Dictionary of Philosophy of Religion

(Dana P.) #1
245

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XENOPHANES (c. 570–c. 475 BCE).
Greek pre-Socratic philosopher, poet,
and social critic. Xenophanes criticized
anthropomorphic portrayals of the gods,
claiming that if it were possible “horses
would draw their gods like horses, and
cattle like cattle.” He argued instead for
an incorporeal universal god, advancing
a partial monotheism. Yet in his view
this supreme deity was only the greatest
among many gods. With regards to epis-
temology, he regarded the human capac-
ity to grasp the truth as inhibited by the
limited nature of human experience.


XIONG SHILI (a.k.a. HSIUNG
SHIH-LI) (1885–1968). Xiong Shili was
a leading Chinese philosopher who
synthesized Buddhism, Confucianism,
Western analytic philosophy, and the the-
ory of evolution. Originally an adherent
of the idealist school of the Yogacara tradi-
tion of Mahayana Buddhism, he later
turned to the metaphysical Confucian clas-
sic Book of Changes (Yijing) and the Neo-
Confucian idealism of Wang Yangming
(1472–1529). In 1944 he completed his


major work, A New Theory of
Consciousness-Only (Xin weishi lun).
Xiong accepted Buddhist explanations
for the causes of human suffering, but
considered Confucianism superior as a
guide for moral behavior. Xiong taught at
Beijing University from 1922 until 1954.
He continued to write until his death in
1968, generally unaffected by changing
political circumstances.

XUANZANG (c. 602–664). Xuanzang
was a Chinese Buddhist scholar, transla-
tor, and traveler who journeyed through
Central Asia to India between 629 and 645
in order to acquire Buddhist scriptures.
Upon his return he began a project to
translate the 657 Sanskrit texts he had
gathered. Xuanzang was a proponent of
the idealist Yogacara or Consciousness-
Only School. He also wrote an account of
his travels, the Xiyuji (A Record of Western
Regions). His 16-year journal was the basis
of the sixteenth-century novel Xiyouji
(Journey to the West), a religious allegory
that can be compared to a combination of
Pilgrim’s Progress and The Wizard of Oz.
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