DOCSLIB.ORG

WANG Fuzhi Wáng Fūzhī ​王夫之 1619–1692 Ming–Qing Scholar

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
WANG Fuzhi Wáng Fūzhī ​王夫之 1619–1692 Ming–Qing Scholar ◀ V Comprehensive index starts in volume 5, page 2667. WANG Fuzhi Wáng Fūzhī ​王夫之 1619–1692 Ming–Qing Scholar Wang Fuzhi (1619– 1692) was one of the most Outer Sections. Wang’s main ideas on history and politics important scholars of the Ming–​­Qing period can be found in his On Reading Comprehensive Mirror and whose pragmatic philosophies of statecraft On the History of the Song Dynasty. challenged long-​­standing traditions, and his Wang was obsessed with rectifying the flaws he saw in Song–Ming​­ neo-Confucian,​­ Daoist, and Buddhist teach- writings influence cultural ideas of Chinese ings and with reforming political and economic institu- nationalism even today. tions, drawing lessons from history, and preserving and carrying forward Chinese culture while the alien Man- chus ruled China. ang Fuzhi was one of the most important Chi- Wang firmly rejected Daoism and Buddhism: He nese thinkers and scholars of the Ming–​­Qing disapproved that these teachings advocated a denial of period (1368– 1912), and his philosophies influ- the real world in order to achieve absolute emptiness ence cultural ideas of Chinese nationalism even today. and quiescence of the mind. He criticized the Song neo- He wrote more than one hundred books during his life- Confucian studies of li 理 for paying too much attention time and fought against the Manchu invaders during their to abstract principles while overlooking human society campaign establishing the Qing dynasty (1644– 1912). and the material world from which these principles were A native of Hengyang in Hunan, Wang Fuzhi passed derived. Wang also attacked the neo-​­Confucian studies the provincial examinations in 1642, but his political ca- of xin 心 (mind) for equating the concepts of the hu- reer was quickly ended by nationwide peasant rebellions man mind (neng 能) with the outside world (suo 所), and and the Manchu invasion. Devoting the rest of his life knowledge (zhi 知) with practice and action (xing 行). to reading and writing, Wang completely withdrew from To rectify these empty and impractical teachings, politics in 1650 after his anti-​­Manchu military activities Wang returned to Zhang Zai (1020– 1077) and further failed. Wang’s scholarly interests included Confucian advanced his materialistic philosophy. Wang stated that classics, philosophy, history, textual criticism, literature, no materials can be added to or reduced from the universe military strategies, medicine, astronomy, calendar, nu- and that no materials can be created from nothing; all merology, astrology, and Western science introduced by materials follow their own dao (way), to be transformed the Jesuits. Most of Wang’s writings were unknown to from their original form, qi (material force), to what they the wider audience of readers before they were edited and are now. Wang discarded the idea that human nature is printed beginning in the late 1830s. His most cited philo- completely innate and never changes. To Wang, although sophic works include Outer Commentary to the Book of human nature bears some innate qualities, which are the Change, Commentary on Zhang Zai’s Correction of Youthful ultimate source of moral goodness, it reflects the mind’s Ignorance, and Record of Thoughts and Questions: Inner and (xin) experiences in real human life. 2399 W © 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC 2400 Berkshire Encyclopedia of China 宝 库 山 中 华 全 书 A Critique of Neo-​­Confucianism Writing during the seventeenth century, Wang Fuzhi its Way not existing? The sage knows what the gentle- criticized the thinking of neo-​­Confucianist Zhu Xi for man does not, and yet ordinary men and women can giving priority to principle and the Way over material- do what the sage cannot. It may be that people are not force and actual phenomena. clear about the Way of some particular phenomenon, and so the thing is not perfected, but the fact that it he world consists of nothing but actual physical is not perfected does not mean that it does not exist. Tphenomena or concrete things. The Way is the “When the actual phenomenon is nonexistent, so is Way (or Ways) of actual phenomena, but one cannot its Way” is something that few people are capable of describe the actual phenomena as phenomena of the saying, but it is really and truly so. Way. “When the Way is nonexistent, so is the actual Source: ​de Bary, W. T., & Lufrano, R. (2001). Sources of Chi- phenomena” is something that anyone is capable of nese tradition, vol. 2. (2nd ed.). New York: Columbia University saying. But if the phenomena exists, why worry about Press, 30. Wang laid down a philosophical foundation for Qing Qichao, and Mao Zedong, who intensely searched for so- pragmatic statecraft. Whereas his philosophical focus was lutions for problems faced by China, were all inspired by on the material world, his political focus was on specific Wang and his works. political and socioeconomic problems. In Wang’s view, Yamin XU human society faces different problems in different times, and people of different historical periods should try hard to find specific solutions for their own problems. While Further Reading denouncing those Song philosophers who put abstract Black, A. H. (1989). Man and nature in the philosophical principles above substance, Wang strongly rejected those thought of Wang Fu-​­chih. Seattle: University of Wash- who put general rules, particularly the ones set up by an- ington Press. cient statesmen, above specific institutions created for Zhong Erju & Zhang Dainian. (1997). Wang Fuzhi. solving contemporary problems. In this regard, Wang Changchun, China: Jilin wenshi chubanshe. Zhang Qihui. (2001). Quangshi daru: Wang Fuzhi [The pointed out that a specific problem that caused the Ming great Confucianist Wang Fuzhi]. Shijiazhuang, (1368– 1644) to fall was the imbalance between the mon- China: Hebei renmin chubanshe. arch and scholar-​­officials headed by a prime minister. Zhou Bing. (2006). Tian ren zhiji de lixue xinquanshi: Wang Wang also vigorously defended Chinese culture against Fuzhi “Du sishu daquan shuo” sixiang yanjiu [A new in- barbarism of non-​­Chinese nomads, causing his writings terpretation of Neo-Confucianism​­ standing between to become a cultural source of modern Chinese national- heaven and human: A study of Wang Fuzhi’s thought ism. The most prominent modern Chinese intellectuals reflected in his “Reflections on ‘The four complete and statesmen, such as Zeng Guofan, Tan Sitong, Liang books’”]. Chengdu, China: Bashu shushe. WANG Jingwei ▶ © 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Status of Cosmic Principle (Li) in Neo-Confucian Metaphysics
    jeeloo liu THE STATUS OF COSMIC PRINCIPLE (LI) IN NEO-CONFUCIAN METAPHYSICS Introduction In this article, I attempt to make use of Western metaphysical notions to explicate the cosmological variances in Chinese philosophical thinking, with specific reference to the debates among the Neo- Confucian thinkers. While I do not presume and argue that Chinese philosophers dealt with the same Western issues, I do believe that a comparative study of this nature can point to a new direction of think- ing concerning metaphysical pondering in Neo-Confucianism. This article is divided into three parts. In Part I, I employ Robert Nozick’s notion of natural cosmic state to analyze the fundamental difference between the Confucian and Daoist cosmologies. Even though this notion of natural cosmic state has no comparable match in Chinese philosophy, it may serve as an analytic and explanatory device for our comparative study of Chinese cosmology. In Part II, I employ Nicholas Rescher’s distinction between “laws of nature” and “laws for nature” to analyze the debate on the status of cosmic prin- ciple (li)a between Zhou Dunyib and Zhu Xic on the one hand, and Zhang Zaid and Wang Fuzhie on the other.1 In Part III, I employ the notion of supervenience,as defined by Jaegwon Kim,to argue that in the debate on the status of cosmic principle, it is Zhang Zai and Wang Fuzhi’s view that better preserves the causal relevance of cosmic principle in a physicalistic universe.2 In light of the three notions borrowed from contemporary Western metaphysics, I hope to offer an analytic reconstruction of the age-old debate on the status of cosmic principle (li).
    [Show full text]
  • The Heritage of Non-Theistic Belief in China
    The Heritage of Non-theistic Belief in China Joseph A. Adler Kenyon College Presented to the international conference, "Toward a Reasonable World: The Heritage of Western Humanism, Skepticism, and Freethought" (San Diego, September 2011) Naturalism and humanism have long histories in China, side-by-side with a long history of theistic belief. In this paper I will first sketch the early naturalistic and humanistic traditions in Chinese thought. I will then focus on the synthesis of these perspectives in Neo-Confucian religious thought. I will argue that these forms of non-theistic belief should be considered aspects of Chinese religion, not a separate realm of philosophy. Confucianism, in other words, is a fully religious humanism, not a "secular humanism." The religion of China has traditionally been characterized as having three major strands, the "three religions" (literally "three teachings" or san jiao) of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Buddhism, of course, originated in India in the 5th century BCE and first began to take root in China in the 1st century CE, so in terms of early Chinese thought it is something of a latecomer. Confucianism and Daoism began to take shape between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE. But these traditions developed in the context of Chinese "popular religion" (also called folk religion or local religion), which may be considered a fourth strand of Chinese religion. And until the early 20th century there was yet a fifth: state religion, or the "state cult," which had close relations very early with both Daoism and Confucianism, but after the 2nd century BCE became associated primarily (but loosely) with Confucianism.
    [Show full text]
  • Neo-Confucianism: Metaphysics, Mind, and Morality
    Neo-Confucianism: Metaphysics, Mind, and Morality BOOK PROSPECTUS JeeLoo Liu CONTENTS: SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS Since these selected Neo-Confucians had similar philosophical concerns and their various philosophical positions were based on largely the same Confucian classics, the best way to capture their philosophical variances is to present their views thematically rather than chronologically. The structure of this book lays out the metaphysical foundations for Neo-Confucian theories of mind and morality. The major common themes in Neo- Confucianism include: 1) The relationship between the two constituents of the universe—cosmic principle (li) and cosmic force (qi); 2) The debate on whether human nature, or human mind, is the exemplification of this cosmic principle; 3) The analysis of the roots of human good and evil as a way to answer the question of what makes human morality possible. This book is divided into three parts, which deal with these three issues as they evolved from one Neo-Confucian philosopher to the next. The eight philosophers’ views are presented in three segments, as this arrangement best captures both the focus of their disagreements and the continuity of the philosophical development of Neo-Confucianism. Part I. Neo-Confucian Metaphysics: from Cosmology to Ontology Neo-Confucians were generally concerned with establishing a moralistic cosmology, or we can say what they developed was a form of moral metaphysics. In their view, there is a higher order governing the cosmos, which they call ‘heavenly principle’, and this higher order has many moral attributes. At the same time, Neo-Confucians also embraced the Chinese philosophical tradition (founded in Yijing) of positing a cosmic force (qi) as the material/physical foundation of the universe.
    [Show full text]
  • Fuzzy Flexible Flow Shops on More Than Two Machine Centers
    The Subtle Path to Heterodoxy: Reflections on the Concept of ‘Yiduan’ in the Jinsilu Milan Hejtmanek1 ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Available Online October 2013 Neo-Confucian philosophy in - Key words: partook of a moral discourse that drew extensively on Song Chinese Heterodoxy; texts from the 11th and 12theth centuries. Korean Chosǒn Among period these, (1392 the Jinsilu1910) Korea; ; 1175 proved especially influential. This paper examines in detail a Neo-Confucianism; central(Reflections theme on of Things the Jinsilu: at Hand), heterodoxy compiled or by yiduan, Zhu Xi situatingand LüZuqian it both in Jinsilu.Chosǒn dynasty within the broader traditions of earlier Confucianism and as well as within the context of Neo-Confucian thought or daoxue as it was developed the 11th century, by the brothers Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao. It identifies three distinct, if overlapping conceptions of heterodoxy in the Jinsilu. The paper argues that the most pessimistic and aggressive attitude toward the danger of straying from the orthodox way and the condemning of those who had done so derived from Cheng Yi. His thought and sense of near dread concerning heterodoxy would prove highly influential in Chosǒn Korea. Introduction It is a remarkable feature of recorded human civilization that discourse drawn from a wide variety of times and places displays fierce struggles over what constitutes proper moral behavior and correspondingly what should be castigated as wrong and evil. Moral traditions in the West as diverse as Judaism, Islam, and in the East Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism ha rhetorical strategies to argue both sides of complex ethical issues. The production and reproduction of dogma and its antithesis, heresy or heterodoxy, isve a bequeathed central activity prolific of any discourses system of deploying moral thought.
    [Show full text]
  • Aesthetical Meanings of the Central Notion Ti Ren in Cultivation Theory of Neo-Confucianism
    Journal of Literature and Art Studies, January 2021, Vol. 11, No. 1, 71-78 doi: 10.17265/2159-5836/2021.01.011 D DAVID PUBLISHING Aesthetical Meanings of the Central Notion Ti Ren in Cultivation Theory of Neo-Confucianism LIU Si-yu Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China All things are already complete in us. There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination. —Mencius (Legge, 1966, pp. 935-936) 萬物皆備於我矣，反身而誠，樂莫大焉。 ——孟子 Ti Ren 體認 is a commonly used and very important notion in traditional Chinese philosophy and intellectual history, nevertheless with its connotation unclear in the ancients’ discourses. This text tries to analyze the method and process of this notion via the perspective of Neo-Confucianism in Song Dynasty. The basic hypothesis of this research is that Ti Ren is the basis of the cultivation theory that helps confucians improve their moral integrity. Under such assumption, this text proposes the core connotation of Ti Ren in Neo-Confucianism lies in personal grasp of the heavenly principle. Based on this, from Zhou Dunyi to Shao Yong, Zhang Zai and the Cheng brothers, this kind of grasp gradually developed into a clear clue from appreciation of objects to that of inner mind, and then epitomized by Zhu Xi. Zhu Xi’s Ti Ren consists of two approaches, extroversive and introversive, and built a way of self-cultivating to be the saint from methods like investigation of things and reading books to the realization of grasping saints’ minds. The end of the road is the aesthetic world of eagles soaring in the sky and fishes diving in water, the great pleasure, and on passage, it is overflowing with both physical and spiritual feelings, so that we know Ti Ren possesses aesthetic meanings.
    [Show full text]
  • The Paradigm of Harmony in Zhang Zai's Philosophical System
    The Great Harmony : The Paradigm of Harmony in Zhang Zai’s Philosophical System Filippo Costantini TESI DOCTORAL UPF / 2016 DIRECTOR DE LA TESI Dr. Manel Ollé Rodriguez DEPARTAMENT D’HUMANITATS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people who helped to make the completion of this work possible. I am grateful to my academic advisor, Professor Manel Ollé generously offered guidance and direction allowing the completion of this work. I am also grateful to my former advisor Albert Galvany who helped at the beigninning of this journey, and unfortunately could not guide me to the end of this work. I am grateful to Professor José Antonio Cervera who gave me the opportunity to experience a period of this investigation in Mexico, and helped me in the publication of my first academic article. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Professor Gianluca Magi who has been a constant source of inspiration over the course of my undergraduate studies. I am thankful to my former Professors Alessandra Brezzi and Claudia Pozzana for their teachings and encouragement all along these years of my academic studies. I would also like to thank my fellow Roberto Figliulo who always helped me and encouraged me over these years. My dear friend Amorini Katjuscia who patiently helped me work through the editing process of this dissertation. Finally, I must thank Noemi Pucci and my family for their kind assistance and support throughout the years. iii iv Abstract Harmony is one of the most important concepts of the Confucian tradition. Along Confucianism, harmony represented most of the time the ultimate ideal that man needs to pursue.
    [Show full text]
  • HIST 3822. Modern China Prof. Peter Zarrow Spring 2016 Wood Hall 327 Tu/Th 9:30-10:45, LH106 Office Hours: Th 11-12:30 & by Appt
    HIST 3822. Modern China Prof. Peter Zarrow Spring 2016 Wood Hall 327 Tu/Th 9:30-10:45, LH106 office hours: Th 11-12:30 & by appt. China today is in the midst of the fastest economic and social-cultural transformation of any nation in history. The Chinese economy is today, by many measurements, the world’s largest. Whether we can sum up conditions in China as “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” “mercantilist capitalism,” “East Asian authoritarian developmentalism” or some other label, China cannot be understood without knowledge of its revolutionary heritage and long-standing technologies of mass mobilization. And the revolutionary heritage of the twentieth century cannot be understood without knowledge of the political, socio-economic, and cultural systems that came under great strain in the nineteenth century. “China” today is itself a direct product of the Qing Empire (1644-1912), which expanded its borders to nearly double the territories claimed by the Ming Empire (1368-1644). This state was falling apart in the nineteenth century, but China was strengthened and reestablished through revolutionary movements (Nationalist as well as Communist) over the course of the twentieth century. Grading for this class is based on the following work: -class participation and reports; short reading-reaction papers; quizzes: 25% -paper 1: 25% -paper 2: 25% -paper 3: 25% There are no exams in this course. Notes: 1. Plagiarism is not tolerated. See http://irc.uconn.edu/PlagiarismModule/intro_m.htm. 2. Provisions will be made for students with disabilities. See http://www.csd.uconn.edu/accommodation_services.html. 3. Attendance is encouraged; class participation and student reports count toward your final grade.
    [Show full text]
  • Authenticity, Sincerity and Spontaneity: the Mutual Implication of Nature and Religion in China and the West
    METHOD & THEORY in the STUDY OF RELIGION Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 25 (2013) 283-307 brill.com/mtsr Authenticity, Sincerity and Spontaneity: The Mutual Implication of Nature and Religion in China and the West James Miller School of Religion, Queen’s University, Canada K7L3N6 [email protected] Abstract Fundamental approaches to ethics and morality in both China and the West are bound up not only with conceptions of religion and ultimate truth, but also with conceptions of nature. One dominant theme in the West is to see nature in terms of an original goodness that precedes human manipulation. This theme is bound up with Biblical views of divine creation by a divine lawmaker. In contrast to this view, Chinese conceptions of sincerity (cheng) and spontaneity (ziran) mitigate against such an abstract conception of the original goodness or authenticity of nature. Keywords nature, religion, authenticity, daoism, confucianism, ethics A story reported in the Western news media in the context of China’s bid for the Olympic games was that the Beijing authorities had used a chemical spray to paint the otherwise dried-out brown grass of Beijing a sparkling emerald green. Evidence of the popularity of this story, and the potential harm it did to China’s image, can be found in the fact that the People’s Daily had to publish a counter-story “Greening Liquid Does No Harm” pointing out that the chemical spray was developed by a US company and complied with all the relevant envi- ronmental and health standards. What this counter-story failed to appreciate, however, was why the story had been so popular in the first place: namely, that it had traded on a fundamental difference in conceptions of nature between China and the West.
    [Show full text]
  • Is Human History Predestined in Wang Fuzhi's Cosmology?
    jeeloo liu IS HUMAN HISTORY PREDESTINED IN WANG FUZHI’S COSMOLOGY?* Introduction Human history seems to exemplify a cyclical pattern: after prosperous times, chaotic times ensue, and vice versa. In traditional Chinese cosmol- ogy, this pattern could very well be explained in terms of the dialectics of yin and yang, or as the natural order of Heaven. This cosmological expla- nation appears to fit natural history well. There are natural phenomena such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and so on, that are beyond human control. These events have their own causes. Once those causes are present, a natural disaster, however unfavorably viewed by humans, is bound to take place. The view that natural history is determined by factors outside the human world can be accepted without much controversy. When ap- plied to human history, however, the role of humans becomes prob- lematic within this kind of cosmology. How much of our success or failure is due to our larger cosmological environment—the working and development of qi (cosmic force)? Can a single individual reverse the flow of yin and yang or the emergence of good times and bad times? On a larger scale, is human history predestined? If there is a necessary rotation of prosperity and chaos, then it can be argued that there must be some value to the existence of chaos.1 In that case, we humans should just accept the fate that is given to us and do nothing to reverse it. This view of human history renders one a passive fatalist. If one does not wish to be fatalistic, then one needs to provide an analy- sis for the interplay between Heaven and individuals; between Nature and humans.
    [Show full text]
  • Late Works of Mou Zongsan Modern Chinese Philosophy
    Late Works of Mou Zongsan Modern Chinese Philosophy Edited by John Makeham, Australian National University VOLUME 7 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/mcp Late Works of Mou Zongsan Selected Essays on Chinese Philosophy Translated and edited by Jason Clower LEIDEN | BOSTON The book is an English translation of Mou Zongsan’s essays with the permission granted by the Foundation for the Study of Chinese Philosophy and Culture. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mou, Zongsan, author. [Works. Selections. English] Late works of Mou Zongsan : selected essays on Chinese philosophy / translated and edited by Jason Clower. pages cm — (Modern Chinese philosophy ; VOLUME 7) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-27889-9 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-27890-5 (e-book) 1. Philosophy, Chinese. I. Clower, Jason (Jason T.), translator, editor. II. Title. B126.M66413 2014 181’.11—dc23 2014016448 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual ‘Brill’ typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, ipa, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see brill.com/brill-typeface. issn 1875-9386 isbn 978 90 04 27889 9 (hardback) isbn 978 90 04 27890 5 (e-book) Copyright 2014 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill nv incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Nijhoff, Global Oriental and Hotei Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies
    RELIGION AND SOCIETY IN ASIA Kuo (ed.) Kuo Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Edited by Cheng-tian Kuo Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Religion and Society in Asia The Religion and Society in Asia series presents state-of-the-art cross-disciplinary academic research on colonial, postcolonial and contemporary entanglements between the socio-political and the religious, including the politics of religion, throughout Asian societies. It thus explores how tenets of faith, ritual practices and religious authorities directly and indirectly impact on local moral geographies, identity politics, political parties, civil society organizations, economic interests, and the law. It brings into view how tenets of faith, ritual practices and religious authorities are in turn configured according to socio-political, economic as well as security interests. The series provides brand new comparative material on how notions of self and other as well as justice and the commonweal have been predicated upon ‘the religious’ in Asia since the colonial/imperialist period until today. Series Editors Martin Ramstedt, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle Stefania Travagnin, University of Groningen Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Edited by Cheng-tian Kuo Amsterdam University Press This book is sponsored by the 2017 Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (Taiwan; SP002-D-16) and co-sponsored by the International Institute of Asian Studies (the Netherlands). Cover illustration: Chairman Mao Memorial Hall in Beijing © Cheng-tian Kuo Cover design: Coördesign, Leiden Typesetting: Crius Group, Hulshout Amsterdam University Press English-language titles are distributed in the US and Canada by the University of Chicago Press.
    [Show full text]
  • Research on the Life of Shao Yong Qing MING1,A
    2020 2nd International Conference on Education, Economics and Information Management (EEIM 2020) ISBN: 978-1-60595-684-8 Research on the Life of Shao Yong Qing MING1,a 1Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan, China [email protected] Keywords: Shao Yong, A History of the Song Dynasty, Life, Chan Buddhism. Abstract. Shao Yong (1012-1077), a renowned philosopher of the northern Song dynasty (960-1126), was known for his scholarship on the philosophy of Changes (yixue zhexue) and Neo-Confucianism. There is often a relationship between one’s way of life and one’s philosophy. In order to deepen understanding Shao Yong’s philosophy, this paper will take the life of Shao Yong as its subject of study, and this subject will be approached by focusing on the life of Shao Yong and his study of Buddhism along with and his practice of Chan Buddhism. 1. Introduction When it comes to discussing the life of Shao Yong, there is something of a mystery. In the existing scholarship, most researchers did not identify the Buddhist influence on the life of Shao Yong. Even those scholars who accepted that Buddhism did influence Shao Yong’s philosophy, they however did not mention how Buddhism influenced him in detail. Therefore, in this paper his Buddhist background will be interpreted in its widest sense. This will lay the groundwork for how Shao Yong’s Chan Buddhism background directed his redefinition of the Supreme Ultimate. 2. The Life of Shao Yong According to A History of the Song Dynasty, an Outer Record of Master Shao Kangjie, A Critical Biography of Shao Yong and “A Neo-Confucianist of the Northern Song: Shao Yong and His Works,” We can draw an overview of the life of Shao Yong as follows: Shao’s style name was Yao Fu, his honorific name was Kangjie, and he was also called Master Peace-and-Happiness (anle xiansheng).
    [Show full text]