空印鎮澄（1547-1617）的學思根本方法析論：以《物不遷正量論》為中心

An Analysis of Kongyin Zhencheng's (1547-1617) Intellectual Methodology Focusing on his Wu bu qian zhengliang lun

Zhencheng (1547-1617), with the courtesy name Kongyin and Yuechuan as his pseudonym, composed many works and was an important scholar-monk of Mt. Wutai during the late Ming Dynasty. The lay Buddhist Qian Qianyi (1582-1664) praised him as “one of the top five masters of the Wanli period” and “the leading Buddhist lecturer in the North.” Concerning Zhencheng's legacy, contemporary scholars have mainly focused on two of his works: Qingliang shan zhi 清涼山志 and Wu bu qian zhengliang lun 物不遷正量論, which he edited and wrote respectively. The latter was the source of an intellectual debate in Buddhist circles during the late Ming dynasty. In addition to these two works, I have discovered ten of his other works in various archives and libraries. With these findings there is a new opportunity to further the academic research on Zhencheng and his great mind.
After reading all of Zhencheng's works, I found that he was not so much a systematic philosopher as a methodological scholar. Zhencheng's methodology is fully reflected in his interpretations of canonical texts and his argumentation with others. His rational style is very different from the intuitive thinking that Chan stresses. In his time, this strict rational methodology was unusual. Therefore this article re-examines his well-known work, the Wu bu qian zhengliang lun 物不遷正量論, in terms of its intellectual methodology in order to better understand his intellectual values.
This is important because it was not until the end of the Qing dynasty and the early Republican period that Chinese Buddhism re-emphasizes the issue of methodology due to the influence of Western scholarship. However, as early as the 17th century, Zhencheng had given considerable attention to the study and interpretation of Buddhist texts, especially valuing the method of liliang 理量 (rational discernment). This is not something that he received from external stimuli, but learned from Buddhism's own sutras and treatises. In the context of the revival of Yogācāra and Hetuvidyā at the time Zhencheng lived, his emphasis on methodology surpassed that of his peers, which contributes to his importance.