The Relationship between the Three Thousand Appearances and the Three Truths According to the Successors of the Tiantai Shanjia Group

Abstract

In the controversy about interpretations of Tiantai doctrine in the Song, referred to as the Shanjia-Shanwai山家山外 debates, the problems concerning the relationship between Three Thousand appearances 三千法 and Three Truths （the Truths of Emptiness空諦, of Provisional Positing仮諦, and of the Middle中諦） was an important topic. Zhachuan Renyue 霅川仁岳 （992-1064） and Shenzhi Congyi 神智従義 （1042-1091）, usually positioned as masters of the Later Shanwai group 後山外派, offered sharp criticism of Siming Chili’s 四明知礼 （960-1028） theory, and argued that the Three Thousand appearances must belong in only the category of the Truth of Provisional Positing. The present study focuses on the objections to their argument made by the successors of the Shanjia group （Caotang Chuyuan 草堂処元 [1030-1119], Zhiyong Liaoran 智湧了然 [1077-1141], Beifeng Zongyin 北峰宗印 [1149-1214]）.