Master Yin Shun was perhaps the most influential Buddhist philosopher in modern era. With his 70 years of writing, Master Yin Shun left a huge number of important works, including Miao Yun Collection (24 Vols), Hua Yu Collection (5 Vols), Yong Guang Collection (1 Vol), and many other publications relating to Master Tai Xu and Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, particularly the Three Treatise school. This article examines how Master Yin Shun chose and decided the topics of his writing and the rationales behind his decision. The discussion is focused on the eight main categories of Master Yin Shun’s writings: the three great divergences of Buddhist thoughts, Buddhist history in India, Buddhist history in China, Master Yin Shun’s lectures on Buddhist sutras, his random lectures on Buddhism, his topical articles, his works with special focus, and the books he edited. By scrutinizing these eight different categories, this article analyzes which categories were written as a result of voluntary researches conducted by Master Yin Shun, and which categories were written in response to issues of his time or arguments raised by other people. A comprehensive esearch into the causes and conditions of Master Yin Shun’s writings will elp us to further understand his life and thoughts.
