The Formation of Chinese Buddhist Sectarianism: Centering on the Concepts of Zong and Jiao
中國佛教宗派認識的形成史——以「宗」與「教」概念為中心
Lecture on 01. July (16-18, KWZ 1.601)
The lecture will take place in a hybrid format and here is the zoom link (both lectures will use the same link): https://uni-goettingen.zoom-x.de/j/68015883500?pwd=sBRwN4M79JgwpsCTbrKKFpwsaNyiMh.1
Abstract
Today, Chinese Buddhism is often described through sectarian categories such as Tiantai, Huayan, Faxiang, and Pure Land. However, this “school-based” (zong 宗) framework was not always dominant. It developed gradually over time.
Drawing on texts such as the Shimen Zhengtong, Fozu Tongji, Shijiao Sanzijing, Bazong Erxing, and Shizong Lüeshuo, this lecture traces how the concepts of zong (school/lineage) and jiao (teaching) evolved in Chinese Buddhist history. It shows that from the Song and Yuan periods onward, jiao was more commonly used to classify Buddhist teachings, while zong only became the primary category from the late Ming and early Qing periods. The lecture highlights the modernization of Buddhist sectarian thinking in the late Qing and early Republican eras, when scholars and reformers such as Hesheli Rushan, Yang Wenhui, Liang Qichao, and Taixu proposed influential models of “Eight,” “Ten,” “Thirteen,” and “Eight Mahāyāna” schools. It further considers the role of Japanese Buddhist scholarship in shaping these modern classifications.
This lecture argues that the familiar system of “schools” in Chinese Buddhism is not an ancient, continuous tradition, but a modern construct formed through intellectual exchange and historical reorganization.
今日人們談論中國佛教時，往往習慣使用天台宗、華嚴宗、法相宗、淨土宗等「宗派」概念。然而，這種以「宗」為核心的理解方式並非自古如此，而是在漫長的歷史發展中逐步形成的。
本講座以《釋門正統》《佛祖統紀》《釋教三字經》《八宗二行》《十宗略說》等重要文獻為線索，考察「宗」與「教」兩個概念在中國佛教史上的演變過程。研究發現，宋元以來中國佛教多以「教」來描述不同法門；直到明末清初，「宗」才逐漸成為統攝各佛教流派的核心概念。尤其在清末近代化進程中，赫舍里如山提出「八宗說」，楊文會建立「十宗說」，梁啟超提出「十三宗說」，太虛大師高倡「大乘八宗」，共同塑造了近代中國佛教的宗派認識。
講座進一步探討日本佛教知識傳入中國後所產生的影響，指出近代中國佛教宗派體系並非傳統的自然延續，而是在中日佛教知識交流與中國佛教自我重構的歷史過程中逐漸形成的知識體系。我們今天所熟悉的『中國佛教十宗』，究竟是古已有之的傳統，還是近代重新建構的歷史產物？本講座將從『宗』與『教』兩個概念的演變出發，重新審視中國佛教宗派觀形成的歷史。
Chen Jidong holds a B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy from Peking University and a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies (Literature) from the University of Tokyo. He has previously served as a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Peking University and as a specially appointed associate professor at Musashino University in Japan. He is currently a professor at Aoyama Gakuin University.
His research focuses on the history of Chinese Buddhism, modern Sino-Japanese Buddhist exchanges, and modern Chinese intellectual history. His major monographs include Buddhist Studies in the Late Qing Dynasty: Centered on Yang Wenhui and Ogurisu Kōchō’s Experience in Late Qing China: The Beginning of Modern Sino-Japanese Buddhist Exchange. His articles include “Is the Philosophy of Foreign Concepts Inherently Chinese? The Dilemma of Modern Chinese Intellectuals”, “The Intellectual Transformation of Lin Zhao”, and so on.
陳繼東，北京大學哲學系學士和碩士，東京大學佛教學博士（文學）。曾任北京大學哲學系講師、日本武藏野大學特任副教授，現為青山學院大學教授。專攻中國佛教史、近代中日佛教交流史、近現代中國思想史。著作有《清末佛教研究：以楊文會為中心》、《小栗栖香頂清末中國體驗：近代中日佛教交流的開端》，論文有《外來概念的哲學是否中國固有：近代中國知識人的困惑》、《林昭的思想變遷》等。