Editing Chinese philosophy (section)

===Schools of thought===

====Xuanxue====
{{Main|Xuanxue}}

[[Xuanxue]] was a philosophical school that combined elements of [[Confucianism]] and [[Taoism]] to reinterpret the [[I Ching]]'',''[[Tao Te Ching]]'','' and ''[[Zhuangzi (book)|Zhuangzi]].'' The most important philosophers of this movement were [[Wang Bi]], [[Xiang Xiu]] and [[Guo Xiang]]. The main question of this school was whether Being came before Not-Being (in Chinese, ''ming'' and ''wuming''). A peculiar feature of these Taoist thinkers, like the [[Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove]], was the concept of ''feng liu'' (lit. wind and flow), a sort of romantic spirit which encouraged following the natural and instinctive impulse.

==== Buddhism ====
[[Image:Zhang Shengwen. L'enseignement de Bouddha Sakyamuni.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''The [[Gautama Buddha|Sakyamuni Buddha]]'', by artist Zhang Shengwen, 1173–1176 CE, [[Song dynasty]]]]
{{Main|Chinese Buddhism}}

Buddhism is a religion, a [[practical philosophy]], and arguably a [[psychology]], focusing on the teachings of [[Gautama Buddha]], who lived on the [[Indian subcontinent]] most likely from the mid-6th to the early 5th century BCE. When used in a generic sense, a [[Buddhahood|Buddha]] is generally considered to be someone who discovers the true [[Reality in Buddhism|nature of reality]].

Buddhism until the 4th century AD had little impact on China but in the 4th century its teachings hybridized with those of Taoism.<ref name="Eichman2000">{{cite book|author=Shawn Eichman|title=Taoism and the Arts of China|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5ame4Rl1RXMC|year=2000|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-22785-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5ame4Rl1RXMC/page/n192 45]–}}</ref> Buddhism brought to China the idea of many hells, where sinners went, but the deceased sinners souls could be saved by pious acts.<ref name="Eichman2000" /> Since Chinese traditional thought focused more on ethics rather than [[metaphysics]], the merging of Buddhist and Taoist concepts developed several schools distinct from the originating Indian schools.

The most prominent examples with philosophical merit are [[Sanlun]], [[Tiantai]], [[Huayan school|Huayan]], and [[Chan Buddhism|Chan]] (a.k.a. Zen). They investigate [[higher consciousness|consciousness]], levels of truth, whether reality is ultimately empty, and how [[Enlightenment in Buddhism|enlightenment]] is to be achieved. Buddhism has a spiritual aspect that complements the action of [[Neo-Confucianism]], with prominent Neo-Confucians advocating certain forms of meditation.