Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

When Buddhism was spread into China, it had to make a lot of effort to merge itself into Chinese traditional settings of thought and culture. One of the conflicts between the two different ideas was the notion of filial piety. The Buddhist thought of filial piety was revealed in Mouze Lihuo Lun (Master Mou's Treatise Dispelling Doubts). The essay made efforts to show that Buddhism did not defy the idea of filial piety in Confucianism. However, these conflicts were continuously brought up through Chinese history. Even in the Yang Dynasty when Buddhism flourished most, the religion suffered from this dissonance. So far, the existing periodization of Chinese Buddhism names these periods the ‘preparation’ and the ‘promoting’. However, since there were conflicts with Chinese traditional thought before the 6th century, it would be more appropriate to regard these periods as that of transformation to merger into China. The ‘preparation’ and the ‘promoting’ include the nuance of positive change. But during the period, Buddhism suffered a lot defending itself and making harmony with Confucianism. Judging from this, Buddhism was influenced organically by Chinese society to settle down. This article is to redefine the period of early Buddhism in China focused on the idea of filial piety.