Duli Xingyi 独立性易 （Dokuryū Shōeki） went to Japan in exile at the time of the transition from the Ming to the Qing Dynasty, and became a monk in Japan. Therefore, his ideas have always been considered Buddhist or a unity of the Three Teachings. However, Duli’s Commentary on the Genkō shakusho 元亨釈書評閲, revealed here for the first time, suggests otherwise. It is a critique of the Buddhist history book Genkō shakusho 元亨釈書 and intensively reflects a Confucian standpoint and his views on Buddhism. First, I introduce the context in which Duli’s Commentary was written. Secondly, I illustrate that the Commentary is mainly a critique of the “Shichihyō” 資治表 chapter of the Genkō shakusho, criticized for its imitation of the writing style of the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋, and attempts to demonstrate that Buddhism is helpful to governing. Thirdly, I analyze several typical excerpts that indicate that Duli not only believes that politics is the business of Confucianism, in which Buddhists should not participate, but also maintains that the corruption of government is precisely due to Buddhism. Therefore, although Duli was forced to become a monk, his thinking was still Confucian.
