Buddhist anthropology originated from the anatman theory raised for Buddha. But, the anatman theory that negates the ever-existing substance has the conformity problem with the transmigrationism. As a result, a more substantial subject of transmigrati...
Buddhist anthropology originated from the anatman theory raised for Buddha. But, the anatman theory that negates the ever-existing substance has the conformity problem with the transmigrationism. As a result, a more substantial subject of transmigrationism came to be issued in the Buddhism. In addition, as the age of Mahayanist Buddhism arrived, the possibility ‘for everyone to become a Buddha’ became an issue, establishing the idea of tathagata-garbha(如來藏思想) that could be a Buddha in the future. The tathagata-garbha is also understood as the buddha-dhatu(Buddhist nature), which opens the possibility for everyone to be a Buddha in the future. In the process that this tathagata-garbha and buddha-dhatu idea were transferred to China, Chinese traditional theory on haman nature was incorporated into them to rebuild the actual buddha-dhatu theory of Chinese Buddhism. Based on this idea of buddha-dhatu, the Zen Buddhism(禪佛敎) was accomplished. Zen Buddhism had great influence on the Chinese ideological system as well as its painting art during Tang and Song Dynasties. It can well be seen in the South and North Principal Theory raised by Donggichang(董 其昌) and Magsiryong(莫是龍) that the painting art imitated the South and North Principal Theory of Zen Buddhism. The concrete influences can be classified into three as follows: first, the muninhwa(文人畵, painting in the literary artist``s style) was preferred to the jigeobhwa(職 業畵, painting in the occupational style); second, simple and intense black-and-white drawings were in vogue; third, the landscape painting became the main stream of Chinese art. These features are seen only in the history of East Asian art, which has sufficient significance for reviewing in that it is related with the Buddhist anthropology of Zen Buddhism.