Ercheng's Philosophy And Taoism

Confucianism had been declining since Sui and Dang Dynasties. In order to improve their own status, the Confucianists at the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty must give much greater heed to metaphysical Genetics and Ontology than to the ethics and political thoughts. With regard to metaphysics, both Buddhism and Taoism boasted higher theoretical level and more exquisite speculative level than Confucianism did. Therefore, that the Neo-Confucianists absorbed the thoughts from Buddhism and Taoism conformed the fusion trend of three religions, and was also necessary for Confucianism to survive and develop itself. So did Ercheng's philosophy, an indispensable part of the Neo-Confucianism. Previously, experts attached much importance to the relationship between Ercheng's philosophy and Buddhism. On the contrary, this paper pays attention to it from the angle of Taoism. Of course , it was the imperceptible impact that Taoism made on Ercheng. Even if they did not read between the lines of some Taoism scriptures, they must have been influenced by them indirectly when they were surrounded by the traditional culture that featured the fusion of three religions. On the other hand, Ercheng regarded themselves as orthodox Confucianists who took the opposite stand of Buddhism and Taoism superficially. If they did know nothing about Buddhism and Taoism scriptures, they would criticize them blindly. In short, Ercheng assimilated nutriments from Taoism at the metaphysical level with the aim of demonstrating the rationality of the Three Cardinals and the Five Constant Virtues.This paper attempts to analyse the relationship between Erchng's philosophical ideology and Taoism from three aspects: First, ontology. In Ercheng's philosophy, Li is the ultimate category which summarizes nature and society. In order to distinguish Li from the empty Tao of Taoism, Ercheng attached much importance to Li's material existence. Thus on the one hand, Li is the noumenon of the world, and on the other hand, Li is internalized into all things. Ercheng believed that their target was obtaining Li through investigating things, not vice versa. Philosophical Taoism and Religious Taoism thought of Tao as noumenon. This chapter will discuss the unity of...