The differences between the earlier and later stages of Liang Shuming’s thoughts as well as his ideological changes of Confucian and the Buddhist aspects are the two basic dimensions in exploring the evolution of Liang’s moral efforts. In his earlier stage, Liang’s moral efforts are mainly intuitional, aided by the compromise of the Will. In his later thoughts, Liang begins to emphasize the unremitting endeavor of life and the self-conscious conscience of the Will. The moral efforts in Liang’s earlier thought correspond to two kinds of ontology in Confucianism and Buddhism, containing an intrinsic tension. However, Liang later tends to put emphasis on the interlink between them in cultivating morality, hence relieving their tension. Such transformation in Ling’s moral efforts renders the binary opposition between good and evil in his earlier thoughts develop into a more dialectical relation with both opposition and unity. Facing the concussion of western culture, Liang points out that conscious endeavor is the common basis of the Confucian and the Buddhist moral efforts, hence providing us a useful paradigm for the traditional morality to be adapted for the modern society.
