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The Early Acceptance and Development of Buddhism in China -focus on Mouzi’s Lihuo lun

  • 불교학리뷰
  • Abbr : Critical Review for Buddhist Studies
  • 2023, (33), pp.33-49
  • Publisher : Geumgang Center for Buddhist Studies
  • Research Area : Humanities > Buddhist Studies
  • Received : March 7, 2023
  • Accepted : March 30, 2023
  • Published : April 30, 2023

QIU LISHA 1

1중국 인민대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Buddhism was introduced in China around the Han Dynasty. In the early days, it was mainly known to the imperial family and the public through the theory of Huang-Lao and the Fairy and Divination, which both were traditional Chinese ideologies. However, at the end of the Three Kingdoms social ideology was affected both directly and indirectly by the political turmoil, and emerged a new landscape. The moral concepts created based on Confucianism, which was originally the mainstream of ideology, began to waver, and other ideologies that existed in the past such as Taoism and Legalism revived. For the same reason, Buddhism also entered its own new turning point by emphasizing the similarity with Taoism rather than Huang-Lao and the Fairy and Divination. The image of Buddhism depicted in Mouzi was Buddhism at this time. In the text of Mouzi, a Chinese man named “Mouzi” was proficient in Confucianism, Taoism, and the theory of Fairy and Divination. From his young age, as during the Three Kingdoms’turmoil period, he began to believe and study Buddhism. He interpreted Buddhism with the concept of Taoism, and disprove Confucianism with the context of The Four Books and The Five Classics, the very own books of Confucianism’s. Last but not least, he took the initiative by criticizing the Fairy and Divination to advocated Buddhism. All above served as the foundation for Buddhism to become the mainstream of Chinese ideology. The image of Buddhism during the transition period depicted in Mouzi was a complex face of Buddhism representing that era.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.