Self-Determination and Absolute Dependence: A Comparison of the Relationship between the “Self” and the “Other” and Its Dimension in The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch and Schleiermacher’s Christian Philosophy
2. The Subtitle of the Journal: Otherness-Reception and Self-Rediscovery in the Dialogue and Comparative Study of Christianity and Buddhism.
3. Author Affiliation: Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China.
關鍵詞
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch; Schleiermacher; Buddhism; Christianity; self
摘要
As a classic of Zen Buddhism, The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, starting from the core concept of “self-nature and self-determination”, fully demonstrates the “Self” dimension and the “self-mastery” and “self-bearing” spiritual temperament of Master Huineng, who put forward the idea that “Buddhahood is realized within the essential-nature; do not seek for it outside yourself.” 佛向性中作，莫向身外求, and the spiritual temperament of “self-mastery” and “self-responsibility”. In contrast, Schleiermacher, as “the father of modern Protestant theology”, in his philosophical reflection on religion, grasped the notion of piety centered on “the feeling of absolute dependence” and enriched it with the substance of religious self-consciousness to establish and reveal the essence of religious faith and Christianity. This sharp contrast fully demonstrates the important difference of Buddhism and Christianity in dealing with the relationship between the “Self” and the “Other”. This essential difference reflects the fact that the Zen Buddhist classics represented by The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch are both rooted in the Buddhist tradition and based on the traditional Chinese philosophical theory of mind and nature, based on which is the faith model of seeking liberation from the nature of the “Self”. In contrast, The Christian faith, as typified by Schleiermacher’s Christian philosophy, attempts to establish a model of faith that seeks salvation through devout faith in the Absolute Supreme, and to take this point as the essence and basis of religious faith and Christian faith.
目次
Abstract 1 Keywords 1 1. Introduction 1 2. The Dimension of the “Self” in The Platform Sutra 2 3. The Dimension of the Relation between the “Self” and the “Other” in Schleiermacher’s Christian Philosophy 6 4. Liberation and Salvation: The Root of the Essential Difference between “Self-Determination” in The Platform Sutra and Schleiermacher’s “Absolute Dependence” 9 5. Conclusions 14 Funding 16 Institutional Review Board Statement 16 Informed Consent Statement 16 Data Availability Statement 16 Conflicts of Interest 16 Notes 16 References 16
