Ven. Jingkong=淨空法師; Pure Land Buddhism=淨土法門; Confucian Morality=儒家倫理; Taiwanese Buddhism=臺灣佛教; Syncretism=融合主義
摘要
Amitābha (nianfo 念佛), but also a this-worldly focused moral Confucian cultivation. Based on an analysis of Ven. Jingkong's online dharma talks and publications, the present article identifies the Confucian notion of filial piety (xiao 孝), and one specific paragraph of the 'Sūtra of the Meditation on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life' (foshuo guan wuliangshou jing 《佛說觀無量壽經》) as the starting point of his advocated soteriology. This Sūtra provides the Buddhist textual foundation of xiao, thus erecting a bridge to connect the Sūtra with Confucian and Daoist texts, such as 'The Classic of Filial Piety' (xiaojing 《孝經》), 'Rules for Disciples' (dizigui《弟子規》), and 'Treatise of the Most High on Action and Retribution' (taishang ganyingpian《太上感應篇》),' ipso facto explaining the incorporation as well as the 'Buddhicising' of the former texts. In this sense he emphasises that the improvement of one's fate - and therefore the chance to be reborn into the Pure Land - is not the result of acts of worship towards Buddha or the potential effectiveness of rituals or even the renunciation of all worldly distractions, thus 'going forth' (chujia 出家) and entering a monastic environment, it is rather based on 'correct' moral conduct in daily life, through acts of filial piety, compassion, honesty, and humility - which are de facto Confucian values. This train of thought falls into the category of 'compartmentalism' because Jingkong argues that Buddhism and Confucianism address different domains of reality and truth, which complement each other and address specific issues without interference. Thus, they constitute a parallel space within their shared universe of discourse: Buddhism gives reason to what holds the world together at its core and being focused on extramundane salvation, whereas (selected parts of) Confucianism explain how to conduct oneself in the world. These selected parts are then re-interpreted through a Buddhist lens and integrated. Thus, not triggering any conflicts regarding their soteriology, that needs to be reconciled. The article, therefore, investigates the questions: how does a Pure Land advocate rationalises the incorporation of other tradition's morality concepts through certain narratives, what terminology can be applied to describe this phenomenon, and finally, why does Jingkong emphasise this-worldly cultivation based mostly on the 'Rules for Disciples'?
Abstract 174 1. Introduction 176 2. A Theoretical Discussion of Syncretism 179 2.1 The Etymology and Terminology of Syncretism 179 2.2 Syncretism – A Question of Definition 182 3. The successive Path to Salvation 187 3.1 The Threefold Grades of Meritorious Acts to Rebirth 188 3.2 The Centripetality of xiao 194 3.3 Dizigui in Juxtaposition with the First Meritorious Act 204 3.4 Nianfo as Lay Practitioner or Monastic? 209 4. Conclusion 212 Bibliography 218
