neo-Confucianism

Vigorous intellectual response by Confucian scholars to the rise of Buddhism and Taoism in China, beginning during the Sung dynasty (960–1126 AD). Its cosmology and philosophy were set out by Chou Tun I (1017–1073), who saw all reality (the twin forces of yin and yang, the five elements, and from these all life forms) as coming from an ultimate source, which he termed Wu Chi (Original Non-Being).

This was further developed by two outstanding scholars. The most influential was Chu Hsi (1130–1200). He was the main exponent of the School of Principle, which sought to apply Chou Tun I's model to all phenomena in order to investigate their properties and purpose, seeking always to reduce them to the core elements of fundamental principle (li) and energy (chi). Chu Hsi wrote a great deal, especially on cosmology and the I Ching. The second scholar was Lu Chiu Yuan (1139–1193), who developed the School of Mind tradition. This turned inwards, seeking within the mind and the individual a microcosm of the universe within each person, which could be purified by meditation.