Rujieyu's Collected Works on Chan Buddhism

Author: Ren Jiyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Since the Qin and Han dynasties, Chinese traditional culture has developed independently for over two thousand years, forming its own system. It is adept at absorbing all valuable foreign cultures, integrating them into its mainstream, and continuously evolving along its own path. Chinese culture, with its deep roots and lush branches, has a long history and has always embraced foreign cultures with its own inherent ideological system and thinking patterns. The following are some of its characteristics and qualities:
- Unwavering self-restraint in inclusivity
- Adaptability in keeping pace with the times
- Moderation in development
- Progressiveness in combining firmness and flexibility
- Autonomy in harmony with diversity
The introduction and development of Buddhism in China fully reflect these features. When Buddhism was first introduced to China, Chinese scholars regarded it as the theory of Huang-Lao's quietude and non-action. In the early Tang Dynasty, the Nestorian Church (a branch of Western Christianity) was introduced, and Chinese scholars described it as "eternally true and silent, existing before all existence; profoundly spiritual and void, emerging later with wondrous existence." They also noted that it "determined the four directions with the cross, generated dual energies with the primal wind," and "bathed in water and wind, cleansing the superficial to reveal the pure white; stamped with the cross, integrating the four illuminations to harmonize with the boundless." This was entirely a new interpretation by Tang Dynasty scholars. When Islam entered China, Chinese scholars wrote Tianfang Xingli to welcome this foreign doctrine. The earliest Chinese works introducing Buddhism, The Forty-Two Chapters Sutra and Mouzi Lihuo Lun, understood this foreign religion through the lens of traditional Chinese concepts of loyalty and filial piety. It should also be noted that while the roots of Buddhism originated in India, the Buddhism that Chinese people recognized was not directly derived from India but from Central Asia. During the Wei and Jin periods, Buddhist scriptures were translated from Western languages into Chinese and introduced to China. The traditional Chinese concepts of loyalty and filial piety in Chinese religion were recognized by all religions. Later, the convergence of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism all embodied the characteristics of Chinese culture—its openness and inclusiveness, like a vast ocean that embraces all rivers.
Although Buddhist culture carries certain features of Buddhism, these features are not unique to Buddhism but reflect the commonality of Chinese cultural identity. Studying Buddhism inevitably leads to an understanding of Confucianism and Taoism; studying Confucianism inevitably connects to Buddhism and Taoism; and studying Taoism inevitably brings one into contact with Confucianism and Buddhism.