The Neo-Confucian Confrontation with Buddhism: A Structural And Historical Analysis
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Description: A 1988 paper by Edward T. Ch'ien in the Journal of Chinese Philosophy. Notes the ways in which Neo-Confucian teachings and attitudes toward Buddhism changed over time.
The Neo-Confucian Confrontation with Buddhism The Neo-Confucian Confrontation with Buddhism: A Structural And Historical Analysis Copyright@1988 by Dialogue Publishing Company, Honolulu, P.347 It is common knowledge that tension existed between Buddhism and Confucianism as two of the three major systems of thought in Chinese history. In their classification of teachings, the Buddhists almost invariably ranked Buddhism as the "ultimate cure" (pi-ching chih)(a) while characterizing Confucianism as a "worldly dharma-medicine" (shih-chieh fa-yao) (b) which merely provided a "view of the temporary" (chia-kuan)(c) and which, though necessary for those who were unable to achieve "profound transformation" (shen-hua) (d) because of their "thin and weak" (po-jo) (e) capacities, needed to be transcended if salvation were to be attained. I have put the words "ultimate cure," "view of the temporary," "profound transformation" and "thin and weak" in quotation marks because they were the actual words used by Chih-i(f) (538-597) in elaborating a theory of "contemplating the mind" (kuan-hsin).(g1) However, if the specific words were those used by an individual monk to articulate a specific theory,the attitude they embody toward Confucianism was exemplary of a view which was widely held by the Buddhist monastic establishment in general. Tsung-mi(h) (780-841), for instance, was by no means a narrow- minded Buddhist monk, but was syncretically oriented. He maintained that the Three Teachings were mutually complementary and should all be "observed with respect" (tsun-hsing)(i). Nevertheless, for all his liberal catholicity toward the diversity of teachings, Tsung-mi still regarded Buddhism as the "definitive and final" (chueh-liao(j)) teaching; and his syncretism was predicated upon a principle of hierarchy which necessitated the ultimate condemnation of Confucianism as a "delusion" (mi(k)).(2) He wrote, P
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