本文認為，晚明時期（1567-1644）佛教叢林繼承中國化佛教本身所固有的圓融思想，呈現出多元分化、多頭並進的現實情形，如禪淨合流、教禪互通、顯密並舉、性相融會、佛儒對話、佛道溝通等等。而晚明時期社會轉型時代所表現出來的思潮變遷與觀念變更，也使晚明佛教叢林的圓融思想表現出深刻的現實意蘊，以期對其所面對的現實處境作出種種思想回應。面對中印二大佛教傳統，晚明佛教叢林則又面臨著如何結合叢林現狀與佛教傳統的現實課題，促使明末叢林轉為關注佛教傳械，從而表現出向佛教傳統回歸的歷史還原傾向。晚明佛教還原思想構成明末佛教復興的方向選擇，而佛教圓融思想則構成為叢林振興的道路選擇。佛教圓融與佛教還原二大相資為用、互補關聯的思想取向，成為晚明佛教復興的二大思想主題，並最終落歸於改革叢林的現實理念，從而使明末佛教叢林呈現出復興景象。訴諸晚明佛教復興與叢林改革的歷史實存，晚明佛教復興思潮具體表現為如下四方面的思想特質，即多元分化、多頭並進的紛雜性，基於現實立場的圓融性，回歸佛教傳統的歷史還原性，以及歷史還原與現實圓融相結合的改革性。正是上述思想特質使晚明佛教叢林呈現出復興景象，而當今學界所稱之「萬曆佛教」（1573-1620）則具體標明了晚明佛教的復興情形。

　　　　　In this article, the author tries to put forward a suggestion that in the late Ming Dynasty (1567-1644), the Buddhism in China inherited the synthetic spirit of Chinese Buddhism, demonstrating a special situation of synthesis such as the confluence of Zen Buddhism and Pure-land, the interaction between Buddhist theory and its practice, the connection of exotic and esoteric schools, the dialogue between Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism, and even the communication between Buddhism and Taoism. Facing a variety of social trends of thought, the Buddhism tried to give its own response in thought to the reality of the late Ming Dynasty. On the other hand, however, confronted with the two Buddhist traditions of India and China, the Buddhists in the late Ming Dynasty had to be concerned with the question about how to reunite the social and the Buddhist traditions. Thus, the author believes, the Buddhism in the late Ming Dynasty generally expressed an evident inclination of historical reduction to the Buddhist tradition. Such an inclination became the fundamental orientation of the Buddhist renewal movement, and the Buddhist synthetic spirit became the basic way of the renaissance. Therefore, the synthesis of the Buddhist theories and the historical reduction to the Buddhist tradition were the two significant topics in the renewal of Buddhism in the late Ming Dynasty. Based on their interaction and mutual complement, the idea to reform the Samgha in reality eventually created the prosperity of the Buddhist reformation. Appealing to the historical process, the author points out that there were four specific characteristics of the Buddhism renaissance movement in the late Ming Dynasty: (1)the complexity of multipolarities; (2)the synthetic or associated orientation of ideas based on the reality; (3) the inclination of historical reduction to the Buddhist tradition; and (4)the reformation combined with the historical reduction and the synthesis in the Buddhist reality. It is the four characteristics of thought that promoted the revival of the Buddhism in the late Ming Dynasty. And the prosperity of Buddhism, which scholars called "Buddhism in Wan-Li" (573-1620), represented specifically the accomplishment of the movement.