The thoughts and ideas of Ven. Yin-shun have attracted much attention within Chinese Buddhist circles. While many appreciate his insights, criticism of his views is not entirely uncommon. In this article, I look at whether or not these responses are grounded, and accordingly, I will address the following four points: Firstly, I believe the argument that Yin-shun's "Humanistic Buddhism" leads to deeper worldly concerns is unfounded, mainly because his insights are precisely an antidote to regressing to the mundane realm. Secondly, I argue that the view that Yin-shun places insufficient emphasis on the liberation practices of the Buddha Dharma is erroneous, and I try to show that his teachings do in fact offer keen insights into the pursuit of liberation. Thirdly, I endeavor to show that Yin-shun never launched an attack on the tradition of Chinese Buddhism viciously. In fact, he attempted to find ways to ameliorate and revive Chinese Buddhism. Lastly, I point out that contrary to the views of the China Buddhist College and Japanese Critical Buddhism, Yin-shun highly valued the teachings of the tathāgatagarbha and moreover held them to be essential to a comprehensive system of Buddhist theory.
