The Fusion of Modern Confucianism and Buddhism: Mou Zongsan's Journey from Double to Fundamental Ontology

Title

The Fusion of Modern Confucianism and Buddhism: Mou Zongsan's Journey from Double to Fundamental Ontology

Author

Jana S. ROSKER

Page

57-76

DOI

10.6163/tjeas.2016.13(1)57

Abstract

Mou Zongsan (1909-1995) belongs to the most important Chinese philosophers of the second half of the 20th century. In essence he was one of the main proponents of the Modern Confucian intellectual movement, but was simultaneously also heavily influenced by Buddhist thought. The present article describes his paradigm of double ontology, which is divided into the noumenal and phenomenal, or the attached and detached ontology. He points out that this bipolar or twofold ontology is considered to constitute the structure of moral metaphysics, which is a core supposition of Confucian thought. When Mou insists on a twofold structure for ontology, he always holds to his metaphysical standpoint, which deals with entities no matter whether they are phenomenal or noumenal. Based on Tomomi Asakura's critique, the author analyses Mou's concept of double ontology, shedding light upon the fact that Mou considered only the ontic difference between entities and their two regions, phenomena and noumena, without ever developing the genuine ontological difference between entities and their own being itself. Only in the latest phase of his philosophical development did he start considering this inconsistency, and proceeding towards a model of fundamental ontology.

Keyword

Mou Zongsan, double ontology, fundamental ontology, Modern Confucianism, Buddhism, Tiantai, Huayan

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