The Administration of Buddhism in China: A Study and Translation ...

terms of Zanning’s writings on Confucian and non-Buddhist sources, the list suggests that Zanning did not merely have factual knowledge of the Chinese literary tradition, but engaged in highly partisan discourses regarding the interpretation of literary sources. Two of the titles, Release from Bondage according to the Analects and An Explanation of the Analects, indicate Zanning’s interest in the teachings attributed to Confucius. Especially noteworthy is Zanning’s apparent attempt to interpret the Analects in terms compatible with Buddhism. The phrase “release from bondage” originally appears in a Daoist context,⁷⁰ but was incorporated by Sengrui 僧瑞 (371-438) in his preface to the Middle Treatises (Zhonglun 中論; Madhyamakakārikā) of Nāgārjuna.⁷¹ Two other titles, a Critique of Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, attributed to the Han dynasty scholar Dong Zhongshu’s 董仲舒 (109-104 BCE),⁷² and Against the Official View that There are no Worthies in the Spring and Autumn Annals by the late Tang and early Five Dynasties author Sun Tai 孫邰,⁷³ demonstrate Zanning’s engagement with scholarship on the Confucian classic, the Spring and Autumn Annals. In addition, several other prominent scholars and their works are singled out for criticism: Wang Chong’s 王充 (27-ca. 100) Balanced Discourses;⁷⁴ Cai Yong’s 蔡邕 (132-192) Definitions [in government and administration] (though this is a “clarification” [zheng 證] rather than a critique);⁷⁵ and Yan Shigu’s 顏師古 (581-645) Correcting Errors and Rectifying Vulgarities;⁷⁶ Liu Zhiji’s 劉知幾 (661-721) Generalities on Historiography.⁷⁷

Dong Zhongshu and Wang Chong were two of the most important essayists on Chinese culture, civilization, and beliefs during the Han period. Dong Zhongshu balanced Confucian morals and ethical theory with yin/yang cosmology.⁷⁸ Wang Chong found in Daoist naturalism a means for criticizing the prevailing beliefs and superstitions of his day.⁷⁹ Dong Zhongshu was a leading representative of what became known as the New Text school (jinwen jia 今文家), and Wang Chong was a leading representative of the Old Text school (guwen jia 古文家).⁸⁰ The compiler of Generalities on Historiography, Liu Zhiji, was a great proponent of the importance of studying the Zuo zhuan 左傳; he was