A Study Of The Thought Of "Teachings Of Tiantai And Actions To The Pure Land" By Ouyi Zhixu

The phrase "teachings of Tiantai and practices of Pure Land" is a blend of the ideas of Tiantai and Pure Land Buddhism,drawing on each other and absorbing each other,resulting in new ideas adapted to the times.This statement was originally used by Mr.Jiang Weiqiao to evaluate the thoughts and actions of his master,DiXian.Since this statement was only introduced in the 20th century,why should we discuss the thought of Venerable Zhi Xu in the late Ming period?This is because,in the author’s opinion,although the exact formulation of this statement was made later,it is more obvious that it was made at the end of the Ming Dynasty,and we can find in the thought and behavior of Venerable Zhixu’s life that the master complemented the development of "teaching" and "practice" and he made an immeasurable contribution to the development of Buddhism in later times by integrating and renewing the ideas of the Tiantai and Pure Land Sects in order to protect the Dharma,and by establishing his own sect.In this paper,we will explain and elaborate on the thought of Venerable Zhi Xu,and look for the relevant historical evidence to prove the authenticity of Zhi Xu’s thought that "the teaching of Tiantai and the practice of Pure Land".This paper starts from the slogan "Teach the Tiandai,Walk to the Pure Land",firstly explains the Buddhist thought contained in it,and briefly narrates the thoughts of Venerable Dixian,because the thought was originally put forward to interpret the characteristics of Dharma propagation in Venerable Dixian’s life.Later,the social background of the late Ming Dynasty was explained,paving the way for the interpretation of the thought of master OuYi.In this paper,the transformation of the thought of Master OuYi is illustrated again.Through the thought of Master OuYi and the thought of Master OuYi can be found in common with the thought of Master OuYi,which proves that he was the advocator of "teaching and playing the Tiantai and marching to the pure land" in the earlier period.The Buddhism thought of OuYi is divided into two stages to explain:The first stage is the period when he opposed the Buddhist thought and became intoxicated with Confucianism.The second stage is the period when he found that the Buddhist thought could save the world,so he returned to Buddhism and integrated the thoughts of various schools.At last,the thought of"teaching and performing on the rooftop and returning to the pure land" in history is summarized as a whole,with "believing and wishing to do" and "holding the name and reciting the Buddha" as representatives.The influence of master OuYi on the society and Buddhist thought of later ages was summarized and narrated,through which the thought of master OuYi pointed out the direction of "teaching and playing the tiantai and returning to the pure land",made great contribution to the development of Buddhism in later ages and enlightened modern life.