The late Ming intellectual scene witnessed a trend in which the line between Confucianism and Buddhism was regularly crossed, leading to the merging of this- and otherworldly concerns. Zeng Daqi’s Tongyi was one of such works that reflected this trend. Zeng, a Buddhist from the Taihe County of Jiagxi Province, observed that Confucians tended to disregard supernatural phenomena (shixiang 事相) found in Buddhist scriptures (such as stories of causes and results, ghosts and gods, the universe, etc.) in their preoccupation with Chan principles. As he sought to bring focus back on these stories, Zeng boldly made use of material out of novels and miscellanea to advance the thesis of the non-duality between Confucianism and Buddhism. The Tongyi’s utilization of both this and otherworldly logic, and its concerns with issues such as causation, the protection of life, ghosts and gods, dreaming and awakening etc. reflected the interests of the Buddhist community in his time. The Tongyi’s argument that fundamental principles can be revealed through the study of phenomena can be seen as a unique case within the late Ming syncretistic movement.
Keywords:
late Ming; Zeng Daqi; Tongyi; Confucian-Buddhist non-duality; revealing principle through phenomena