Buddhism as Viewed by Two Tokugawa Confucianists: Itō Jinsai’s Letter to Dōkō and its Refutation by Satō NaokataJoseph J. Spae

Excerpt

In China Confucianism and Buddhism had been at grips for centuries before Japanese scholars added their share to the ever increasing amount of controversial literature. The arguments for and against were largely the same in both countries, and especially in Japan which had never known such rabid anti-Buddhists as Han Yü 韓愈(768-825) and Lu Têh-ming 陸 徳明 (around 564-635), the feud was before long more or less limited to academic disputations not always backed up by inner conviction. It was considered fashionable for an orthodox Confucianist to utter now and then ready-made diatribes against the general enemy.

The Zen Buddhist monks who are largely responsible for the introduction and spread of Chu Hsi’s Neo-Confucianism did not suspect how troublesome and powerful an enemy they were unconsciously fostering within their temple-schools. They had considered Confucianism an ally, actually it became a rival.