On the Concept of Effortlessness and Non-Activity in Medieval Chinese Buddhist Practice, with Focus on Chan During the Tang
Entangled Religions June 18, 2026 Henrik H. Sørensen
In late medieval Chinese Chan Buddhism, the concepts of non-doing (wuwei) and effortlessness (wu gongyong) were central soteriological strategies for attaining nirvana, buddha-nature, or buddha-mind. Drawing on primary sources from the Tang dynasty, the Five Dynasties, and the early Northern Song, the article elucidates the hermeneutics and doctrinal interpretations that shaped how Chan practitioners constructed and practiced these ideas, particularly remaining aloof from the conditioned world of phenomena.