3. The Rise of New Confucianism and the Influence of Chan Buddhism

2021 ◽  
pp. 49-60
Keyword(s):  
Chan Buddhism ◽  
New Confucianism

Introduction to Confucian Psychology: Background, Content, and an Agenda for the Future

2021 ◽  
pp. 097133362199044
Author(s):  
James H. Liu
Keyword(s):  
Self Reflection ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
New Confucianism ◽  
Diary Writing ◽  
Confucian Philosophy ◽  
Zeng Guofan ◽  
Mental And Physical Health ◽  
Background Content

Psychology has a pervasive but shallow engagement with Confucian philosophy, mainly referencing its popular form as a part of Chinese tradition. This special issue takes a more systematic view of Confucianism as comprehensive philosophy. Drawing from New Confucianism, it is argued that the signal contribution of Confucianism to psychology as human (rather than natural) science is an ontology of the moral mind (heaven and humanity in union). This holistic ontology makes the cultivation of benevolence (仁) a lifelong mission for Confucianists. Practices of self-cultivation are exemplified by a case study of Zeng Guofan, a Qing Dynasty official and scholar, who combined academics, calligraphy, meditation, diary writing and self-reflection to refine his character, nurture and educate his family, and be of service to society. Second, Confucianism’s traditional lack of interest in epistemology is addressed through the complementary (dialectical) principle of ‘one principle, many manifestations’, where methods of Western science can be incorporated into the investigation of practices such as brush calligraphy that are shown to have beneficial effects on mental and physical health. Confucianism can also be treated as an object of scientific inquiry: We find that even among highly educated Chinese people, understanding of Confucianism today is mostly fragmented and abstract. Confucian Psychology can be summarised as a psychology of aspirations for bettering the condition of humanity through character development and greater awareness of the situation to realise the endowment of moral mind. Finally, there are deep connections between Confucian and Indian psychology—both involve height psychology, a psychology of aspirations and for spiritual transformation.

Some References to Visualization Practices in Early Chán Buddhism with an Emphasis on guān 觀 and kàn 看

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Anderl
Keyword(s):  
Crucial Role ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Sensory Perception ◽  
Ontological Status ◽  
Chan Buddhism ◽  
Visual Processes ◽  
The Mind

Abstract In the analysis of processes of sensory perception in the framework of Buddhist contemplation practices, the visual sense faculty has played a crucial role. In this paper, references to Chinese Buddhist terminology referring to visual processes will be analyzed in their historical context, with a focus on the interpretations of guān 觀 and kàn 看 by proponents of the early Chán School. Crucial questions include the notions of the “agent” (i.e., the entity engaging in the process of visualization or viewing), as well as the ontological status of the “object” to be viewed, in addition to the nature of the process of viewing and the bodily preconditions for engaging in visualization practices. The creative reinterpretations of terms such as guānxīn 觀心 “contemplate the mind” and kànxīn 看心 “view the mind” were also important devices to create a distinctive identity for this newly emerging Chinese Buddhist school. As will be shown, despite the fierce attacks on “gradualist” meditation practices by proponents of the “Southern School” of Chán during the 8th century, the concepts of guānxīn and kànxīn by no means disappeared from the discourse on meditation but continued to play an important role at least until the 10th century and beyond.

scholarly journals The quasi-genderless heresy: The Dhūtaists and Master Jizhao

2004 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
VALENTINA BORETTI
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Fourteenth Century ◽  
Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Chan Buddhism ◽  
Jin Dynasty ◽  
The Yuan Dynasty

This paper looks at the professional alternatives that Buddhism offered to women by analysing the important role played by a female master in the as yet little studied Dhūta movement, a form of ‘heretical’ Chan Buddhism that flourished during the final years of the Jin dynasty and afterwards in the Yuan dynasty. By examining the descriptions of female master Jizhao and male master Puguang, as seen in epitaphs composed by officers-literati and preserved in a Bejing gazetteer dating back to the mid-fourteenth century, this paper aims to highlight some features of the Dhūtaists' discourse of femininity and also to point out the differences vis-à-vis orthodox Chan constructs, in order finally to evaluate whether such a discourse could have an influence on the general definitions and content of gender roles.

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