Abstract

Stating that Liang was a Bergsonian entails saying nothing unconventional or of much profundity, lest one investigates into what “being a Bergsonian” meant at that time and in that place. The present chapter hence addresses several questions to clarify this label: Was Liang Bergsonian because he had read the philosopher, agreed with him on certain issues and gave a positive evaluation of his work? Was Liang a specialist of Bergson, or did he contribute to his introduction in China? Was he a Bergsonian because contemporaneous thinkers regarded him as such? Did Liang elaborate his own philosophy or thought in discussion with Bergsonism, or by employing some of its key concepts? I argue that the problem of Bergson’s place within Liang Shuming’s life and thought is in fact interlaced with the issue of his dual identity as a Confucian and a Buddhist. From a Buddhist point of view, Bergsonism was not enough: it failed at establishing a proper metaphysics. But from the point of view of a Confucian, it was bringing water to the mill by giving emphasis to the idea of life being in perpetual transformation and that intuitive modes of cognition and actions should be privileged. It is as if Liang’s evaluation and uses of Bergson could be understood as a form of upāya (fangbian 方便), an ‘expedient means.’ Bergsonism was not a truth, but it raised the awareness towards important elements in both the Chinese and the Indian intellectual traditions. It helped Liang characterize both of them. Henceforth, one can say that Bergson was an intellectual crossroad for Liang Shuming.