論唐代華嚴宗的佛性思想 -- 以智儼、法藏、澄觀、宗密的佛性論為中心=On the Buddha-Nature Thought of Huayen School of Tang Dynasty -- Especially about Zhiyan, Fazang, Chengguan and Zongmi
The Buddha-nature thought is produced in India and gradually developed in China. Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra propagates the teaching of Buddha-nature in all sentient beings, which played a great role in Chinese Buddhism history. Before the translation of Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra by Dharmaraksa, Daosheng has put forward the idea about the enlightenability of icchantika, which is the origin of Chinese Buddha-nature thought. But this idea is only limited in sentient beings, not include non-sentient beings, for example, the river, mountain and earth etc. It is to say that, when Buddha-nature thought in India it did not be general at the extreme. But after its translation into China, it come into combination with Dharma-nature, and gradually developed the idea of the enlightenability of non-sentient beings. In Chinese Taoism, there is the opinion of “If a man becomes immortal, even his hen and dog become immortal too”, and in Chinese Buddhism there is a story about a stone’s approval of Daosheng’s preaching, but these are literary stories without constant philosophical basis. The most representative thinker in Chinese Buddhism history who hold the idea of the enlightenability of non-sentient beings is Jizang(549-623) in Sui and Tang Dynasty, and the one who makes it more philosophical is Zhanran(712-782) of Tiantai sect in Middle Tang Dynasty. People of traditional Huayen school generally hold the idea of the enlightenability of sentient beings. Chengguan(738-839) of Huayen school has received instruction from Zhanran and Huizhong of Niutou Chan Buddhism, there is a integration tendency in his Buddha-nature thought. Shenhui(684758) clearly opposed the thought of the enlightenability of non-sentient beings. Zongmi(780-841) succeeded to Shenhui and hold the standpoint of human beings, distinctly claim the enlightenability of sentient beings which is counter to the prevailing thought of the enlightenability of non-sentient beings in Chan sect. But after Zongmi, Chan Buddhism of Nanyue and Jiangxi which was just considered as a branch by Zongmi, now become the main force of Chinese Buddhism and the idea of the enlightenability of non-sentient beings becomes prevailing, especially in the Yunmen Chan sect, although there still are some famous Koan for non-enlightenability of non-sentient beings. After Zongmi’s death, his thought becomes weak in Chinese Chan Buddhism, but his thought of the enlightenability of sentient beings and ontology of human nature influenced upon Neo-Confucianist of Song and Ming Dynasties greatly. For example, the theory of mind of Zhou Dunyi, the Cheng brothers, Zhu Huian and Lu Xiangshan, and the idea of conscience of Wang Yangming are influenced directly or indirectly by Zongmi’ Buddha-nature thought.
