Syncretism of Buddhist and Confucian Traditions: The Role of “Outstanding Buddhist Monks” in Buddhism's Sinicization during the Sui and Tang Dynasies

The article studies the assimilation of Confucian scholarship by Buddhist monks as a key aspect of Buddhism's Sinicization. During the Sui and Tang dynasies (6th–10th centuries), the period of Buddhism's flourishing and final sinicization, the interaction between Buddhism and Confucianism became particularly intense. Unlike previous research, which focused on the adoption of Buddhism by the Confucian elite, this article considers the reverse process: how Buddhist monks themselves mastered and used Confucian teachings. Drawing on a wealth of material from Buddhist biographies (“Further Biographies of Eminent Monks,” “Biographies of Eminent Monks Compiled in the Song Era”), we come to the conclusion that many outstanding monks of that time had a profound knowledge of the Confucian canons (“Five Classics”, “Six Classics”), historical works and secular literature. Some of them surpassed many secular scholars in this field, they composed poetry and texts in a Confucian vein, and some even held teaching positions in Confucian schools or successfully passed state examinations. “Scholar-monks”, equally versed in Buddhism and Confucianism, played a crucial role in adapting Buddhism to Chinese culture. They facilitated this process by using Confucian vocabulary and concepts when translating sutras from Sanskrit.