| Summary: | 碩士 === 淡江大學 === 中國文學系碩士班 === 101 === The Liu-tu Chi-ching is a collection of mainly Buddhist jataka tales which relate the former lives of the Budda before attaining enlightenment. Its tales are arranged in chapters ordered according to the “Six Perfections,” or “Six Pāramitā,” being dāna (generosity), śīla (morality), kṡānti (patience), vīrya (diligence), dhyanā (one-pointed concentration), prajna (wisdom). The heart of the six perfections lies attain what is known as the Boddhisatva path by saving oneself through saving others, which comprises an important part of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism.
Considering the diverse cultural subject matter and comparatively sinified linguistic structure of the Liu-tu Chi-ching, just how to interpret its unique content has become a topic of academic discussion. Some scholars have taken the viewpoint that the Liu-tu Chi-ching is a Confucian presentation of Buddhism, using popular Confucian concepts to introduce somewhat related Buddhist ideas, while other have gone as far as labeling it a form of philosophical fusion between Confucian and Buddhist thought. However, the Chinese cultural content incorporated in the Liu-tu Chi-ching isn’t limited to Confucian concepts alone, Daoist concepts as well as forms of divination and popular beliefs are also present. Does taking the view of a Confucian presentation of Buddhism diminish the significance of the other cultural content? As to the notion of cultural fusion, is the implication that the Confucian and Buddhist content within the text should be evaluated on equal footing? To further pursue these questions, it is necessary to analyze the social and historical circumstances under which the Liu-tu Chi-ching was created along with the missionary activities and other works written by Kang Seng-hui in order to better understand the objective behind creating the Liu-tu Chi-ching and its cultural content.
This paper uses historical documents related to the life of Kang Seng-hui, his own works, an analysis of the stories contained in the Liu-tu Chi-ching, as well as a comparison of different renditions of the stories present in other works to highlight the unique characteristics of the Liu-tu Chi-ching and their relationship with contemporary missionary activities. The cultural content and linguistic structure of the Liu-tu Chi-ching are intimately tied to developments in the missionary activities taking place in China during the Late Han and Three Kingdoms Period. Kang Seng-hui applied a series of popular Chinese concepts in order to accommodate contemporary political and social circumstances and to acknowledge room for Chinese popular philosophical and ethical concepts within a Buddhism moral framework.
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