Abstract:“Selflessness” is a key concept in Buddhist philosophy. From the perspective of the negative expressions in Sanskrit, the negation of “self” in Buddhism, that is, “selflessness”, can be divided into two categories. Firstly, it denies the existence of “self” without any affirmation, and “selflessness” means the non-existence of nature or subject (in the reincarnation). Secondly, by excluding attributes such as “permanent, unique, autonomous, and dominant”, it affirms the “consciousness” that has no such attributes, and “selflessness” equals “consciousness-only”. However, Chinese translated Buddhist scriptures do not make this distinction or even cannot distinguish these two categories. Therefore, the translated terms “selflessness” and “not-self” actually obstruct the correct understanding of “selflessness” in its original context. When Buddhism first entered into China, Lao-Zhuang terminology was often used to translate Buddhist texts. The “not-body” originated from Laozi’s “non-body” was used to translate the “selflessness”. Later, “not-body” was completely replaced by “selflessness” which originated from the “I lost myself” of Zhuangzi. As Buddhist thought penetrated into Chinese culture, the “selflessness” of Buddhism came into Confucianism, and important changes occurred in the meaning and usage of the term. The “selflessness” of Confucianism originates from Confucius’ “selfless”, however, by the influence of Buddhist doctrines, Neo-Confucianists of Song and Ming Dynasties’ understanding of “self” had changed from self-interest into the subject of self-interest, which interprets the ontological meaning of “selflessness” of Buddhism as a concept that mainly expresses the moral realm in Confucian system. The lexical change and intellectual development of “selflessness” from Chinese translation into Sinicization/Chineseization show a typical model of foreign language to spread, to develop, to integrate, and finally to become a part of Hanese philosophy.
何欢欢. 汉语哲学核心概念“无我”的词汇变迁与思想演进[J]. 语言战略研究, 2024, 9(2): 28-40.
He Huanhuan. The Lexical Change and Intellectual Development of the Key Concept of “Selflessness” in Hanese Philosophy. , 2024, 9(2): 28-40.