Buddhist Teachings, A

Abstract

Abstract This chapter sets out some of Xiong’s views on the Emptiness school (Madhyamaka) and the Existence school (Yogācāra) of Buddhism. It begins with a comparison of the Buddhist concepts of dharma nature and dharma characteristics and Reality and function. The first main section then introduces the doctrines of the Emptiness school and includes discussions on such topics as the Buddhist concept of the five aggregates, the purport of the Heart Sutra, and the apophatic method of “refuting characteristics in order to reveal the nature.” This is followed by Xiong’s detailed criticisms of the Emptiness school. The chapter’s second main section (albeit much shorter than the first) introduces the doctrines of the Existence school and includes discussions on such topics as the three periods of the Buddha’s teachings, suchness, seeds, and comparisons with the Emptiness school.