2016Winter Doctoral Workshop in Asian Studies at UC Berkeley

Sing Song Liu

Proposal for application

Paper to Present in Workshop

Why it might Contravene but not Contradict in the Joint Practice of Chan and
Pure LandDiscourse and Practice of East Asian Buddhism.
Abstract
The question is the motivation/orientation and goal seeking is very different in
nature between Pure Land and Chan, how it might contravene but not contradict in the
thought or practice. In the study plan outlined parallels between Chan and Pure Land,
describing and/or questioning on the Enlightenment of Chan and its Impasse, the
Ambiguity of Rebirth of Pure Land, Seeking for Enlightenment or Rebirth? etc.,
which were presented and discussed on several international conferences in these two
years.
The results support previous findings linking Chan and Pure Land in joint
practice is the trait of pre-modern Chinese Buddhism but suggest that the differences
in nature of practice and the experience of religion are greater than their similarities.
On account of one-sided dedication to each own purpose specifically in the history,
however, the practice of Chan and Pure Land are eventfully to the convergence in
pre-modern period, then we may question what the significance of our era or the true
nature of human existence is revealed?
In this study, focus on adopting the theory and methods in comparison to testify
the thesis statement, such as: Karatani Kojins (1988) aggressive defamiliarization in
the discovery of landscape (which is very different from the reconceptualization of
issues of ideology and culture.) and Roman Jakobson (1956) who argues that the
paradigmatic-syntagmatic dichotomy covers two different realities of language. (One
of which is operational and the other structural.) The analysis of study is based on the
discourse and practice between the relationship of Chan and Pure Land, and the
findings will further illuminate the nature, experience and the rationalized process of
joint practice of Chan and Pure Land.