A Brief History of the Relationship Between Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism

Chinese traditions of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism have a profoundly philosophical dimension. The three traditions are frequently referred to as three paths of moral teachings. In this book, Mou provides a clear account of the textual corpus that emerges to define each of these traditions and how this canonical axis was augmented by a continuing commentarial tradition as each generation reauthorized the written core for their own time and place.

In his careful exegesis, Mou lays out the differences between the more religious reading of these traditions with their defining practices that punctuate the human journey through life, and the more intellectual and philosophical treatment of the texts that has and continues to produce a first-order culture of annotation that become integral to the traditions themselves.

At the center of the alternative religious experience reflected throughout the teachings of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism isthe project of personal cultivation as it comes to be expressed as robust growth in family and communal relations. For Mou, these three highly distinctive and yet complementary ways of thinking and living constitute a kind of moral ecology, wherein each of them complements the others as they stand in service to a different dimension of the human need for an educated spirituality.

Auteur

Mou Zhongjian has the stature of being one of contemporary China's most distinguished interpreters of the long and rich tradition of Chinese philosophy and culture. He has high visibility in the Chinese academy as a prolific scholar. Mou is an Honorary Distinguished Professor and prestigious academia of philosophy and religious studies at Minzu University of China, an Honorary Advisor of the International Confucian Association, Advisor of the Chinese Religious Society, Director of the Academic Committee of the Confucius Research Institute of China, and Honorary Dean of Shandong Nishan Shengyuan Academy.

Representative works: A Brief History of the Relationship between Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, The Conception of New Humaneness: The Pursuit of Love, New Exploration of Confucian Values, Understanding Confucianism, A General History of Chinese Religions (co-authored with Zhang Jian, awarded the First Prize for the Outstanding Achievements in Humanities and Social Sciences by the Ministry of Education), An Introduction to Chinese Religions and Traditional Culture (co-authored with Lv Daji), Religion, Literature and Art, Folklore, Twelve Essays on Contemporary Religious Studies with Chinese Characteristics, Chinese Religion and Culture, A New Explanation to Laozi, Studying on Thoughts of the Mister Lv's Spring and Autumn Annals and Huainan-tzu, Chinese Daoist Religion, Manuscripts on Daoist Philosophy and Daoism as a Religion, Today's Spirits of Chinese Culture, Approaching Chinese Spirit, Six Lectures on the Personality of Gentlemen, and etc. His editorial works include: History of Chinese Civilization: Religion (Ten Volumes), An Introduction toEthnological and Religious Studies, A General Introduction to Daoism, Religion and Ethic Groups (1-6 Volumes).