Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 308 The Debate at Minxian Temple

On the 21st day of the first month of the second year of Jiayou, at Minxian Temple.

The winter sun shines through the gnarled branches of the ancient cypress trees, casting dappled shadows in the bluestone-paved courtyard of Minxian Temple. Apart from the remnants of snow mixed with blackened soil at the tree roots, the traces of the heavy snowfall a few days ago seem to have completely disappeared.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of burning incense. This Zen temple, which has recently gained fame in Tokyo because of the residence of the Mingjiao master Qisong, was bustling with activity today.

The Zhenru Hall, a special hall within the temple dedicated to lecturing on Buddhist scriptures, was already overflowing with people.

Not only were the prayer cushions filled with scholars dressed in various Confucian robes, but the corridors and windows were also crowded with listeners. The crowd was bustling, and countless low voices of discussion gathered in the solemn Buddhist hall to form a buzzing background sound.

As the debaters on both sides took their places.

All eyes were focused on the figures sitting opposite each other on either side of the hall.

On the left, leading the group is Zen Master Qisong, who is also known as the Mingjiao Master and wears an imperial purple robe.

He had large earlobes and a prosperous face. At this moment, his eyes were slightly closed, and he was in deep meditation, looking serene, as if all the noise around him had nothing to do with him.

The Zen masters sitting next to Qisong also all had solemn expressions.

On the right, leading the group is Zhang Zai.

He was dressed in a dark robe, sitting upright with a furrowed brow.

Lu Beigu and Shen Kuo sat beside Zhang Zai, their expressions unusually solemn.

This was not the first time Zhang Zai had debated with the Ming Cult masters; their previous exchanges had already been extremely intense.

In his previous debates on the classics, Zhang Zai argued from the "essence and qi as things" in the Book of Changes to the "human being is the virtue of heaven and earth, the interaction of yin and yang, the gathering of ghosts and gods, and the essence of the five elements" in the Book of Rites. He then went on to argue about the "great emptiness is qi" and "qi transformation and circulation" system that he painstakingly constructed, attempting to lay a solid philosophical foundation for the reality of "qi" and the material origin of the universe.

However, the other side also had its own explanation and did not acknowledge the correctness of Zhang Zai's theories.

"There are two kinds of energy in the world: pure and impure."

Zhang Zai's opening remarks can be seen as a response to the Zen Buddhist internal lectures held a few days ago.

Although the Zen sect had reached a consensus on its rebuttal, Zhang Zai's side also learned of it.

However, since the previous meeting was an internal meeting of the other party, and Zhang Zai was still taking the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites, the hot air balloon still had to be presented as evidence of the existence of "pure and turbid air" since the other party did not refute him face to face.

Zhang Zai said, “On the banks of the Jinshui River, under the watchful eyes of everyone, how did that hot air balloon rise into the air? It was precisely because the ‘hot air’ inside the balloon rose lightly and clearly, while the ‘cold air’ outside the balloon pressed down heavily. The interaction and conflict between the two energies created the lifting force! This force and this phenomenon were clearly visible to everyone! Isn’t this irrefutable proof that ‘qi’ fills the heavens and earth and operates ceaselessly? ‘Tai Xu’ is not empty; it is the inherent state of this qi!”

"The ascent of the so-called 'hot air balloon' is truly awe-inspiring."

Qi Song first acknowledged the ingenuity of the hot air balloon, but then changed the subject, saying, "This is a marvel of craftsmanship and a wonder of destiny. However, I believe that your claim that 'qi' is the origin of the universe is still a step too far."

Next, Qi Song's account was exactly the same as what Zhang Zai had heard beforehand.

"What causes this thing to rise? It depends on the skillful hands of the craftsman, which is the 'skillful connection'; it depends on the materials such as silk pouch, rattan frame, and charcoal, which is the 'material connection'; it depends on the precision of the fire and the speed of the wind, which is the 'seasonal connection'; it depends on the eyes of the observer and the mind of the listener, which is the 'sight and hearing connection'. When all these conditions come together, this 'appearance' of rising into the sky temporarily appears."

“The appearance is what is manifested and shown, not its essence. When the fire is extinguished and the charcoal is exhausted, and the rope is loosened, this thing will return to nothingness. What will remain of the appearance? Isn’t this exactly in accordance with the profound principle of ‘all phenomena arise from causes and conditions, and all phenomena cease due to causes and conditions’ as taught by the Buddha?”

Many onlookers were taken aback after hearing this. —This Ming Cult master's words seem to make a lot of sense, don't they?
Qi Song's response was indeed like flowing water, smooth and seamless, defusing Zhang Zai's sharp attack without leaving a trace.

In any case, no matter what example Zhang Zai gives, he can always respond with this same line.

Or, in other words, according to his theory, one can arbitrarily substitute everything in the world into the principle of "the arising of phenomena due to causes and conditions, and the cessation of phenomena due to causes and conditions."

Qi Song's gaze swept over the countless pairs of eyes below the hall, some bewildered, some thoughtful, and some in agreement, and he continued, "Benefactor, you are fixated on the 'warmth' inside the bag and the 'coldness' outside, fixated on this 'force' and this 'appearance,' believing them to be real. Little do you know that this 'energy,' this 'force,' and this 'appearance' are merely 'forms' that we perceive, distinguish, and name under specific conditions of convergence."

"The Zen master said that all phenomena arise from causes and conditions, like dew or lightning. May I ask, from where do these 'causes' come about?"

Zhang Zai wasn't stupid; he didn't intend to be led by the nose, so he chose to directly address the root of the other party's theory.

Then, while Qi Song was pondering, he asked again: "The Book of Changes says, 'The alternation of yin and yang is called the Way,' and the gathering and dispersing of qi has its own order. In my opinion, the hot air balloon's ascent is not merely due to the coming together of causes and conditions, but is actually the natural order of the rising of pure yang and the descending of turbid yin! Doesn't the Buddhist doctrine of emptiness obliterate the generative virtue of heaven and earth?"

Zhang Zai wanted to use classical texts to attack Qi Song, thereby gaining an advantage in the debate.

But Qi Song was not stupid. He neither admitted nor denied the content mentioned in the Book of Changes. Instead, he responded to Zhang Zai's question with the "theory of mind-consciousness," which could neither be proven nor disproven, and then launched a counterattack.

"It originates from the mind, but you are attached to qi and neglect your mind. It is like holding a candle to look in a mirror. Although the light in the mirror is bright, it is not the real fire."

"No!"

For Zhang Zai, the existence of "qi" was a matter of principle.

He bluntly refuted, "If, as the Zen master said, all phenomena are empty, then why do the stars have a constant path? Why do the four seasons have a constant order? Isn't this the natural law of Qi?"

Zhang Zai pointed to the remaining snow outside the palace.

"Snow melts into water, water evaporates into vapor, vapor condenses into clouds. Forms change but matter remains indestructible. Isn't this clear evidence that 'the void is vapor'? All things ultimately have a substance! How can one say that all phenomena are empty?"

Qi Song calmly argued, “You see the traces of the stars, but you do not see that the traces arise from your mind. It is like seeing flowers in the sky when you have an eye disease. Although the flowers have no fruit, the diseased eye can still see them.”

Zhang Zai pressed on, asking, "If this is the case, then the flowers seen by the diseased eye and the real flowers seen by the clear eye are both illusions? Then are the Buddhist precepts and the Confucian principles just flowers in the sky?"

Qi Song was momentarily speechless.

— Zhang Zai is being a bit shameless this time.

How to act shamelessly? That's not the question Qi Song couldn't answer; it's that this question was a death trap.

The Song Dynasty governed the country with Confucianism, and officials and scholar-officials shared the world.

The reason why the emperor appreciated Qisong was because Qisong wrote articles such as "Fujiao Bian", "Zhengzong Ji" and "Chanzong Dingguo Tu" advocating the "theory of harmony between Confucianism and Buddhism", and was trying to use some concepts of Chan Buddhism to integrate Confucian views such as "loyalty and filial piety".

Therefore, since Qi Song has established himself on this basis, it is absolutely impossible to refute it, even if he can immediately find ten thousand ways to refute it.

The Zen masters around him also realized that Zhang Zai had never been so cunning before.

"It seems there's a mastermind behind this."

(End of this chapter)