The Alliance Of Buddha And Venus: Study On The Relationship Between Modern Buddhism And Aesthetics

The dissertation makes a study on the relationship between modern Buddhism and Aesthetics. It analyses the topic in the following five aspects.First, the historical sources and theoretical basis of the alliance between modern Buddhism and Aesthetics. As the primary ideology, the relationship between Religion and Aesthetics is compatible and reciprocal in main aspects; as Buddhism and Aesthetics contain some common character in ontology and ideology, they are easy to have a special affinity with each other; Having been introduced to China, Buddhism has a profound influence on China's classic aesthetics.Secondly, the common ideological backgrounds and cultural opportunities of modern Buddhism's revival and Aesthetics' emergence. From the perspective of theoretical inheritance, the scholars in later Qing Dynasty attached great importance to Yangming Psychology, the Buddhism and Aesthetics had close links with Psychology; From the perspective of the prevailing cultural transformation, the Confucianism withdrew from the prevailing culture, and the Buddhism and Aesthetics had the tendency to replace it; From the pointview of the relationship within diversified cultures, the conflicts within "West Scholarship", "Chiness Scholarship", "New Scholarship", "Old Scholarship"need to be coordinated by Buddhism and Aesthetics; From the Perspective of the cultural development, we can learn from the successful coexistence of "Religion" and "Literature" in the Renaissance, and the alliance between Buddhism and Aesthetics had the same historical implication.Thirdly, the general trends of the development of the alliance between modern Buddhism and Aesthetics. In the preliminary phase, especially round about the Opium war, the Buddhism was emerging withthe revival of different valuable academic theories; In the development period, round about the Constitutional Reform and Modernization, the reconstruction picture was shown in ideology and culture, along with the rapid development of national salvation movement, Buddhism and Aesthetics were important academic of the scholars, they generically tended to reform; In the climax period (From 1898 to New Cultural Movement), the basic concern of the prevailing scholar turned to ideological enlightenment, after the failure of the Reform and Modernization of 1898. The Buddhism and Aesthetics became the efficient instruments to mould the national spirit in the ardent period. In the disintegration phase, especially after the May 4th Movement(1919), the social influence of religion gradually weakened and the alliance between Buddhism and Aesthetics gradually slackened, due to powerful voice of Democracy and science.Fourthly, four kinds of scholar with passion for Buddhism and Aesthetics.Social practice scholars; this kind of scholars' Buddhism consciousness and Aesthetic opinions were based on traditional Confucian value, Gong Zizhen and Wei Yuan are typical representatives. National Salvation representatives; they were active in the Reform and Modernization and national salvation, they reflected the essential spirit of modern culture, Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao are typical representatives. Independent scholars: they pursued the independent value of academies and pure personality, their pointviews were far away from reality, but these pointviews corresponded to the general trends of ideological enlightenment. Wang Guowei and Liu Xizai are typical examples. Radical scholars: this kind of scholars reflected cultural transition, their opinions had gradually shown the separated trends between Buddhism and Aesthetics. Cai Yuanpei and Lu Xun are typical representatives.Fifthly, the modern transition of Buddhism influence and aestheticspirit. In the aspect of aesthetic custom, the contemporary transitions reflected the following characters: From elegance to loftiness; From describing disposition to unbosoming passion. In the aspect of aesthetic functions, the transition showed the following trends: From "Psychology" to "The Humanities" ; From "Well-meaning Critical" to "Condemnation";...