Fan chen's "treatise on the destructibility of the spirit"，("shen-mieh lun")，which represents the climax in the heated dispute between buddhists and non-buddhists on the question of the immortality of the soul，is among the most controversial pieces of chinese philosophical literature. depending on their political and religious persuasion，critics past and present have expressed very different opinions about its intellectual depth and historical significance. our study is an attempt to approach the work from a less partisan and more analytic standpoint. we try to present each of its central ideas as it actually appears in the text，and examine its meaning in the context of the essay's overall argument. if we do not refrain from making appraisals, our judgments are based on internal rather than external grounds. that is, on the consideration of consistency of thought and accomplishment of set objects, rather than on its being a confirmation of our own philosophical position.
