What is the basis for Fan Zhen's "Theory of Divine Annihilation"?

Fan Zhen's "Theory of Annihilation" is a hurdle that cannot be bypassed in the study of history. Because the viewpoint of "The Theory of Divine Annihilation" clearly expresses the viewpoint of simple materialism and attacks the religious Buddhist thought that prevailed during the Two Jin Dynasties, it is one of the famous articles of classical literature in China.

Fan Zhen statue

Fan Zhen was famous at a banquet, when Qi Situ Xiao Ziliang held a banquet in his official residence, and the guests were complete, and Fan Zhen was also among them. In addition to some literati and bachelors, there were also many famous monks of the time who attended the banquet. Xiao Ziliang believed in Buddhism all his life, and the people present were all people who knew Buddhism, and it was inevitable to discuss Buddhism when talking. The crowd was talking happily, but fan zhen was swept away, and he denied that there was a Buddha on the spot, and also denied the Buddhist theory of cause and effect reincarnation, and then argued with everyone.

This controversy was recorded, and Xiao Ziliang asked: "If you don't believe in cause and effect, why should there be wealth in the world, and why should there be poverty?" Fan Zhen replied: "The birth of a human being is like a tree and a flower, with the same hair and one branch, all opening one branch, falling with the wind, and falling with the curtain, and falling on the side of the dung from the relevant fence." His Highness is also the one who falls on the throne; the one who falls into the dung is also the lower official. Although the nobles and the lowly are on the other side, where is the cause and effect? Fan Zhen believes that the rich and poor in life are out of chance, and at this time his view is actually similar to Buddhism, except that karma is removed.

Later, Fan Zhen's old friend Xiao Yan became emperor and was called Emperor Wu of Liang. This Emperor Wu of Liang also firmly believed in Buddhism, no less than Xiao Ziliang, so how could such a "great monk" tolerate others propagating the theory of annihilation? Therefore, Emperor Wu of Liang issued the "Theory of Divine Annihilation under the Imperial Answer" to argue with Fan Zhen again. Fan Zhen was also happy to accompany him, and he carefully perfected his theory and made it into the current "Theory of Divine Annihilation". There were more people involved in this controversy, and the great monk Zheng Fayun copied a large number of Emperor Wu's "Theory of Divine Annihilation under the Imperial Answer" and gave it to each of the princes and nobles, and he also drafted a call for the "Book of Nobles with the Prince dynasty", and for a time there were sixty-four people, including Xiao Hong, the king of Linchuan. Xiao Chen, Cao Siwen, and Shen Yue all wrote articles refuting the Theory of Divine Annihilation. Cao Siwen proved the immortality of the gods with the Confucian system of suburban worship and heaven, and added to Fan Zhen the crimes of "deceiving the emperor of heaven" and "hurting the corrupt customs". In the face of the siege and criticism of so many people, Fan Zhen was not afraid and has always argued on the basis of reason. In the end, no one persuaded anyone, and it was not resolved.

The main points of view of the Theory of Annihilation are as follows:

1． The indivisibility of form and God is the material cause, God is the form cause, ignorance and knowledge are only two forms of Expression of God, and life and death are also two forms of quality. This is quite like Aristotle's "four-cause theory", except that the depth of logical thinking is vastly different, and the "dynamic cause" and "purpose cause" are ignored, which is the basis for why Fan Zhen's "annihilation theory" can be inferred.

2． The emphasis on change, and even the law seen in change, is a law that he does not emphasize, but hides it in change, which is equivalent to a burning flame, just like Heraclitus emphasized that "everything flows.". This is also quite similar to the view emphasized by Nietzsche in modern times.

3． Explains how consciousness dominates the body. This emphasizes that consciousness is owned by the body, and that the two are originally one thing. Thus the ghosts and gods do not exist, overturning the Fallacy of Buddhism.

Fan Jian said that Buddhism and Confucianism are both political indoctrinations and cannot be regarded as beliefs. But he did not explain the law of "divine annihilation", and it is no wonder that although Emperor Wu of Liang finally made a mistake, he was dissatisfied in his heart and remained a devout Buddhist all his life.