Taoism and Buddhism, one is China culture and the other is foreign culture, but their rise and fall in the history of China's philosophy and religious development are roughly the same. Buddhism was introduced into China in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Taoism also happened at this time. Both of them developed in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and flourished in Sui and Tang Dynasties. This situation has always aroused people's strong interest, especially the struggle and intransigence between the two major religions, which has aroused researchers' attention and exploration. But on the other hand, they are mutually integrated, which is the main reason for their coexistence and common prosperity, and also an extremely important aspect in the relationship between Taoism and Buddhism.
First, Taoism has absorbed the terminology of Buddhist names.
Taoism absorbed a large number of Buddhist methods and categories when constructing its own philosophy of thinking, but these categories were transformed according to Taoism's own needs. On the one hand, Taoist scholars in Sui and Tang Dynasties gave full play to the inclusive characteristics of Taoism and went deep into Buddhism. On the other hand, their Taoist subjective consciousness is also very strong, so we should trace back to the source and learn from him. Their main purpose is to explain Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi's thoughts in terms of Buddhist names, so that Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi's thoughts can be promoted according to the actual needs of religious development and achieve the purpose of settling down.
(1) Theory of Buddha Nature. Taoism has a "Taoist theory" and Buddhism has a "Buddhist theory". It is not the original creation of Buddhism to regard the universe itself as an abstract essence. The early Taoism defined Tao as the highest stipulation of all things, which already possessed this abstract power. However, "Tao is natural" and "Tao is natural". When "sex" is understood as the most basic feature of Tao and linked with the theory of human nature, "Tao" comes into being, that is, the "sex" of human nature. This is clearly expressed in Old Xiangzi Jules produced in the Eastern Han Dynasty:
"There is no evil in the Tao, so it can be God and do everything, and the Taoist should do it." (Note: "Tao often does nothing and does everything") "Tao has no desire in the secular world, and you should also obey the law." (Note that "the nameless and innocent will not want it") "Don't do evil" and "have nothing to do with the secular" means to let nature take its course, "The Tao often has no desire, so the world is always right" (Note that "heaven and earth are right without desire"). Taoism invented the "Daobu", but it didn't play well. In the Six Dynasties, it was replaced by the flourishing Buddhist doctrine. Since Zhu Daosheng advocated the theory that "everyone has Buddha nature" and translated Mahayana Nirvana Sutra, Buddhism has gradually become the mainstream of Buddhism. Its "Buddha nature" refers to "truth is law", that is, the abstract universe ontology. As an ontology, it is formed by the combination of Indian legal theories and metaphysics ontology in Wei and Jin Dynasties. As a theory of monasticism, it focuses on the relationship between the ultimate abstract essence of the universe and the birth and death of specific characters. On the translation of Buddha's Nature according to its true meaning;
"Q: What is the cause of Buddha nature? A: In addition to the five mistakes, Tathagata gave birth to five pillars of islam, so it is said that all beings have Buddha nature. "
From the Six Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Taoism did accept the influence of Buddhism. However, the Taoist theory of accepting Buddha's nature is not in the ontological sense, but in the sense of self-cultivation. During the Wei, Jin and Six Dynasties, Taoism pursued the theory of external Dan. Although it contains the content of self-cultivation, its main purpose is only to greet the eternal and immortal Tao with a peaceful mind, and it does not clearly recognize that there is some direct identity between the objective Tao and the subjective spirit, but the theory of Buddha nature has completed this argument. Taoism originally talked about Taoism, but in order to explain the relationship between Taoism and human nature, it also advocated Taoism. It is often emphasized that "the Tao is always obtained", and it is advocated that "the Tao is obtained by thinking separately". In The Seven Signs of Fairy Books, "the Tao and the law are always the same". Meng compiled the book Daoism and Daoism, which clearly showed the internal relationship between Daoism and Buddhism.
"Daoism is based on the nature of emptiness, and everything is said, but those who go to animals, fruits, trees and stones are all Daoism. After all, all the laws are positive, not for no reason, not because of failure, not because of color, not because of loss, not because of gain, not because of loss. If we can do this, we will be the right way. Natural vacuum is the Tao. "
This not only means that everything is Taoist, but also makes it clear that if people can practice against the bow and give up their nature, they can become immortals. Wang Xuan's Xuanzhu Lu not only talks about "the body of Tao" but also talks about "the nature of Tao"
"If everything is done, nothing can be done, and nothing can be forgotten. All sentient beings forget, how can Tao ever be forgotten? The truth of the Tao has neither begun nor forgotten. "
Tao body is the original body of Tao, and Tao nature is the specific attribute of Tao body, which lies in people and things, so people can cultivate nature and practice Tao. The Taoist theory of Tao nature not only absorbs the theory of Buddha nature, but also absorbs the theory of Confucian mind nature. Confucianism talks about knowing the sky with one heart, and the basic idea is to know nature from the heart at the beginning of an idea. Zhuangzi advocates that "the doer forgets his heart" (let the king) and "forget the Tao with two things" (master), that is, taking nature as the way to know. This is earlier than the "unintentional" theory put forward by Zhan Ran, a Buddhist Tiantai master. At the same time, Taoism advocates to know by constant Zen, that is, to regard constant Zen as the way of constant tranquility and as one. In the early Taoist view, tranquil nature is the most fundamental feature of Taoism; In the Taoist view, people's hearts can always be quiet and conscious. When Taoism talks about Daoism, it also talks about Daoism and the unity of body and mind, unlike Buddhism, which sacrifices itself for sex.
(2) the theory of distinguishing the environment, knowing the environment and the original trace. Taoism borrowed many terms from Buddhism when developing its own speculative philosophy, such as "intellectual realm". Wang Xuan said, "Tao is in the middle of intellectual realm, and Tao is in the middle of knowing and not knowing." Cheng said: "Tao is the logical condition of emptiness, and virtue is the wonderful wisdom of forgetting." Circumstances can make wisdom, wisdom can overcome circumstances, and circumstances and wisdom meet, so it is called virtue. " (The Meaning of Opening Moral Truth)
"Sage Kong Hui understands Miao Da Hyunri, with all his wisdom, everywhere." (Gu Huan's annotation on moral truth is "Can you be ignorant?" ) Another example is the "original record", and Tang Xuanzong said:
"It's wonderful to bring the trace back to the beginning. If you live in four temples, your trace will reappear, which is no different from other synonyms. So, you send it to Xuan and send it away. If you want to stay mysterious, you will forget the trace. If you don't live, roll. " (Notes on "Mystery is both mysterious and mysterious" in The Emperor's Tao Te Ching) Another example is "Viewing" and "Setting Wisdom".
"Two spectators, one gas view, two gods view. Give two names, both physically and psychologically, and have a colorful image, so it is appropriate to name them after anger; There is nothing unpredictable in the heart, and it is appropriate to be enlightened in the name of God. Therefore, the "Ji Ji Jing" cloud: the spirit of the view is also wise. " ("Daoism: Ambiguity")
Taoism and Taoism in the Tang Dynasty not only borrowed Buddhism, but also demonstrated it with the inherent terms of Taoism and Taoism, such as Zhang's argument about "simultaneity" and "extraordinary period":
"The past without, the past without, unusual. If the husband has nothing, he has nothing, even nothing in the past and nothing in the future, it is just like time. The untimely person thinks that there will be others, and the timely person thinks that there will be others. " (Xuanzhenzi) Another example is Du Guangting's exposition on the relationship between similarities and differences:
"Moral differences are the same, but the differences are different, and the differences are different, the differences are different and the same, and the body theory is unique. ..... know no difference, no difference, no difference, no difference, no difference, no difference, no difference. " (Interpretation of the Moral Significance of Titles)
Arguments such as these are quite wordy, not only similar in style to Zhuangzi and Gongsun Long, but also comparable to Buddhism. Many wonderful Taoist books in the Tang Dynasty, such as Shu Hua, Incompetent Son and Gusu, all have this feature. Taoism has also developed some new terms of its own, such as guiding the situation, exchanging ideas, and using the body together.
(3) The use of double repatriation law. The double-sending method of "there is nothing, and the two sides will not fall down" is the basic idea expounded by Long Shu in On Zhong, that is, sticking to yes and staying in yes, sending yes and returning to nothing is staying in nothing, not being but not being, and it is the middle way. Used in the relationship between subject and object, it is to send him and me, and neither side will fall. This method had a wide influence on Buddhism in the Six Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties. Taoism, according to Laozi's Metaphysics and Metaphysics, plays an important role in emphasizing metaphysics. Borrowed this method. Cheng and Li Rong called Buddhism's nothingness and nothingness "metaphysics" and called it "emphasizing metaphysics". Tian Factor also borrowed the method of "double dispatch" when explaining the viewpoint of "forgetting" in Zhuangzi, that is, sending things from the outside to the environment to send the heart, and both sides will not fall, and the heart and the Tao will be in harmony. The so-called "I forgot both of them, I didn't lose anything."
Taoism and Taoist scholars in Sui and Tang Dynasties borrowed Buddhist terms and methods and developed their own terms, which not only led to the emergence of thinking, but also had a high level of thinking. But in a strict sense, although Taoism has a philosophy of thinking, it still does not use the sensible logic of Indian Buddhism, especially the method of distinguishing Buddhism. The original illogical characteristics of Taoism and Taoism have not fundamentally changed. Moreover, with the rise and development of Neidan theory, the philosophy of thinking formed in Sui and Tang Dynasties did not continue to develop along the direction of thinking, but served and integrated Neidan theory, further developing towards "thinking" and mysticism.
Third, Buddhism has absorbed the Taoist way of thinking.
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Buddhism adopted a large number of Taoist concepts and categories in a formal way, with obvious metaphysical thoughts. After the Eastern Jin Dynasty, with the translation of a large number of Buddhist scriptures, Buddhism tried to get rid of the influence of metaphysics, using the categories and concepts of Taoist classics as little as possible, and at the same time criticized Taoism for adopting Buddhist category terms. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there were many Buddhist sects, which were not only broad in weather, but also deeply rooted. On the surface, Buddhism has nothing to do with Taoism and Taoism, but it is not. Except the original Indian Buddhism, other sects were formed on the cultural soil of China, which marked the mixed regeneration of China culture and Indian culture, which is the historical necessity of the China of Buddhism. It is difficult to see what Buddhism has learned from Taoism only from the introduction of categories, but we can clearly understand what Buddhism has learned from Taoism from the ideological connotation and way of thinking. To this. Liang Qichao once said: "Only those who declare righteousness can be cherished. Buddhism has long been a Buddhism in China and will be completely owned by China instead of India. If the three schools of reasoning, dharma, dharma and mystery were spread from India, they would all have their own characteristics in China. This digestive construction movement will take a hundred years to mature. " (The Development of Buddhist Doctrine in China, Volume 58 of Ice Room, photocopied by Jiangsu Guangling Ancient Books Printing Society. )
(1) the word "alive" in "life". The original Indian Buddhism is a religion that transcends the spirit of being born, and regards the teachings of the Buddha as a tradition of caring for each other for generations. Therefore, to be born as a man is to cut off all customs, not to look back at the world, disown six relatives and disrespect princes. However, when Buddhism was introduced into China, it had to make concessions if it wanted to take root in China. In Hui Yuan's On Shamans Disrespecting Kings, there is a will to reconcile the contradictions between China and the West, and between China and foreign countries. In the repeated collision between Buddhism and China's inherent cultural traditions, Buddhists came to a conclusion: "Without the rule of the state, it is difficult to legislate." What is recognized in religious teachings is the classic Mahayana belief theory, which originated in Middle-earth. The basic idea of "the theory of initial belief" is the theory of "the difference between one thought and two doors", in which "the difference between one thought" refers to "the heart of all beings" and "the second door" refers to "being as true as a door" and "being doomed". "On faith and righteousness" says:
"Mahayana, always said that there are two kinds. What is a cloud? Two methods, two meanings. It's about the hearts of all beings. If it is a heart, it will take away all worldly laws, worldly laws. According to this heart, it shows that Mo Ke is suitable for Yan. "
"Show justice, according to one method, there are two kinds of doors. What is a cloud? A person's heart is really like a door. Both live and die, and both are always taking all the methods. "
This "heart of all beings" refers not only to the Buddha nature and truth, but also to the individual heart and the phenomenon of birth and death, but to the combination of Buddha nature and human heart, ontology and phenomenon (use), holiness and vulgarity, purity and dyeing, never treating each other, birth and death and life. Under the principle of harmonious spirit, Buddhists can not only pursue transcendental and metaphysical ultimate realm, but also show universal concern for the world. Since the beginning of Sui Dynasty, the theory of Mahayana's initial belief has had a far-reaching influence on various schools in Sui and Tang Dynasties. Tiantai, Huayan, Zen and other schools have all inherited, such as Tiantai's theory of "sexual tools", Huayan's theory of "director harmony", "merit" and "fate", and Zen's "truth is like the body of reading, and reading is really like its nature.
Buddhism and Confucianism, one is the extreme knowledge of being born, and the other is the extreme knowledge of joining the WTO. In reconciling the relationship between being born and joining WTO, On Faith clearly grasps the Confucian doctrine of the mean, but as a religious doctrine born, it is far from the official orthodox doctrine of joining WTO. The relationship between Buddhism and Taoism is different. On the one hand, they are all born religions, on the other hand, they all compete for favor in front of the monarch and compete for territory among the people. Therefore, the two should both attack each other and imitate each other. Although Taoism is often troubled by the problem of being born into the WTO, it is naturally secular. Laozi and Zhuangzi's theory of "doing nothing" and "passing through different customs" never gave up "doing nothing" and the world on this shore. Early Taoist classics, such as Notes on Xianger, Official Seal Sentences on the River and Taiping Jing, all contain the spiritual essence of "Tao leaves no one behind". Belief theory, as the product of China Buddhism, naturally absorbed this spiritual essence from Taoism and Taoism, and also showed its concern for the world in the process of competing for high and low.
(2) The methodology of relativism. Hua Yanzong worships Hua Yan Jing, but the thought of Hua Yan expounded by Du Shun, Yan Zhi and Fazang is also quite different from this Jing. In giving full play to the director's unobstructed view, Mr. Hua Yan accepted the influence of the Solemn Sutra, Buddhist Sutra [1] and Mahayana belief theory translated by France from India, and also accepted it. Among all the sects in Sui and Tang Dynasties, except Faxiang Sect, Huayan Sect is the one that pays the most attention to distinguishing skills. It uses Indian methods to discuss some issues with China characteristics, such as the use of body and directing. The director's view of harmony is based on the view that things have no self-nature, which is born of other reasons. The so-called "although there seem to be complicated reasons among other reasons, there seems to be no self-nature, no self-nature." ("Hua Cheng Shuo fen Zhang" Volume 4) From the non-self, everything is clear, and the directors are clear, so that there are many phases, that is, there are near and far, big and small, as Fazang said:
"If you see the height, you will be conscious and there will be differences; Today, I saw that the round dust was small, and I realized that I wanted to be small. " ("Hua Yan Jing Yi Bai Haimen")
This is exactly the same as Zhuangzi's primary and secondary debate in The Theory of Everything. From the perspective of relativism, Zhuangzi thinks that all the attributes of everything are only relative and temporary, which are caused by different angles of observation and cognition. "You are big, everything is not big; Because it is small, everything is neither big nor small (Autumn Water). In other words, there is no definite stipulation in anything itself. There is no doubt that Hua Yanzong accepted Zhuangzi's thought.
(3) the principle of wholeness and the way of thinking of "enlightenment". The rise of Zen Buddhism is an innovation of Buddhism, which means the complete China of Buddhism. From Dharma's "Understanding Buddhism by Teaching" to Huineng's "Not Writing", God's "Cursing the Ancestors", and then to "Virtuous State" and "Quenching thirst by drinking poison", there is a basic ideological line, that is, to get rid of the complex logical argument of Indian Buddhism and the binary opposition between subject and object, and realize the absolute identity of subject and object in a simple and clear way of understanding, as Suzuki Teitaro Daisetz said: "Zen depends on logic." (2) The reason why Zen destroys logic is because, in Zen's view, the way of logic not only makes the subject and object binary opposition, but also dismembers the truth. Truth (Buddha nature) is a unified whole, which needs an illogical, extraordinary and holistic form of enlightenment to recognize. Therefore, Zen emphasizes "knowing each other" and thinks that the nature of subject and object is the same. If you can know the whole heart, you can see the whole nature. The so-called "knowing the best method is in your heart, why not show the truth from your heart?" (altar sutra) and to do this, it will never be achieved by logical and rational means. Although this shore and the other shore are only in the heart, they must rely on an "enlightenment", and enlightenment is an epiphany, that is, a one-time grasp of the whole. As the saying goes, "law is gradual, and people are beneficial to it, so it is called gradual" (ibid.), that is, if law is a whole, we can only understand it as a whole, and people are beneficial to it, so we need to practice it step by step. However, gradual practice is not to know all the truth in stages, but to practice step by step, to improve it, to enlighten it, and to make it enlightened once and complete it. The purpose of "big drink" is also here. Taoism has always adhered to the "trinity" model of heaven, earth and man, and advocated the unity of heaven and man and the consistency of Taoism and law. The purpose of Taoist cultivation is to blend subject and object and feel the channel body. In Laozi and Zhuangzi's view, the highest harmony and noumenon-Tao are an inseparable whole. No matter what Laozi said about "the same way" or what Zhuangzi emphasized about "tolerance and enlightenment", it is required to grasp the complete Tao body with a holistic attitude. This is obviously consistent with Zen. In order to achieve the state of enlightenment, Zhuangzi advocated "I lose myself", and Zen demanded "no mind, no phase, no life", which has the same relationship. In addition, in order to show that the direct identity between Buddhism and human heart is not caused by external forces, Zen also borrowed the concept of "nature" from Taoism. For example, God would say, "monks are natural, and all beings are natural." "All laws are due to Buddha's nature, so all laws are natural. "It can be said that Zen has realized the absolute identity of subject and object with the help of the holistic principle similar to Taoism.
However, even if Zen absorbs the Taoist way of thinking, it still maintains its true Buddhist nature, which can be clearly seen from the following three points: first, Zen and overall enlightenment contain the characteristics of Indian Buddhism's good discrimination, which can be achieved through discrimination. Although Zhuangzi's philosophy consists of distinguishing between the two, Zhuangzi wants to give up the distinction. Second, Zen emphasizes the harmony with the heart when the subject and object blend. The body is a "smelly bag" and cannot be the same as the heart in the Buddha. Zhuangzi's thoughts of selflessness and self-pity are in harmony with Tao in a physical and mental way. Thirdly, the enlightenment of Zen Buddhism is the direct recognition of the original mind and Buddha nature, while the enlightenment of Taoism is also the original mind recognition of Taoism, but it only contains the characteristics of "empathy". If Tiantai Sect, the first Buddhist sect in China, is regarded as "pure China Buddhism" [③], it is not difficult to find its ideological connection with Taoism.