汤用彤佛学研究的文化特质

The cultural traits of Tang Yongtong's study of Buddhism

汤用彤将"汉以后中国佛学的发展"看作不同文化冲突融合的已有案例来研究,因此,他的文化主张与其佛学研究有着内在精神上的暗合。汤用彤通过自己广搜精求的佛学研究,表达了对当时文化研究失于浅隘的不满。他在研究中,一方面表现出对佛教史上转折性人物、佛教发展的地域性差异、佛学研究方法论等方面的关注;另一方面也对佛学与中国本土固有思想文化互动问题给予较多讨论,同时也注重在动态的三教冲突与融合中考察中国佛教的发展轨迹,这些都体现出汤先生的佛学研究具有浓郁的文化特质。这一特质根源于他追问"中国文化向何处走"的问题意识。

Tang Yongtong considered the development of Chinese Buddhism after the Han Dynasty as merging of different cultural conflicts. And his cultural advocation coincidentally agreed with his Buddhist studies in inner spirit. Based on his own extensive and intensive study of Buddhism, he expressed his discontent with the cultural studies at that time. On the one hand, he focused on some transitional figures in the history of Buddhism, the regional differences in the development of Buddhism and the methodology of Buddhist research. On the other hand, Tang paid attention to interactive relationship between Buddhism and indigenous thought of China, and observed the development track of Chinese Buddhism in the dynamic collision and integration of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. All these demonstrated a strong cultural trait in Tang Yongtong’s study of Buddhism, which was deeply rooted in his questioning consciousness and his exploration into which direction Chinese culture chooses.