The Construction of Yi Chuan’s Neo Confucianism from the Perspective of the Distinction between Confucianism and Buddhism

The distinction between Confucianism and Buddhism (DCB) was a topic that Yi Chuan and his apprentices often discussed. Criticizing the Buddhism was an important content of Yi Chuan’s Neo Confucianism (YNC). The Neo Confucianism of Song and Ming Dynasties was the reaction of Buddhism, and Yi Chuan was one of the founders of the Neo Confucianism. Buddhism philosophy was based on the mind theory, which strengthened Yi Chuan’s choice of another way—seeking objective heavenly principles—to build his own philosophy. Another profound philosophical thought of the DCB in YNC was that he tried to use metaphysics to criticize the nihilism of Buddhism. In the process of philosophy transformation in Tang and Song Dynasties (TSD), the YNC was an important weapon to resist the Buddhism nihilism. Therefore, under the background of the transformation of philosophy in TSD, it is necessary to use the method of comparative philosophy to research YNC from the perspective of DCB, so as to further reveal its theoretical construction logic and its philosophical significance.