A Study on Qi-Song’s Interpretation of Filial Piety
in Confucian and Buddhist Perspectives
Abstract
Filial piety had long been the traditional virtue of Han culture. “Xiao,” the filial responsibility, was regarded as an unchallenged code of conduct for a son or daughter. At the end of Dong-Han, when Buddhism was introduced to China, however, the definition of filial piety became the focus of debate. The concepts of filial piety between Confucianism and Buddhism seemed to diverge. For one thing, being a monk dedicated to Buddhism, he had to shave his head and desert his family, thus devoid of offspring. This practice violated the traditional Confucian values as it was believed that hair and skin were derived from parents and should be treasured. Even more unforgivably, a son would fail to shoulder the responsibility of bearing children. The divergence and dispute never seemed to die down.
For generations, the fusion of the Confucian and Buddhist filial philosophies was constantly a hot issue. There were sporadic attempts, but without much attention. Qi-Song, a supreme monk, was the first to formulate a systematical theory on Buddhist filial piety. His arguments stood out from those of other masters in that he adopted a holistic approach to deal with the subject, and was highly acclaimed by his contemporaries.
Song dynasty was an era of cultural renaissance, with streams of refreshing interchanges of Confucianism and Buddhism. Qi-Song advocated the blending of Confucianism and Buddhism at a time when the anti-Buddhism movement reached its peak. He then composed his hallmark book “Fu-Jial Bian, ” in which he illustrated the compatibility of Confucianism and Buddhism from the worldly and otherworldly perspectives respectively. The objective was to inspire the scholars to have a deeper understanding of the Buddhist doctrines, and consequently to support Buddhism. He based his arguments on both <Xiao-Lun>, which was composed of 12 chapters on filial piety, and the Confucian <Xian-Jing>, which centered on worldly familial ethics. It was his intention to clarify that filial piety was not exclusive to Confucianism, but was also very much valued by Buddhism. By analyzing varied aspects of the Buddhist creed, he refuted the condemnation that a monk was not able to fulfill his filial duties, and better still, he convinced the general public of the Buddhist filial philosophy. This publication of his was considered the first and foremost systematic interpretation of “xiao.”
Qi-Song’s combination of Confucianism and Buddhism manifested his worldly ethics. More importantly, he worked on <Zhong-Yong Jie> in compliance with <Zhong-Yong > and elaborated on the similarities concerning otherworldly “xiao” between the two schools of philosophy. Qi-Song’s systematic argumentation of the fusion of Confucianism and Buddhism received positive responses from the academics in his time and has had a far-reaching impact on future generations.