A Buddhist Exegetical Study of the Zhuangzi: Focusing on Hanshan Deqing’s Commentary on the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi
The Society For Chinese Humanities In Korea, So Hyun Park
April 30, 2026 DOI: 10.35955/jch.2026.04.92.187 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key points | Argues that Hanshan Deqing's commentary reinterprets the Zhuangzi's central ideals through Buddhist emptiness doctrine, the essence-manifestation-function framework tied to the Three Bodies of the Buddha, and calming-and-insight contemplation, and that despite its apparent advocacy of Three Teachings harmony it reflects a Buddhist-centered perspective subsuming Confucian and Daoist ideas within a Buddhist soteriological framework. |
Abstract
This study examines the Buddhist exegetical interpretation of the Zhuangzi presented in Zhuangzi Neipian Zhu (Commentary on the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi) by the eminent late-Ming Buddhist monk Hanshan Deqing (1546–1623). While the Zhuangzi has long been regarded as a foundational Daoist classic and has been interpreted across various intellectual traditions, systematic commentaries written by Buddhist monks remain relatively rare. Hanshan Deqing’s work represents one of the most comprehensive attempts to interpret the Zhuangzi within a Buddhist doctrinal framework. This research focuses particularly on Hanshan’s interpretation of the Inner Seven Chapters of the Zhuangzi. It analyzes how he reinterprets the key philosophical concepts of “the Perfect Man has no self (zhiren wuji), the Sage has no merit (shengren wugong), and the Divine Man has no name (shenren wuming)” in relation to Buddhist doctrines. Rather than reading these notions merely as Daoist ideals of transcendence, Hanshan interprets them through the Buddhist doctrine of emptiness, especially in terms of the dual realization of the emptiness of the self and the emptiness of phenomena. Furthermore, Hanshan reconstructs the philosophical structure of the Inner Chapters through the Buddhist conceptual framework of essence (ti), manifestation (xiang), and function (yong), correlating them with the doctrine of the Three Bodies of the Buddha (Dharmakāya, Sambhogakāya, and Nirmāṇakāya). His commentary also incorporates Buddhist contemplative practices such as śamatha and vipaśyanā (calming and insight), thereby presenting the Zhuangzi as a text that illustrates the process of Buddhist spiritual cultivation. Although Hanshan’s interpretation appears to advocate the harmony of the Three Teachings (Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism), it ultimately reflects a Buddhist-centered perspective that subsumes Confucian and Daoist ideas within a Buddhist soteriological framework. In this sense, Zhuangzi Neipian Zhu can be understood not merely as a commentary on a Daoist classic but as an intellectual project that reinterprets Daoist philosophy through the lens of Buddhist doctrine and practice.
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| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |