Dharma Drum Journal of Buddhist Studies

      Zeng Jinglai (1902-1977) can be considered one of the prominent figures in Taiwanese Buddhist philosophy during the early to mid-20th century. His religious philosophy was largely influenced by Buddhist education in Japan during that period. Upon returning to Taiwan after his studies, he engaged in active religious critique. His contributions are highly significant to the history of Buddhist philosophical development in Taiwan during the mid to early 20th century. Zeng’s religious research exhibits a strong critical nature, characterized by elements of idealism and positivism, largely influenced by his education in Japan. He advocated for two perspectives on Buddha, distinguishing between the historical personal Buddha and the ideal non-personal Buddha. Zeng explained the concept of Buddha nature using idealism, asserting that all things belong to the great spirit of the universe, and thus all living beings are originally Buddhas. This discourse, which blends Early Buddhism and Mahāyāna Buddhism, is clearly influenced by his teacher Kaiten Nukariya (1867-1934), who proposed the “theory that the Buddha is human” and the concept of “the great spirit of the universe.” However, in contrast to Nukariya’s position, which appeals to the concept of a non-personal Buddha, Zeng places greater emphasis on the self-awareness of the personal Buddha. Zeng’s research methods, as seen in his work Taiwan Religion and Superstition (1938), are similar to Enryo Inoue’s (1858-1919) Lectures on Mystery Studies (1894), in that both break superstitions and attribute the origin of monsters to misunderstanding. Their research classifications also overlap. However, Zeng focused on criticizing the lack of transcendent aspects of folk religions in Taiwan, while Inoue acknowledged the positive values of monsters. This article aims to delineate a genealogy of Taiwanese Buddhist philosophy spanning the early to mid-20th century by examining the distinctive features of Zeng Jinglai’s philosophical perspective.

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