Thinking can be changed with times. Smart and sensitive thinkers always have debates over the traditional thinking and the contemporary ideological trend through “re-examination and criticism,”and then deposit, distillate and highlight their points of view so as to correct the bad customs and solve the problems. In the circle of Buddhist thinking, Yin Shun (1906–2005), a master of Buddhism in Taiwan in the 20th century, and the contemporary Japanese scholars like Matsumoto Shiro (1950 - ) and Hakamaya Noriaki (1943 - ) can be regarded as the thinkers of this kind. Although there is no concrete correlation among the “Criticisms on Buddhism” by Yin Shun, Matsumoto Shiro and Hakamaya Noriaki, all their criticisms suggest powerful anti-thinking and reviews over the “self-awareness thinking”of the “Rulai Tibetan thinking”and the “Chan sect.” Obviously, “Criticisms on Buddhism”are their common experience in their research life of collating and analyzing the history of Buddhism which has lasted for a long period of time. What are the backgrounds for the creation of their criticisms? What are their standpoints and viewpoints in criticizing Buddhism? What are the differences among them? The answers of these issues should be available through comparative studies and judgments. Such a comparison shall present a new observation of the “Criticisms on Buddhism”by Yin Shun and the Japanese scholars. Therefore, this study plan intends to systematically make “A Study ofYinShun’s ‘Criticisms on Buddhism’—— Also Comparing with Matsumoto Shiro and Hakamaya Noriaki” The structure of the study is as follows: (1) Introduction, including the description of problems, literary review, and the research purposes and methods; (2) “Origin of the ‘Criticisms on Buddhism’by Yin Shun and Matsumoto Shiro ,Hakamaya Noriaki,”elaborating the intentions of the criticisms by three scholars; (3) Analysis and comparison of the research on“Yuan Chii”,“Kong”,“Rulai Tibetan”of Yin Shun and Matsumoto Shiro , Hakamaya Noriaki; (4) Explainnation and comparison of “Criticisms on Rulai Tibetan”of Yin Shun and Matsumoto Shiro ,Hakamaya Noriaki； (5) Research and comparison of “Criticisms on Chan sect ”of Yin Shun and Matsumoto Shiro ,Hakamaya Noriaki； (6) Collation and comparison of the “Feedbacks to the ‘Criticisms on Buddhism’by Yin Shun and the Japanese scholars,”clarifying the feedbacks and re-criticisms aroused to the ‘Criticisms on Buddhism’by Yin Shun and the Japanese scholars”;(7) Summary of the“meanings of ‘Criticisms on Buddhism’by Yin Shun and the Japanese scholars in the history of Buddhism of the modern times,”revealing the implications of the times and the historical functions created by them, concluding the research results, characteristics and contributions of Yin Shun, Matsumoto Shiro and Hakamaya Noriaki, based on which some future directions of “Criticisms on Buddhism”are proposed. It is hoped that this study plan makes in-depth and comprehensive collation, elucidation, comparison and discussion of these issues, so as to reveal the important viewpoints of Yin Shun’s “Criticisms on Buddhism,”objectively compare his viewpoints with the related research results of Matsumoto Shiro and
