Chapter 2 1. The relationship between Buddhism and Chinese culture

When it comes to the relationship between Buddhism and Chinese culture and history, the definition of Chinese culture should be put forward first, which can be divided into three stages.The first stage: From around the three generations, the origin of Chinese traditional culture is based on Fuxi’s painting of gossip and the establishment of the culture between heaven and man, which belongs to primitive, simple, scientific and philosophical culture; after the evolution of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties , then formed the thought of heaven and man centered on Yi and Li.The second stage: Due to the differentiation of traditional culture, a world of similarities and differences in the academic thoughts of various schools of thought came into being during the Zhou and Qin Dynasties. After the evolution before and after the Qin and Han Dynasties, the three schools of thought of Confucianism, Taoism and Mohism gradually formed. independent form.The third stage: After the evolution of the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism came into being after the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the situation changed at any time and each other rose and fell.From the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, when it comes to Chinese culture, the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are the most prominent representatives.Just like China's geographical rivers, there is the Yellow River in the north, the Yangtze River in the middle, and the Pearl River Basin in the south. They are intertwined and irrigated to nourish the life of Chinese culture.Therefore, when it comes to Chinese culture, it is really impossible to focus on it. As Chinese, we must understand the truth of our own culture.In particular, the philosophical thought of Chinese culture is fundamentally different from that of Western cultural philosophy; if we talk about China.There is philosophical thinking, but it is not an independent specialty. Chinese philosophy has always been divided into literature (literature), philosophy, literature and history, and learning and application. Whether it is studying Chinese philosophy or Buddhism, it is related to history, literature, philosophy, and politics The four disciplines are always inseparable, which means that Western philosophy cannot be separated from religion, science, and practical political thought.

Based on the above, in order to understand the mutual replacement of Confucianism and Taoism after the Qin and Han Dynasties, as well as the cause and effect of the introduction of Buddhist culture, it is necessary to understand the reasons for the evolution of Han thought and scholarship: the academic thought of the Han Dynasty has always been Confucianism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The world of Taoism and Taoism; Mohist thought has melted into the vassal of Confucianism and Taoism in the early Han Dynasty, and there is no special barrier.In the early Western Han Dynasty, because of political leadership and social trends, Taoism was the most popular. The famous "Government of Wenjing" in history was completely inclined to Taoism's Huang and Lao techniques. This was the need of the times, and it was also an inevitable political principle in the early Han trend.Since then, Taoist academic thought has formed a rule in Chinese history. In any era when chaos is brought out, Taoist academic leadership must be used.The reason for this will be explained later when discussing Daoist scholarship.Since the Western Han Dynasty, due to the prevalence of Taoist academic thought, legalism, yin-yang school, miscellaneous school and other thoughts have also been established in the Taoist family. The beginning, as well as the superstitious atmosphere of Chenwei (model), Wang Mang's rebellion, Guangwu's revival, and the situation of the Three Kingdoms at the end of Han Dynasty, all of which constitute the psychological factors of political chaos in the concept of Chenwei; thus there is the hermit thought of Taoism at the end of Han Dynasty , combined with Mohism's thought of ranger in disguise, produced the embryonic form of Taoism, and then pushed and rejected each other with Buddhist doctrine, and melted each other.

At the same time, the academic thought of the Han Dynasty, advocated by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Dong Zhongshu's generation, "retires a hundred schools of thought, and one respects Confucianism", so that the Confucianism since Confucius, Mencius, and Xun has changed into the Confucianism of the Han Dynasty, so exegesis, The ethos of dissemination of scriptures by commentaries and each master’s family permeated the government and the public. Authoritative scripture teachers and doctors in academic thought intertwined with the system of election of filial piety and honesty, selection and appointment of virtuous and upright, resulting in the disadvantages of aristocratic family reading (family status) in the late Eastern Han Dynasty , As a result, the scourge of the party and copper was formed, and academic thought and political factors became the external and internal of each other, which contributed to the source of political and social chaos.In the early Han Dynasty, due to the turmoil of the Warring States Period and the Qin Dynasty, culture and learning had faded away, and the work of dissemination and commentary in the Western Han Dynasty was indeed very important.However, since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, commenting on the scriptures and passing on the scriptures has become fragmented and cumbersome. It is the only tool to gain fame and fame through learning. Therefore, the scholarship of the Han Dynasty was quite vague and gloomy when it reached the period of the Three Kingdoms. It was during this period that Buddhist academic thought, with novel and profound philosophy, was continuously imported, thus forming the form of academic thought in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Regarding the decadence and new movement of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties culture, it is generally attributed to the prosperity of the Three Mysteries and the corruption of the Qingtan atmosphere.In fact, if one understands the evolution of the history and culture of the Han Dynasty and the reasons for the rise of the theory of Sanxuan and Qingtan, one will not be so obsessed with a small number of scholars, such as Yan and Wang Bi.Leading the transformation of academic thinking in Chinese history, a few people of insight can certainly create a trend, but those who really form power are still leaders in actual politics. Confucius admired Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, and Duke Zhou , of course, whether the direction of leadership of later generations is correct or not is no exception; in the early Tang Dynasty, the monarchs and ministers led academic thought and inspired Buddhism and Taoism; All of them are the same, so the transfer of academic atmosphere lies in one or two people, and it is definitely not something that a few people who sit around and talk about empty words can do.In short, the formation of Wei and Jin's three metaphysics and the atmosphere of clear talk, its bias, is neither the sin of Lao and Zhuang's thinking, nor the error of Buddhist Prajna's empty talk. If you read the history carefully, you will know that it was due to Wei Wu (Cao Cao) ) father and son (Cao Pi, Cao Zhi) literary sentiments, He Yan and Wang Bi are young aristocrats, spoiled with arrogance, can neither engage in quiet and subtle knowledge, nor do the work of alienation, but with the old and Zhuang ideas It is the inevitable result of the philosophy of literature. Therefore, looking at the thoughts of the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties from a purely philosophical standpoint, apart from Buddhism, the so-called Three Mysteries are just philosophy of literature. It is an inevitable result to change from metaphysics to the atmosphere of clear talk, to make useless talk from clear talk, and to put the affairs of the world and the country in the middle of wind, flowers, snow and moon.

At the same time, due to the rise of the Xizui clan in the Jin Dynasty and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Buddhist academic thoughts entered the Central Plains due to mutual hegemony, which fueled the flames and made the torrent of Buddhism come from the east. The foundation for the growth of Buddhism.Some people may think that the import of Buddhism between the Northern and Southern Dynasties was based on the forceful invasion of the Xizui clan, which is the same as the mission of Western religions to China at the end of the Qing Dynasty. This issue is very clear in Chinese historical materials and should not be confused.In fact, the invasion of the Xichui clan between the Southern and Northern Dynasties, because their cultural foundation was too shallow, had no cultural thought at all, and it had nothing to do with religion and politics. It was just a blind and stubborn thief. , Yao Qin's deeds are all due to the enlightenment of Buddhism, and a little bit of its obscene power. Like the situation in the Northern Wei Dynasty, he was also the result of accepting the cultures of Confucianism and Taoism because of the influence of Buddhism. There is no doubt about it.In short, Buddhism in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, because of the mutual fusion with Chinese Confucianism and Taoism, established the stage of Chinese culture and Chinese Buddhism after the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Famous monks who came to China from the Western Regions, such as Buddha Tucheng and Kumarajiva, All of them are outstanding people of Yingrui, and they have devoted their whole lives to the cause of Buddhism and culture, and their contributions to Chinese cultural thought are indisputable and understandable.

In addition, in terms of characters, for example, due to the relationship between the translation of scriptures, the study of Chinese phonology was invented, such as Shen Yue, who was famous for this, and the translation of Buddhism inspired grammar, that is, Liu Xie, who wrote works, and Yungang Grottoes , and the Dunhuang murals in the Tang Dynasty, as well as the development of music, poetry, art, etc., are all related to Buddhism.But we must remember that from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Indian Buddhist thought was absorbed into Buddhism in Chinese culture, and it took about four or five hundred years to form the culture of the Tang Dynasty through a difficult and intricate process.Learn the new by reviewing the past, and now we want to talk about the integration of Chinese and Western cultures. Although the times have changed and modern scientific tools have developed, in any case, it is not expected to be achieved in a short period of time, or in a century. Therefore, We young intellectuals born in this period must be more vigilant and redouble our efforts towards the current trend of Chinese culture and our own responsibilities for the nation's history and culture.

As for the formation of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism after the Sui and Tang Dynasties, of course there is a historical background. The long-term cause is as mentioned above, and the short-term cause has a new face. , Since Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Taoism has been established as the state religion, and Li Laojun has been respected as the leader, thus laying the foundation of Taoism in the politics and religion of the Tang Dynasty. (2) Because the emperors and ministers of the Tang Dynasty were obsessed with Buddhism, although they respected Taoism, they actually paid equal attention to Buddhism and Taoism, but there was only a slight distinction in terms of personnel status. (3) Since the founding generals of the early Tang Dynasty, most of them were disciples of Wen Zhongzi Wang Tong.In Wang Tong's lectures, regarding the three schools of thought of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, he has always chosen the good one and followed it without distinction. There is no other academic thought in Taoism; even after the mid-Tang Dynasty, Han Yu, a Confucian orthodox man who gained strength from the Mohists and was famous for his articles, although he had a major event called the exclusion of Buddhism in history, in fact, it was still the pros and cons of later generations. After carefully reading Han Yu's articles on Buddhism and historical facts, he was only dissatisfied with the Buddhist system and a certain type of Buddhists, and did not attack Buddhism itself.Moreover, since Han Yu, until the Confucian scholars of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, the most powerful reason for rejecting Buddhism is that it abolishes ethics and the system of monks without fathers and kings. In addition, a few criticisms about Buddhism, After all, it's all layman's jargon, and it doesn't matter.For example, from a profound point of view, Han Yu’s rejection of Buddhism did not cause any loss to Buddhism. Therefore, Zen De, a famous contemporary monk, seldom speaks out. Those who really attack religion itself often come from the religious believers themselves. , Anyone who is a person of any religion should think deeply.

The flourishing of Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty affected every sector of Chinese culture, and it spread to Japan and other countries in the East in later generations. There are three main reasons: (1) Due to the peace and social stability of the world.Buddhist talents emerged from generation to generation and established various schools of Chinese Buddhism, which generally influenced Chinese culture and education in the Tang Dynasty. (2) Because of the Zen atmosphere that gradually spread from south to north, it was generally vigorous. The literature of the Tang Dynasty and all cultural studies, such as honey water, such as salt and flavor, are full of Zen vitality everywhere. Let the ten sects of Buddhism, all under the shelter of the universe, establish the characteristics of Chinese Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism and shine in the past and present, both at home and abroad. (3) Due to the impact of the translation of Buddhist scriptures and the completion of the translation of Buddhist scriptures when Master Xuanlian returned from studying in India, the religious and philosophical thoughts in Chinese culture have established a logical thinking system. Therefore, they are different from Confucianism and Taoism. , from left to right, and learn from each other the strengths of a hundred schools of thought, which constitute the characteristics of the three great currents of Chinese culture.

When things are strong, they decline, and when things are poor, they change. After the late Tang and Five Dynasties, its metamorphosis and turning are also the inevitable trend of cultural history. Intellectuals who are followers of Confucianism, consciously or unconsciously, absorbed the spirit and methods of Buddhist cultivation in the four hundred years since the Sui and Tang Dynasties.The teaching methods and style of Neo Confucianists, and the scale of the academy system, all have changed from the Zen form. In all fairness, it is true that Song and Ming Neo Confucianism is equal to Confucian Zen; Buddhist Zen, such as Buddhist Confucianism and Taoism, are really not Excessive, but this is only in terms of form, if you study the similarities and differences in its substantive content, there will be a big difference.Zen and Neo-Confucianism, after the two Songs, two or three hundred years of mutual promotion, and their last streams, both tended to decline at the same time. Zen Buddhism has a mixture of silent illumination (silence), evil Zen and mad Zen. The dispute over virtue, once the Yuan Dynasty invaded by force, and the Lamaism of Buddhist Tantric Buddhism was involved, made the two rich families of Confucianism and Buddhism both grow fragmented weeds and thorns. , shrouded in an atmosphere that is not the Neo-Confucianism of mad Zen, that is, the mad Zen of Neo-Confucianism.Although Wang Yangming founded the theory of conscientious conscience and ability, there are still big problems between Confucianism and Buddhism. Therefore, the great Confucianists in the late Ming and early Qing sneered as "sages walking all over the streets" and "sitting quietly and talking in peacetime". In the early Qing Dynasty, Buddhism and Zen Buddhism, although Yongzheng once again advocated, but because of the established national policy, they always worshiped Lamaism outside Kangxi and spit on the northwest of Kang. Desperate, helpless.

In short, based on the above brief introduction, we can probably understand the main points of the relationship between Buddhism and Chinese past culture and history.