Yuet Keung Lo

When studying the Yijing, it is crucial to recognize that historical concerns and contemporary interpretations often diverge, reflecting differing interests. In the twenty-first century, we navigate a globalized world characterized by rapid technological advancements and cultural shifts, resonating with Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy and Zygmunt Bauman’s concept of “liquid modernity.” Both frameworks highlight the fluidity of identity and relationships amid uncertainty, explaining why Western scholarship on the Yijing frequently focuses on change. However, the philosophical discourse on moral metaphysics and self-cultivation has historically captivated Chinese thinkers more than any other topics, a focus less prevalent in Western academia. The Yijing emphasizes the fluidity of existence while acknowledging enduring human qualities that reflect the virtues of heaven and earth. Similarly, Huayan Buddhism explores the interconnectedness of phenomena through dependent origination, suggesting that all experiences arise in relation to one another. Grasping the nonsubstantial nature of conditioned phenomena, along with the enduring qualities of human nature, enables sentient beings to attain enlightenment and liberate themselves from suffering. This chapter examines the philosophical parallels between the Yijing and Huayan Buddhism, emphasizing their shared focus on transformation and liberation, while also addressing distinct notions of innate capacities within human nature. Furthermore, it distinguishes between change—dynamic adaptation to uncertainty—and impermanence, which highlights existence's transient nature. This comparative analysis deepens our understanding of how ancient philosophies can inform contemporary challenges, urging us to recognize the interplay of change and constancy as fundamental aspects of human existence.

_An exploration of Chinese during a time of monumental change, the period after the fall of the Han dynasty._ Exploring a time of profound change, this book details the intellectual ferment after the fall of the Han dynasty. Questions about "heaven" and the affairs of the world that had seemed resolved by Han Confucianism resurfaced and demanded reconsideration. New currents in philosophy, religion, and intellectual life emerged to leave an indelible mark on the subsequent development of Chinese thought and culture. This period saw the rise of _xuanxue_ ("dark learning" or "learning of the mysterious Dao"), the establishment of religious Daoism, and the rise of Buddhism. In examining the key ideas of _xuanxue_ and focusing on its main proponents, the contributors to this volume call into question the often-presumed monolithic identity of this broad philosophical front. The volume also highlights the richness and complexity of religion in China during this period, examining the relationship between the Way of the Celestial Master and local, popular religious beliefs and practices, and discussing the relationship between religious Daoism and Buddhism.

_Explores the new literary and interpretive milieu that emerged in the years following the decline of China's Han dynasty._ Covering a time of great intellectual ferment and great influence on what was to come, this book explores the literary and hermeneutic world of early medieval China. In addition to profound political changes, the fall of the Han dynasty allowed new currents in aesthetics, literature, interpretation, ethics, and religion to emerge during the Wei-Jin Nanbeichao period. The contributors to this volume present developments in literature and interpretation during this era from a variety of methodological perspectives, frequently highlighting issues hitherto unremarked in Western or even Chinese and Japanese scholarship. These include the rise of new literary and artistic values as the Han declined, changing patterns of patronage that helped reshape literary tastes and genres, and new developments in literary criticism. The religious changes of the period are revealed in the literary self-presentation of spiritual seekers, the influence of Daoism on motifs in poetry, and Buddhist influences on both poetry and historiography. Traditional Chinese literary figures, such as the fox and the ghost, receive fresh analysis about their particular representation during this period.

This study traces the philosophical evolution of the idea of shen and its ethicoreligious implications based on a series of debates over the immortality of shen that transpired in China from the fourth to the sixth century. Then, on the basis of the philosophical arguments developed in these debates, I shall trace the genesis of a Confucian metaphysics back to early medieval times when Confucianism was confronting the intellectual challenge of Buddhism. Scholars have believed that it was not until the burgeoning of Neo-Confucianism in the Song dynasty that a Confucian metaphysics was inspired by Buddhism and Daoism. This study, however, would challenge this conventional view and argue that as early as the fifth century Confucians already began to formulate a metaphysic of self-cultivation under the multiple influences of Neo-Daoism and Buddhism. ;In the study of world religions the English term "soul" appears to be one of the primary concerns and its various meanings overlap considerably in different religions. In order to understand what the historian of religions is actually concerned about, we need to let the religious idea, "soul," speak for itself in a given culture. This study shows that in Chinese religion, shen, as the ultimate source of ethical values, determined the conception of man and justified human dignity in an age of political and social turbulence. Hence, this study will alert the historian of religions to the cultural and philosophical factors that could possibly shape the conception of the "soul" in a culture