Chapter Three. Buddhist Epistemology And Modern Self-Identity: Zhang Taiyan’s “On Establishing Religion”

Abstract

It was the global project of modernity that drove late Qing intellectuals to reform religion and to reinterpret traditions such as Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. This chapter looks into how Zhang interrogated the epistemological framework of modernity by invoking Yogacara Buddhism. Zhang Taiyan's interpretation of Yogacarin philosophy called into question modern epistemology and ontology. The chapter focuses on the more philosophical or metaphysical aspects of Zhang's thought, but in Zhang's view metaphysicians who fail to grasp their delusion often aid politician.Keywords: Buddhist epistemology; karmic seeds of delusion; Yogacara Buddhism; Zhang