thirty-three incarnations of the white-robed form of Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara) on a white lotus, with a lovely and interesting design. Another Hall of Yama is built in the 1970s next to the entrance of Dagangshan Chaofeng Temple, located in the Alian District of Kaohsiung. Visitors will also see three statues of the Three Holy Ones of the Western Pureland (Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta) which assemble at a lotus pond. Although the hellish scene looks somewhat antiquated, you may still find its previous charm. If one goes further, they will reach the sculptural garden of “Attaining the Bodhi Way: the Incarnation of Sakyamuni Buddha,” where the visitor can see the essence of Bhagavato’s (meaning the Blessed one, one of the common epithets for Buddha) life. When Tathāgata (another epithet for Buddha) was old, the king of Kosala wanted to avenge the arrogance of the tribe of Shakyas who had long despised him, regarding him as a son of a maiden. Although Buddha has sat in lotus position alone three times to stop the army from attacking his tribe. However, one can never reverse the cause and following karma. The prince born of a maiden was so furious that he eventually destroyed his homeland. Maudgalyāyana (one of the Buddha’s closest disciples), who is said to have had supernatural abilities that surpassed the other disciples, could not bear to see the slaughter of innocent people. Thus, he saved five hundred people of his tribe with a pātra (an eating utensil of Buddhist monks). Unfortunately, everything he did was in vain, those who were saved eventually turned into a puddle of blood. The Buddha said that the supernatural abilities cannot surpass the power of karma. The cause and effect work all the time. When Maudgalyāyana’s mother fell into the path of hungry ghost, he used his supernatural abilities to save his mother from hunger. However, all the food turned into fire before being fed to his mother. Later, the Buddha commanded the monks to put nectar and dishes in a basin on the 15th day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar for the monks from all directions to free his mother from reincarnation. In later times, the Ullambana Dharma Service, the Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance, and the Yoga Collection for Feeding the Searing Mouths Dharma Service are rituals to eliminate karmic hindrance and to cease to worldly delusions. Through such practices, one can free the dead as well as confess their repentance.

Madou Daitian Temple is a magnificent and colorful temple in Tainan. Not only can the worshippers visit the eighteen levels of Hell but also the Heaven (it was built in 1979 and inaugurated in 1983) here. The lighting and sound effects are stunning and frightening. When walking alone in the space, one may feel like taking a Guan Luo Yin trip (a Taoist necromancy which leads people’s spirits to hell and communicate with the dead ones) to visit the underworld prison. Before arriving the first court of the underworld, the visitor will walk through the Mountain of Heart Summit, the Pure Heart Pond, the Frontier between the Living and the Dead Realms, the Soul Registry Hall, the Portico of Demons, the Center for Complementary Teaching of Canonical Books, the Citadel of Premature Death, and the Bridge of Vanity. When one arrives at the first court, they will see King Chin-guang, who is in charge of the court, using the Mirror of Retribution to show the earthly form of evil creatures and also witness the sub-hell of Pillar-Holding and Fire Bed, etc. At the second court, King Chu-jiang collates the register of sins the souls of the dead have committed to impose the punishments. Here, you will see the sub-hell of Excrement and Urine, Hungry Ghost, Burning Dance Floor, Ice, Pus and Blood, Whipping, Tongue-Raking, Sword Blade, Stomach-Piercing, Chopping, etc. Next, the dead at the third court, ruled by King Song-di, will receive the punishments including inversion tortures, face-skinning with steel and copper knife, eye-wrenching, pounding, blood-sucking, rib-piercing, roasting, tendon-taking, being eaten by maggots. The visitor can pay a visit to the Palace of Soul-Resuscitation for the Four Forms of Creatures (birth from an egg, birth from a womb, birth from moisture, and birth by transformation). King Wu-guan is in charge of the fourth court. There are sixteen sub-hells at the fourth court including Waist Chop, Tongue Removal, Boiling Pond, Mouth-stabbing, Skin-peeling, Sword Tree, Burning Wheels and Cart, Eye-shooting, etc. Next, at the fifth court, sinful souls are allowed to ascend the Tower of Hometown-Viewing to take a final look of their family. The visitor will witness sub-hells of Knee-striking, Heart-slicing, Blade Mountain, Flying Swords and Burning Stones, etc. The King of Bian City takes charge of the sixth court, which is also known as the “Great Hell of Screaming,” with sub-hells including Fire Cattle, Tiger-Biting, Kidney-Eating, Mouth-Poking, Throat-Nailing, Iron Mill, Decapitation, etc. The King of Tai-shan is in charge of the seventh court, the “Great Hell of Heat and Fire.” The sixteen sub-hells at this court include Finger-Searing, Bowel-Hauling, Stone-Bearing, Boiling Oil, Tongue-Removal and Cheek-Piercing, etc. Next, the King Du-shi is in charge of the eighth court, the “Great Hell of Intense Fire and Heat,” and the sub-hells including Fire Dogs, Molten Iron, Iron Snakes, Dismemberment, Steel Spikes, Burning-Marrow, Iron Ball, Scale, etc. The ninth court is ruled by the King Ping-deng. It is known as the biggest court, Avici Hell (the Hell of Incessant Suffering), which if the lowest level of the hell realm and the interior is gloomily and terrifyingly dark. Those who committed the most serious evil deed will be sent to the Avici Hell. Sub-hells such as Poisonous Snake, Brain-Removal, Crow-Gnawing, Raining Needles, Wasps and Scorpions are included at this court. After arriving the tenth court, ruled by the Great King of the Reincarnation Palace, one can visit the “Observatory of Life on earth” and the “eight bureaus of the Reincarnation Palace” (including the Bureau of Judicial Control, the Bureau of Good-Actions, the Bureau of Bad-Actions, the Bureau of Debts, Gratitude, and Vengeance, the Bureau of Longevity and Destiny, the Bureau of Familial Ties, the Bureau of the Reincarnated, and the Bureau of Birth). The sinful one will be sent to the Pavilion of Mengpo and made to drink the Soup of Forgetfulness to forget all past affairs. According to the sinful one’s merits of previous life, they will go across one of the six bridges (gold, silver, jade, stone, wood, bamboo) to the “Reincarnation-Wheel (Wheel on the Crimson River).” Finally, one is able to reborn in the six realms. According to the Aṣṭadaśa nāraka sutra ( the Eighteen Hells Sutra), after one passes away, they will enter an intermediate and transitional state between death and rebirth, known as antarābhava in Sanskrit, for forty-nine days. The being will be evaluated by Yama, who will decide if one should get reborn or get punished at the hell. Those who committed the Five Grave Offenses (killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an Arhat, shedding the blood of a Buddha, and creating a schism within the community of Buddhist monks and nun who practice for attaining enlightenment.) will be sent to the Avici Hell and stay there eternally. Kṣitigarbha is the Lord of the Nether World, ruling the ten court of Hell. The lord will set up the “Hall of Teaching” at each court to salvage those sinful ones who still obtain few merits at the offering rituals.

Human beings live the Sahā world (sahāloka in Sanskrit, meaning “endurance of suffering,” a concept of mundane world in Mahāyāna Buddhism) where they share with other reincarnations (including beings of the hells, of the preta, and of malevolent nature spirits) with five turbidities (the Kalpa turbidity, the view turbidity, the affliction turbidity, the living beings turbidity, and the life turbidity). Those who commit the ten evil deeds (killing, stealing, adultery, lying, using immoral language, slandering, equivocating, coveting, anger, and false views) must fall into the three evil paths (animals, preta, and hell). However, how can one escape from the three realms/ twenty-eight heavens (including the six heavens of the desire realm, the eighteen heavens of the form realm, and the four heavens of the formless realm)? Worldly people who don’t have such an awareness cannot leave the cycle of the twelve nidanas (meaning causes or motivations), let alone eliminate the eighty-one afflictions (that have been produced due to misunderstanding regarding reality) and the eighty-eight illusions (including five afflictions of advanced practitioners, also known as five views: view of self, extreme view, evil view, view of attachment to views, and view of morality; and five unintelligent temptations: desire, anger, stupidity, arrogance, and doubt) of thought within the three realms and four Arya satyas (noble truths, including suffering, arising, ending, and path). They cannot realize that the essence of the five skandhas (referring to aggregates of clinging, including the matter of form, sensation, recognition, mental formation, and consciousness) , the twelve ayatana (meaning sense base, including six internal bases: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind and six external bases: visible objects, sound, odor, taste, touch, and mental objects), and the eighteen dhātavah (meaning compositional elements of human existence, including six consciousness, six faculties, and their objects) are the emptiness and the void. Furthermore, they cannot dispel the two reasons for clinging to the idea of the self and the attachment to elemental constructs and even believe in the two (false) tenets that that karma and nirvana are not real and that the ego and phenomena are real. As a consequence, they fail to develop the eleven wholesome mental factors (faith, energy, conscience, being ashamed, non-attachment, non-aggression, non-delusion, calmness, equanimity, conscientiousness, and non-injuriousness) and cease the sixteen unwholesome mental factors (desire, greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, doubt, wrong view, wrath, enmity, hypocrisy, vexation, jealousy, parsimony, deceit, flattery, harming, ambitiousness, stupidity, lacking of faith, idleness, being unrestrained, forgetting, distraction, non-discernment, ). One must bear in mind that once all our virtuous roots are discontinued, they will be trapped in the never-ending reincarnation and the suffering of infinite continuity.
Is it possible that the hell will be empty one day? If the beings in hell will become extinct while evil spirits inhabit the mundane world, the world could be considered as a pure land. If we could witness the nature of the void, then hell will exist no more.
Since ancient times, the concept of hell has been widely spread among all tribes. Aging, death, beginning, and end are the basis of nature and the core of cosmic consciousness. However, the prosperous civilization as our island is not a place where desire can be eliminated. It’s impossible to eradicate evil nature. Since fetters brought by the constitution, the state, the law, society, the military, corporations, schools, families, and groups are not less than the eighteen levels of hell, the mortals repress themselves, bury their feelings. Day after day, greed, anger, stupidity, arrogance, doubt, and resentment are stacking. However, since the six dust (visible objects, sound, odor, taste, touch, and mental objects) has not yet been extinguished, people in the mundane world are still full of delusions. The demons, devils, evil spirits, and the wondering dead exist in the wilderness, while only advanced practitioners with transcendent would attempt to make contact with the dead in the wasteland and forest. Worldly people like us trespass in Disneyland-like man-made hell. It is absurd and ridiculous that the hellish scenes cannot stop us from perpetrating evil deeds, but the horrific and cruel scenes yet satisfy our self-righteous shame.

The pandemic has been boiling over for more than a year and a half. The number of infected patients worldwide is nearly a hundred and eighty million, and the death toll has risen to four million, which is equivalent to a war crisis. I hope that we can all be compassionate, give peace to the dead, treat all sentient beings well and equally. The hell is innately empty; however, deluded and misleading thoughts would give rise to all jealousy and hatred and then manifest the hell before us. This book merely serves as a memorandum of conscience for dictators of the world’s new cold war, supporters of unrestrained warfare, dark web hackers, and those who are cunning and contemptuous and maltreat others when knowing they have problems.

June 2021,

Yao Jui-chung