Artist: Yuri Elperin

Transmigration Dragon/Emperor

龙的转生

sculpture/painting

72 x 48 x 9 inches

2020

Transmigration of souls, is the belief that a soul is reborn into a new body after death. This can involve moving into a different human or animal body, and the concept is found in various religions and philosophies, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and ancient Greek thought. The belief often implies a cycle of life, death, and rebirth, with the soul being eternal and existing in a succession of lifetimes.

The idea of the dragon being an ancestor of the Chinese nation is a cultural and symbolic one, stemming from ancient legends about unifying tribes and the Yellow Emperor. Over time, the dragon became a powerful symbol of imperial authority, and the Chinese people eventually adopted the title “Descendents of the Dragon” as a proud expression of their cultural identity.

灵魂转世，是指灵魂在死后转世投胎的信仰。这可能涉及进入不同的人类或动物躯体，这一概念存在于多种宗教和哲学中，包括印度教、佛教和古希腊思想。这种信仰通常蕴含着生死轮回的循环，灵魂永恒存在，在无数次的生命轮回中不断存在。

龙是中华民族祖先的观念，源于古代关于统一各部族和黄帝的传说，具有文化和象征意义。随着时间的推移，龙成为皇权的强大象征，中国人最终以“龙的后裔”为称号，以此自豪地表达他们的文化认同。