There are two key aspects to Wonhyo's conception of Buddhist faith: complete negation and complete affirmation. Wonhyo's commentaries generally begin with a lengthy discussion of the t'i(體) or body of the text under consideration, characterized by a series of compounded negations. His Commentary on the Awakening of Mahayana Faith(大乘起信論疏) follows this pattern, with the opening section beginning by negating all kinds of linguistic expressions. Wonhyo does not stop at negation, however. Once moksa(解脫) is attained, his next step is to affirm everything fully and absolutely from the perspective of the liberated or enlightened person. He is careful, however, to distinguish how this enlightened affirmation is different from other forms of affirmation, which remain tangled in conceptual understanding. Indeed, he implies that unenlightened practitioners should practice Buddhist faith in terms of negation, not affirmation. By this he means not a passive or destructive practice, but one that focuses squarely on the limits of conceptual understanding and linguistic expression. This conception of Buddhism is the underpinning for his non-sectarian, synthetic approach to Buddhist doctrine.
目次
Abstract 25 Ⅰ. Prelude: The True Nature of Faith 26 Ⅱ. What is Faith? 26 Ⅲ. The Blade of Complete Negation 28 Ⅳ. To Die Is to Live 30 Ⅴ. Awakening Faith 32 Ⅵ. A Firm Basis for t'i-yung Interpretation 35 Ⅶ. Neng-so(能所) Construction in Wonhyo's Philosophy 39 Ⅷ. Complete Affirmation 40 Ⅸ. The Big Picture 42
