On Han Yu’s Letters to Chan Monk Da Dian (819 AD)

Abstract

The paper deals with the problem of the interaction between Buddhism and Confucianism in Tang China, a critical period in the history of Chinese Buddhism after which the intellectual power of Buddhism in China and its ideological influence on the Confucian elite considerably weakened. The research is based on the translation of Han Yu’s ‘Letters to Reverend Da Dian’ and its historical and cultural analysis and textual analysis. The letters are included in the Collected Works of Han Yu, the letters have not been translated into Russian and have not been the subject of special research so far. The purpose of the article is to reveal the historical and cultural significance of Han Yu’s letters to Da Dian and to show what processes took place in the worldview of their author, a typical Confucian official of the second half of the Tang dynasty. The article shows that the very fact of the existence of Han Yu’s letters to Da Dian, without referring to their content, captures the interest of a Confucian of this era in the personality of a Buddhist and the need for new spiritual food. Letters are a symbol work in the literary heritage of Han Yu, they indicate that in Tang society the dialogue between a Confucian official and a Buddhist has become commonplace despite the criticism of Buddhism by Confucians. The content of the letters reveals Han Yu as a person who is in a spiritual and ideological search, not completely satisfied with Confucian ideas and seeking answers to his spiritual needs in other philosophical and religious traditions, primarily in Buddhism. We draw a conclusion that the letters reflecting Han Yu’s spiritual quest demonstrate the mechanism of maturing the new ideological orientations among Tang Confucians, thus being the forerunner of Neo-Confucianism of the Song period.

Keywords

• tang china
• confucianism
• han yu
• chan buddhism
• buddhist monks