Chapter 2 concerns the background of Han-shan Te-ch'ing's life and thought. In Chapter 1 the sources and methodology are discussed. A Buddhist Leader in Ming China consists of four chapters. The present book, which is the only one known to me in a Western language to devote itself wholly to a single personality from this intervening age, is a notable exception. Almost nonexistent-at least in Western languages has been serious scholarship devoted to the long centuries of intervening decline. Much less, yet nevertheless significant, scholarship has been devoted to the surviving elements of Chinese Buddhism that are still observable in the present century. As Derk Bodde writes in his foreword, "A good deal of excellent modern scholarship has been devoted to the ascending centuries of Chinese Buddhism, extending from the religion's entry into China (first century AD) through its age of greatest glory (seventh, eighth, and early ninth centuries). Hsu's book is the first detailed study of Han-shan Te-ch'ing's life to appear in any language. Han-shan argued that all philosophical teachings are ultimately the same because they lead to the truth of Mind. The philosophy of Mind, a synthesis of the Hua-yen, T'ien-t'ai, and Wei-shih teachings, is his system of thought.
Han-shan was a Ch'an master who also practiced the Pure Land faith. Han-shan wrote extensively on Buddhism and other subjects, but his most interesting work is his autobiography, describing his spiritual development together with significant events of his life. Even to the present day, the teachings of these masters have influenced many Chinese Buddhists. Han-shan Te-ch'ing-as well as two other reformers of his time, Yun-ch'i Chu-hung (1535-1615) and Tzu-po Chen-k'o (1543-1603) contributed to the revival of Buddhism. A bold reappraisal of the history of Buddhist literature and practice, Wisdom as a Way of Life offers students and scholars across the disciplines a nuanced understanding of the significance of Buddhist ways of knowing for the world today.Ī Buddhist Leader in Ming China Book Review:Īlthough Buddhism had declined during the Ming Dynasty, an age characterized by corruption, weakness, and oppression, new interest in the old religion arose as the dynasty came to an end. He explores views of monastic life and contemplative practices as complementing and reinforcing textual learning, and argues that the Buddhist tenet that the study of philosophy and ethics involves both rigorous reading and an ascetic lifestyle has striking resonance with modern and postmodern ideas. Collins details the insights of Buddhist texts and practices that promote the ideal of active and engaged learning, offering an expansive and lyrical reflection on Theravāda approaches to meditation, asceticism, and physical training. Approached in this manner, Buddhist notions of the self help us rethink contemporary ideas of self-care and the promotion of human flourishing. He contends that Buddhism should be studied philosophically, literarily, and ethically using its own vocabulary and rhetorical tools. Steven Collins argues that Buddhist philosophy should be approached in the spirit of its historical teachers and visionaries, who saw themselves not as preservers of an archaic body of rules but as part of a timeless effort to understand what it means to lead a worthy life.
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This wide-ranging and powerful book argues that Theravāda Buddhism provides ways of thinking about the self that can reinvigorate the humanities and offer broader insights into how to learn and how to act.
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