- NOTE TO USERS - Thk reproduction is the best copy avPllable m. Tang Chun-i's Idea of Transcendence: with special reference to his Life, Existence, and the Horizon of Mind-Heart Yau-Nang William Ng A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of East Asian Studies University of Toronto @ Copyright by William Yau-nang Ng 1996. 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Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent &re imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT TANG CHUN-I'S IDEA OF TRANSCENDENCE: WlTH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HIS LIFE, EXISTENCE AND THE HORIZONS OF MIND-HEART Yau Nang Wlliam Ng Doctor of Philosophy Department of East Asian Studies University of Toronto 1996 This dissertation attempts to examine a central concept of the thought of Tang Chun-i (pinyin: Tang JunyiBB;@ 1909-1978), that of the transcendental dimension, with the hope of contributing to a resolution of several controversies regarding Confucianism in general and contemporary Neo-Confucianism in particular. I hope, above all, to demonstrate the extent to which contemporary Neo-Confucianism, in this case exemplified by Tang's thought, has retained important religious dimensions, while experiencing changes with the introduction of Western philosophical terminology, concepts and ways of argument. Further, I aim to answer the assertion, which prevails both in the West and the East, that Confucianism is totally secular, w.thout any idea of transcendence, by showing Tang's thought to be imbued with a religious humanism which opens itseff to the realm of transcendence. Finally, I wkh to shed light on two interrelated problems, namely, whether Confucianism is a religion or not, and what kind of humanism contemporary Neo-Confucianism (here manifested in the thought of Tang Chun- i) advocates. Chapter 1 looks at the point of departure for Tang's system, the concept of human nature. For Tang, the key element of being a human beirlg is the notion of consciousness of transcendence (chaoyue yishi =a&%)which I interpret as the dynamic of transformation. Next, Tang's discussion of the Christian idea of transcendence will be examined mainly in two parts, one devoted to arguments supporting the existence of the realm of transcendence and the other dealing with the content of this realm of transcendence. These form Chapter Two. Chapters Three and Four examine the Buddhist and Confucian Horizons of transcendence respectively. They are followed by an exposition of Tang's system of doctrinal classification in Chapter Five. Chapter Six is an evaluation of Tang's thought which includes the evaluation of Tang's dual argument, and the discussions of the nature of Tang's system in particular, and the nature of Tang's thought in general. The conclusion of the thesis is that Tang's argument cannot support the notion of God (Absolute) that he wanted to establish. And perhaps Tang did not mind. From the beginning, Tang believed that the realm of transcendence was something ultimately beyond human discourse and therefore impossible to establish philosophically. Rather, what is important is the promotion of Chinese culture and the awakening of people's moral spirit. Under these considerations, the most important function of philosophical investigation is to lead people to the way of the sage, or, to use Tang's word, to "replant the spiritual root" (linggen zaizhis@s@). Tang's philosophical investigation aims not merely to achieve intellectual knowledge but to arrive at the truth. For him, knowledge is not an end in itsetf but a means to wisdom - to truth. If that is the case, and the realm of transcendence is ultimately beyond knowledge and language, then, strictly speaking, such a transcendent level of the learning of the mind-heart, should be outside the scope of philosophical speculation - that is, it is not completely the I I object of rational knowledge. That is why Tang's thought has non-rational aspects which contribute partly to its religious dimension. Perhaps, we should call it the religion of mind-heart and nature (xinxing zhijiao~L\'BZ@k).Therefore, in terms of its foundation, Tang's religious humanism is moral humanism. But on account of its transcendent dimension, we can clearly see a profound religious spirit running through it Thus, contemporary Neo-Confucianism, in this case exemplified by Tang's philosophy, is not any kind of secular humanism that discards the importance of transcendence. It is my assertion that Tang Chun-i's thought is a religious humanism which is deeply grounded in humanity and in its openness to transcendence. It is precisely in this sense that we can say that Confucianism, exemplifies by Tang's thought, has a religious dimension. I think any serious discussion of the nature of corntemporary Neo-Confucianism cannot avoid this aspect. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to thank his supervisor, Professor Julia C. Ching, for her assistance and encouragement, and Professor Richard Guisso for his concern and support throughout his study at the University of Toronto. Special thanks go to Professors Bruce Alton, Milton Wan and Willard Oxtoby for reviewing several chapters and helping him formulate and polish some of the ideas in this dissertation without which it would not be possible. The author of this dissertation owes much to his teachers in Taiwan among them he would like to mention particularly Professors Ming-hui Lee ( *%@) , Vincent Shen ( ~%&?) , Wei-ming Tu ( e@w) , and M. L. Choi ( gg@ ) . His greatest debt is to his mentor, Professor Sze-kwany Lao ( $!$,EX) , who steered him into this study and continues to inspire him with his penetrating philosophical insights. Last, but not least, he would iike to thank his friends, Paulino Belamide, Douglas Moore and George Erdosy for their supports and friendship. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction......................................................................................... 1-33 A. The Thesis B. Formation of a Stereotype of Confucianism C. My approach and the Focus 1. What is the so-called "dangdaixinruxue" or Contemporary Neo-Confucianism 2. The Man: Tang Chun-i 3. The Focus: Transcendence D. Some Methodological Considerations and a Note on the Sources E. Organisation of the Dissertation Chapter One: The Starting Point: The Transcendent Consciousness .... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ,, .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. ... ... ... .. .... .. ... .. ... .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. ..34-63 A. lntroduction B. Tang's Conception of the Transcendent Consciousness 1. The Epistemological Aspect 2. The Axiological Aspect C. Tang's Notion of Human Nature I.The Moral Self and Mstential Seff 2. The Essence of Human Nature: the benxin benxing D. Self-cultivation 1. Setf-awakening and Self-illumination 2. To Establish One's Aspiration 3. The Origin of Evil 4. Setf-transformation Chapter TWO:Christianity and Transcendence..................... .. .. .. ..64-102 A. Introduction 64 6. The System of the Nine-horizons of the 64-71 Mind-Heart C. Fixing the Range of Reference of Tang's 71-73 Trans-subjectivitylobjectivity Horizon D. The Ontological Argument 73-8 1 E. Tang's Moral Argument 81 -89 F. The Nature of the Absolute in Itself 89-94 G. The Relation Between Transcendence and 94-102 The Human Being and its Foundation Chapter Three: Buddhism and the Transcendent Dimension.... 103-131 A. Introduction B. The Horizon of Dual Emptiness 1. Impermanence 2. Conditioned Co-arising 3. Anatta and Svabhava-sunyata 4. Enlightenment as Non-attachment to Dharma C. Suffering and Universal Salvation 1. Suffering 2. Conditions for Liberation from Suffering a. Compassion b. Transcending the Division D. Foundations and Paths to Liberation I.Karma and Attachment 2. The Seed of Liberation: Buddha-nature 3. The Three Lives E. Reflections Chapter Four: Confucianism and the Transcendent Dimension 133-159 A. Introduction 8. From Human to Heaven: Setf-transcendent 1. Gantong and the Union with Heaven 2. The Sequential Perspective C. Different Levels of Ming D. Establishing Ming E. Rites and Worship: Applied Confucianism F. Reflections Chapter Five: Tang's Doctrinal Classification System ................ 160-174 A. Introduction B. What is panjiao? C. Tang's System of Panjiao 1. The Notion of Life and Existence 2. Attitude to this World 3. The Notion of Human Nature and Salvation 4. The Notion of the Absolute D. Reflections Chapter Six: Conclusion....................................................... I 75-21 8 A, Introduction B. Evaluation of Tang's Arguments 1. The Ontological Argument 2. The Moral Argument C. The Nature of Tang's System 1. Tang and Western philosophy 2. Tang and Buddhism: Huayan and Tiantai D. The Nature of Tang's Philosophy APPENDIXES AND SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 21 9 APPENDIX A: On the Interpretation of Certain Technical 220-222 Terms APPENDIX 8: Glossary of Transliterations 223-225 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 226-248 A Note on Transliteration and Documentation A. Transliteration As regards transliteration, I shall follow the pinyin system with the following exceptions: 1) Terms that have become well known in their Wade-Giles version will be cited, with pinyin transliteration provided in paretheses the first time the term appears.