The Taoist Influence on Chinese Bhuddism in the Fourth Century. Case Study: Chih Tun's Understanding of the Prajńāpāramitā

Abstract

<p>The transmission of Indian Buddhism into China presents an excellent opportunity for a case study in the dynamics of a complex cultural interaction. The Prajńāpāramitā literature, introduced in the +2nd century, proved to be the most influential Buddhist religious texts during the following two hundred years. The Chinese interpreted these texts in terms of their own already existent philosophical categories, primarily established in the so-called Neo-taoist movement.</p> <p>By the fourth century, the Chinese had assimilated the Buddhist ideas well enough to begin to create original works expressing the first 8hinese understanding of these ideas. Heretofore research on these Buddho-Taoist works has indicated that the Chinese had failed to adequately comprehend this sophisticated Indian system because they had been unable to escape the confines of their own Taoist philosophical system. This research on one principal Buddho-Taoist thinker, Chih Tun, questions these conclusions.</p>