Chinese philosophy Chinese philosophy (Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 中国哲学; Traditional Chinese characters, traditional Chinese: 中國哲學) refers to the philosophical traditions that originated and developed within the historical ...

and East Asian thought more generally, ''xin'' (, Vietnamese: tâm, Japanese: jin) refers to the "heart" and "mind". Literally, ''xin'' refers to the physical heart, though it also refers to the "mind" as the ancient Chinese believed the heart was the center of human

cognition Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

. However, emotion and reason were not considered as separate, but rather as coextensive; ''xin'' is as much cognitive as emotional, being simultaneously associated with thought and feeling. For these reasons, it is also often translated as "heart-mind". It has a connotation of intention, yet can be used to refer to long-term goals.

Confucianism

Xunzi, an important early

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...

thinker, considered ''xin'' () to be cultivated during one's life, in contrast to innate qualities of ''

xing Xing may refer to: * an abbreviation for crossing such as Pedestrian crossing, Pedestrian Xing or Wildlife crossing, Wildlife Xing, primarily used in North America * Chinese surname (姓, ''xing'') * Xing (surname) (邢), a Chinese surname * Xing ...

'' (), or human nature.

Daoism

Daoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

view described by

Zhuang Zhou Zhuang Zhou (), commonly known as Zhuangzi (; ; literally "Master Zhuang"; also rendered in the Wade–Giles romanization as Chuang Tzu), was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States p ...

, describes ''xin'' () as being socialised, with environmental pressures influencing personal intentions, sometimes in such a way that can provoke disagreements and conflict. Whereas Confucians viewed it necessary to cultivate ''xin'' to develop ''de'', or moral virtue, Zhuang Zhou considered this socialisation to be detrimental to one's personal nature.

Buddhism

East Asian Buddhism East Asian Buddhism or East Asian Mahayana is a collective term for the schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism which developed across East Asia and which rely on the Chinese Buddhist canon. These include the various forms of Chinese, Japanese, Kore ...

, the term "心" - "heart-mind," encompasses a holistic understanding of the mind, integrating thoughts, emotions, and consciousness as a unified entity. In the East Asian tradition, it is often seen as the core of one's being and the source of perception, emotion, and volition. The East Asian conception of 心 is rooted in the Indian Buddhist concept of

citta ''Citta'' (Pali and Sanskrit: चित्त, or in Prakrit script 𑀘𑀺𑀢𑁆𑀢, pronounced ''chitta'' ͡ɕit̚.tɐ́sup>( key)) is one of three overlapping terms used in the Nikaya to refer to the mind, the others being '' mana ...

, which refers to the mind or consciousness but carries connotations of the innermost intention or mental state. In Indian

Mahayana texts Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main existing branches of Buddhism, the others being Theravā ...

, one's citta is often regarded as the starting point of spiritual practice and the site of both defilement and potential awakening. The Indian idea of the inherently pure mind popular in Mahayana influenced East Asian interpretations, which expanded on it by emphasizing the innate purity and potential enlightenment of the heart-mind. This evolution of citta into the East Asian heart-mind reflects a synthesis of Indian Buddhist teachings with native philosophical ideas, resulting in a unique understanding central to various East Asian Buddhist schools.

Zen Buddhism Zen (; from Chinese: '' Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka ph ...

emphasizes the direct experience of the ultimate source of the heart-mind, described as the "One Mind" in sources like ''

Awakening of Faith ''Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna'' (AF, , reconstructed Sanskrit title: ''*Mahāyāna-śraddhotpāda-śāstra'') is an influential Mahayana Buddhist treatise for East Asian Buddhism. Though traditionally attributed to the 2nd century CE ...

''. The practice of

zazen ''Zazen'' is a meditative discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition. The generalized Japanese term for meditation is 瞑想 (''meisō''); however, ''zazen'' has been used informally to include all forms ...

(seated meditation) and the use of kōans are methods to transcend dualistic thinking and realize one's true nature, which is the "true mind" (真心) or the "Buddha-mind" i.e.

buddha-nature In Buddhist philosophy and soteriology, Buddha-nature ( Chinese: , Japanese: , , Sanskrit: ) is the innate potential for all sentient beings to become a Buddha or the fact that all sentient beings already have a pure Buddha-essence within ...

. In Zen, awakening is often described as a direct realization of the true heart-mind, free from delusions.Harvey, Peter (1990). ''An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices'', pp. 275-276. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-31333-3.

Pure Land Buddhism Pure Land Buddhism or the Pure Land School ( zh, c=淨土宗, p=Jìngtǔzōng) is a broad branch of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Pure land, Pure Land. It is one of the most widely practiced traditions of East Asi ...

meanwhile emphasizes the role of a mind of faith. In this tradition, the sincere and faithful invocation of Buddha Amitābha's name is seen as an expression of one's pure and devoted heart-mind, leading to rebirth in the Pure Land. This idea becomes the central

soteriological Soteriology (; ' "salvation" from σωτήρ ' "savior, preserver" and λόγος ' "study" or "word") is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of special significance in many religions. In the academic ...

concern in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, especially Jodo Shinshu which emphasizes the "mind of true entrusting" (

Shinjin Shinjin (信心) is a central concept in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism which indicates a state of mind which totally entrusts oneself to Amida Buddha's other-power (Japanese: tariki), having utterly abandoned any form of self effort (Japanese: jir ...

信心).Ueda, Yoshifumi (1985)
How is Shinjin to be Realized?
Pacific World Journal, New Series 1, 17-24. (Footnote p.24)

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Chinese philosophy Chinese words and phrases Concepts in Chinese philosophy Concepts in the philosophy of mind Feeling Confucianism Taoist philosophy