The Charm of Chinese Philosophy: Not Logical, Yet Fascinating
As a science student, I believed for a long time that logic was the only thing worth trusting. I once found Chinese philosophy regrettable—concepts like "emptiness is form, form is emptiness" from the Heart Sutra seemed illogical. I even thought Eastern philosophy had gone astray, and that Western epistemology and ontology were the true path. Later, as my studies deepened, I discovered that logic has its limitations, and the methods of Chinese philosophy can do what logic cannot.
The Decline of Chinese Philosophy
One of the conflicts in contemporary values is between rationality and tradition. Rationalists typically believe that only things conforming to logic and reason can be considered credible. For instance, you must clearly explain "because this, therefore that" (deduction), or demonstrate conclusions based on statistical data (induction). In this conflict, rationalism clearly has the upper hand. Even Wang Guowei once said, "I have been weary of philosophy for a long time. Most philosophical doctrines are either lovable but not credible, or credible but not lovable." Unfortunately, Chinese Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophies, as the "not credible," have been largely dismissed by modern elites in this conflict.
Most logical reasoning involves a subject as researcher studying an object as the researched, ultimately reaching credible conclusions through logical deduction. This is a dualistic method of subject-object opposition, and it is also the primary research method of modern science.
The Limitations of Logic
However, this method cannot answer many questions, such as the meaning of life. Or consider: Are yesterday's you and today's you the same person? If yes, what remains unchanged to make it so? How can logic answer this? It cannot be clearly explained. But Buddhism can answer this question. Buddhism teaches "dependent origination, emptiness of intrinsic nature"—everything in the world has no true essence. Everything arises from causes and conditions. On a microscopic level, all material things, including people, are aggregations of elementary particles governed by certain physical variables and laws, and these particles are constantly changing. On a macroscopic level, all things are results caused by various conditions and causal laws in the world. Therefore, all material things, including people themselves, have no fixed essence; essence is merely a delusion of the mind. Buddhism teaches that if one realizes this, one can be free from attachments and have no fear.
A Method of Understanding Beyond Logic
This method transcends dualistic opposition—it is a way of understanding that views the universe and all things as a unified whole. Most statements in Chinese philosophy exist through this method. For example, "Tao" (the Way)—what is Tao? It cannot be clearly explained through logic, so when Eastern philosophy discusses this topic, it tends to rely on metaphors, descriptions, and emphasizing what Tao is not. Therefore, when reading Chinese philosophy, one cannot merely look at the literal meaning; one must think and comprehend.
Interestingly, modern Western philosophy has begun to discover the inadequacy of subject-object dualism and has turned toward dialectics and the Chinese philosophical approach. For instance, Heidegger, one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century, carefully studied Taoist philosophy and attempted to interpret Tao: "Tao can be the way-making path that opens the way for all things (allesbeweegende). Only there can we first think about what the words reason, spirit, meaning, and logos truly mean to express."