1. Research Articles 2. Author Affiliations: Milam Hall, Department of History Oregon State University Corvallis OR 97331
摘要
To explore how Chinese Buddhists acted as trailblazers of Engaged Buddhism, I shall analyze a late nineteenth-century thinker, Tan Sitong 譚嗣同 (1865–1898). The focus of my analysis is his masterpiece, Renxue 仁學. From his position of Buddhist eclecticism, Tan discoursed at length on non-differentiation as the truth of the universe to reflect on the creative disposition of human agency. He described in Renxue how this disposition would contribute to the agendas defining Chinese modernity. In addition, discussing the meanings of non-differentiation, Tan also generalized about the nature of the human agency he attempted to advocate: while he perceived the human agency blessed with a non-differentiating mindset as an omnipotent history-making force, he also argued that it did not confer upon its owner the status of world savior. In fact, in his view, the efficacy of a non-differentiating mind was determined by the world it aimed to help. Tan's signature piece, I argue, provides a lens through which we can observe modern Chinese Buddhism's role as an important part of the global formation of Engaged Buddhism.
目次
Introduction 324 Milieu 327 Benevolence (ren) and Interconnectivity (tong) 330 Non-differentiation as the truth of the universe 330 Interconnectivity in the human realm 333 Fighting for and Looking Beyond the Individual's Self-expression 334 Legitimating a historical agency that struggled for self-expression 335 Trivializing self-orientedness for non-dualism 337 Working to Serve Others as Individuals 340 Respecting others' desires 341 Abandoning hierarchies for social and political equality 343 Working for China and the World 346 Connecting China to the West 346 Blurring national boundaries 348 Spirituality and Human Agency 351 Spiritual journey 351 Omnipotence of the benevolent ones 353 Limiting the omnipotence of the benevolent ones 355 Conclusion 357 Tan Sitong in Chinese history 358 Tan Sitong in the contemporary world 360
