The Influence and Transformation of Buddhism seen in Neo-Confucianism’s Zhong he xin shuo[中和新說]: Focusing on the Process of Constructing the Theory of Cultivation in Zhu xi[朱熹]’s Zhong he xin shuo[中和新說]

The purpose of this study was to examine the Buddhist influence seen in the process of establishing Neo-Confucianism and the transformation of such influence by overcoming or reinterpreting it in a Confucian way. First, the Dao nan[道南] school believed that humans wanted to seek Li[理] from within, and that seeking was possible during Wei fa[未發]. Accordingly, the Dao nan[道南] school spoke of Mo zuo cheng xin[默坐澄心] for the purpose of Wei fa qiu zhong[未發求中]·Wei fa ti ren[未發體認]. The characteristics of the Dao nan[道南] school, such as its desire to seek Li[理] and its specific methodology of sitting and practicing, clearly appear to be influenced by Zen Buddhism. Zhu xi[朱熹] believed that one cannot directly seek one's Xing li[性理] within a human being. In the criticism of Dao nan[道南] school, it was considered impossible to seek Zhong[中] during Wei fa[未發] because it was already Yi fa[已發] in itself. And, trying to discover Xing li[性理] in Yi fa cha shi[已發察識], it was believed that Xing li[性理] could not be grasped because the previous cultivation study was lacking. Accordingly, Zhu xi[朱熹] tried to seek Li[理] from work and things, not from within humans. Zhu Xi also emphasized internal studies, such as Wei fa han yang [未發涵養], in addition to submaterial studies such as Ge wu qiong li [格物窮理]. Wei fa han yang [未發涵養] mentioned here was different from the enlightenment through internal practice mentioned in Zen Buddhism. As mentioned earlier, Zhu xi [朱熹] believed that it was impossible to directly seek one's inner Li [理]. This is because Li[理] is in the state of Wei fa[未發], but the object sought is already Wei fa[已發]. Accordingly, the internal study methodology mentioned by Zhu Xi [朱熹] is cultivation study. The cultivation referred to here is one whose purpose is not to seek, but to protect. To summarize, Zhu xi [朱熹] completed his Zhong he xin shuo [中和新說] theory of cultivation based on the principle of seeking Li [理] below the form and only protecting the inner Li [理]. The process of completing Zhong he xin shuo [中和新說] as above appears to be the result of Zhu xi [朱熹]'s concerns to overcome the Buddhist practice theory seen in the previous Li xue [理學] schools.