Abstract

There are two distinctive creative transformative methodologies taken in contemporary Chinese fiction with the Buddhist concept of Samsara: the “Explicit Samsara Narrative” and the “Implicit Samsara Narrative”. Authors who employ the Explicit Samsara Narrative approach the traditional narrative framework of the Six Paths of Buddhist Cosmology (Bhavacakra) of the Ming and Qing dynasties by transcending the human-animal boundaries through adopting non-human perspectives. This creates a microscopic perspective taking place during grand historical events, increasing folkloric realism and authenticity, enriching the narrative with historical testimony and symbolic meaning. This narrative approach also facilitates the shift in religious belief from the sacred to the secular and pragmatic, building a tripartite narrative trajectory of “Folkloric Adaptation – Utilitarian Deconstruction – Realist Criticism”, yet preserving the cultural touchstones of the mystical while showcasing the dynamic synergy between religion and rural Chinese society. On the other hand, the kind of fiction found utilizing the Implicit Samsara Narrative do not include obvious depictions of Samsara and Reincarnation, yet implicitly embed into their narrative mode and patterns the traditional Chinese perspective of Samsara as a cycle. Fiction in the Implicit Samsara Narrative mode can be viewed from two dimensions: Firstly, the spatial-temporal transformative nature of Samsara within a singular text; and secondly, Samsara serving as the core connecting a predestined historical cycle constructed across multiple works. Ultimately, contemporary Chinese fiction, in approaching the traditional Samsara philosophyand structure, refines the same with distinctive modern and contemporary artistic flair, accomplishing an Inward Turn of Chinese culture and aesthetics.