From Chan Philosophy to the Acoustic Beauty in the Enchanting Moonlit Night on Spring River/de la Pensee de Zen a la Beaute de la Musique Vocale Fleurs Et Lune Sur la Riviere Printaniere (Report‪)‬

Chan was first born in India, which was a way of self-meditation invented by ancient Indians. The corresponding Chinese character of Chan is short for the Sanskrit word Dhyana, which means quiet meditation, that is, trying to get the highest-level of wisdom to control the universe by being fully concentrated and excluding all the trivial thinking. (3) (11,6) In a broad sense, the historical Chanzong belongs to a school of Indian Buddhism. However, Buddhism was brought into china in Han Dynasty and was explained by Chinese language and concepts in the period of Sanguo Dynasty, East and West Jin Dynasty, North and South Dynasty, Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, during which it gradually carried Chinese characteristics and finally came into Chinese Buddhism. Since its introduction in China, Buddhism relied on the Daoism and metaphysics to promote its beliefs and changed its form several times in accordance to Confucianism. After a procession of relying, resisting and absorbing with Daoism and Confucianism, Buddhism came into a climax period in Tang Dynasty, which was also a period of Buddhism being chinesenized. The Chinesenized Buddhism Chan absorbed some Daoism thoughts and came up with a system of theories different form Indian Buddhism. Especially after the middle-Tang Dynasty, Chan simplified the cumbersome Buddhism teachings, making it carrying Chinese characteristics both in form and content. The government policy of the parallel development of Confucianism Daoism and Buddhism also promoted the fusion of the three religions. Between Tang and Song Dynasties, the influence among three religions further deepened, forming the wave of the combination of three religions. Buddhism finally became a chinesenized religion, being an indispensable part of the Chinese culture. It in turn influenced the Jurisprudence in Song and Ming Dynasties, stimulating the transition of Confucianism, as a result of which promoted the development of Chinese culture. (4) (211) Since the culture attribute of Chan is Chinesenized Buddhism and especially it could on the one hand be in competition with Confucianism and Daoism and on the other hand communicate with them, the beliefs in Chan must have had huge shaping influence on Chinese intellectuals. The philosophy of Chan had greatly permeated the overall life philosophy and thinking pattern of Chinese literati, which further gave birth to their unique esthetic psychology and interest. In the long-term of culture accumulation, this esthetic interest became an unconscious intent hidden in the intellectuals. And the combination of Chan and art injected into the Chinese art certain special content and philosophical interest. Under this big background, which was greatly influenced by Chan art, Chinese intellectuals differed greatly in pursuing the ideal highest level of art from intellectuals in before. Chinese literati studied Chan though the artistic creation, which represented the creator's spiritual interest and his unique esthetic interest. The pursuit of imagination and intuition in the Chan philosophy together with the pursuit of image gave rise to the esthetic categories of emptiness, quietness, leisure, loneliness and mysteriousness. This unique thinking pattern brought to the literati new inspiration and higher-level esthetic horizon. (5) (13-18) At the same time, the creations of literati characterized with simplicity, naturalness and implicitness expressed the Chan interest, philosophy and atmosphere.