Xiong Shili on the Nature, the Mind and the Origin of Badness as Evidenced in Ming Xin Pian 明心篇 (Explaining the Mind)

The origin of moral badness is a central problem in New Confucian philosopher Xiong Shili's 1959 work Explaining the Mind. Xiong argues that Buddhists never addressed the origin of ignorance and delusion, which cause suffering and wrongdoing, and he attempts to remedy this. The essay shows that Xiong's conceptual structure for explaining badness through nature (xing) and mind (xin) is isomorphic with that of Zhu Xi, a Song dynasty Confucian. This isomorphism suggests Xiong consciously drew on Zhu Xi and the Buddhist models that Zhu used. Evidence demonstrates that even late in life, despite his criticisms of Buddhism, Xiong continued to rely on Buddhist philosophy of mind.

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Abstract

© 2018 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. The question of the origin of badness is a core problematic in New Confucian philosopher Xiong Shili's (1885-1968) Ming Xin Pian (Explaining the Mind; 1959), a work representative of his thought towards the end of his life. In this essay, I examine how Xiong uses the concepts of the nature (xing) and the mind (xin) to explain the origin of moral badness. Xiong asserts that the Buddhists never concerned themselves with the problem of the origin of ignorance and delusion, afflictions that in turn lead to suffering and wrongdoing. Xiong sets out to redress what he claims the Buddhists had failed to do. I argue that the conceptual structure of both Xiong Shili's and Zhu Xi's (1130-1200) theoretical approaches to this problem are isomorphic. The isomorphism is significant because it suggests that Xiong consciously drew on Zhu Xi and/or the Buddhist models that Zhu in turn drew on. I provide evidence to show that even as late as 1959, and despite his increasingly entrenched criticisms of Buddhism, Xiong continued to draw on key concepts and models drawn from Buddhist philosophy of mind.