中国禅是佛教的一个宗派吗?

Is Zen/Chan a School of Buddhism?

禅是佛教的一个宗派,这是学界的一个共识,但也有挑战这一共识的异见,认为中国禅不是印度哲学和大乘佛教在中国的旁支别派,而是中国思想和宗教的嫡系正宗。重新审视国内外关于禅的性质和状况的主要观点,并对禅宗的起源、本体论、认识论、方法论、价值论、制度实践、终极目标及其在历史发展过程中与印度禅和佛教的关系等核心问题进行比较和论证,旨在从概念性视角找出中国禅与大乘佛教和印度瑜伽的哲学思想及修行实践的相异之处,从而对中国禅是否为佛教的一个宗派作出实事求是的回答。通过对禅宗作为一个思想和宗教流派的基本内涵的分析,得出的结论是:中国禅是本土思想依托外来佛教而产生的全新宗教与思想,在根本上不是源自佛教和印度瑜伽的中国流派。

The current scholarly consensus holds that Zen/Chan is a school of Buddhism,but there is a dissenting voice which challenges the consensus and considers Chan a popularized Laozi-Zhuangzi philosophy.This essay will re-examine the major views concerning the nature and conditions of Chan and conduct a comparative study of the core issues including the origin,ontology,epistemology,methodology,axiology,institutionalized praxis,and ultimate objectives as well as its historical development and raison d'être in relation to Indian Dhyana and Buddhism,with the aim to find a convincing answer to the important question.By focusing on the essential aspects which defines Chan as a school of thought and religion,the essay draws the conclusion:Zen/Chan is an entirely new religion/thought that differs from Indian philosophy and Mahayana Buddhism in fundamental ways.