The discourse on epistemological, ontological, and linguistic issues in the Zhuangzi and in Guo Xiang’s (252–312) commentary influenced Sengzhao’s (374–414) reception and interpretation of Indian Madhyamaka thought introduced to the Chinese literati by Kumārajīva (343–413), the famous translator from the Wei Jin period and Sengzhao’s Buddhist master.
This article explores the philosophical conditions and conceptual affinities based on which early Madhyamaka thought in China integrates Daoist and Xuanxue terms into its own conceptual framework and further develops into the indigenous Buddhist schools of the Tiantai and Sanlun traditions. After examining some key terms, such as nature, thing, name, knowing, from the Zhuangzi and Guo Xiang’s commentary, this article further analyzes Sengzhao’s reinterpretation referencing the soteriological context of Buddhist “liberation.”
目次
1. Introduction 103 2. Buddhist and Daoist Notions of the Indeterminable 105 3. A Daoist View on the Nature of Things 110 4. A Daoist Observation of Knowing 114 5. The Madhyamaka Discourse on the Nature of Things 119 6. Sengzhao’s Reflection on Names, Things, and Knowing 123 7. A Chinese Madhyamaka Understanding of Liberation 128 8. Conclusive Remarks 132
