章太炎一生致力於社會改革運動，其所關注的重心始終在國家社稷等議題上。面對當時的政治、文化思潮，他根據佛教的「無我」思想，融會貫通之後提出獨特的群己觀、實踐觀，以破除當時的群學思想、國家主義、社會進化論等，旨在追求真正的獨立與平等。中年之後，又深感佛法的高深，不切於社會之用，於是回歸到儒、道二家思想，欲會通二者，他以莊子的「齊物」證佛教「無我」之平等真義，並藉由重釋儒家的心性論，申明「無我」亦可不必離世而得。佛教的無我觀在章氏的詮釋之下，轉而成為留惑潤生的大乘菩薩所展現的生命境界，去除我執（意根）後，故能不為「小我」，而能以勇猛無畏之心，積極入世，文、孔、老、莊即為代表人物。因此大乘菩薩未得究竟涅槃之「我」，實際上已非唯識學裡所說的第七識「末那識」，而是超越時空限制、與諸有情為一之「真我」。

In his lifelong devotion to social reform movements, Zhang Tai-yan (1869~1936) had never deviated from his one-pointed concern on national and social-related issues. In revolting to the then popular political and cultural thoughts, such as sectarian thoughts, nationalism, social evolutionism etc, he, however, proposed unprecedented new perspectives of others vs. self and practical action based on the Anatman idea of Buddhism, to pursuit for the ideals of independence and equality in the real sense. Realizing the profoundness and inapplicability of Buddhist thought, he then, in his later life, redirected his effort to the integration of Confucianism and Taoism, He found realization of Anatman equality in Zhuang Zi's "oneness of all beings." Through his reinterpretation of Confucianist's theory of mind-nature, Zhang elaborated that the goal of Anatman can't be attained in the seeker's seclusion or abandonment of the world. In Zhuang's interpretation, the Buddhist's idea of Anatman was transformed into elimination of ego-centered attachment, a spirit embodied by Mahayana Bodhisattvas. Hence, the small me is replaced by an undaunted fearlessness of actively involving in the secular world, like such exemplary figures of Wen King, Confucius, Lao Zi, and Zhuang Zi. In so doing, the "I-ness" of Mahayana Bodhisattvas not yet attaining the ultimate Nirvana, is actually not the seventh "Nanah" designated in the Dharmalaksana sect, but the "true nature" which transcends the boundaries of space and time, and come to merge with all sentient beings in oneness.