Peng Shaosheng

[1] He was also known by the sobriquets Erlin Jushi (二林居士) and Zhiguizi (知歸子, "master who knows his true home"), as well as the Buddhist Dharma name Jiqing (際清).

Peng initially studied the Chinese classics, and also Neo-Confucianism, especially the School of Mind (xinxue 心学) of Wang Yangming and Lu Xiangshan.

[3] After turning to Buddhism, studying Hanshan Deqing and the Avatamsaka Sutra, he chose to focus on the Pure Land path practice of nianfo.

At the age of thirty-four, he also studied under the Chan Master Xueding (聞學實定禪師) and received Bodhisattva precepts, taking the Dharma name Jiqing.

[9] Peng participated in various written debates with Confucian literati like Dai Zhen (1724–1777) and Yuan Mei (1716–1797) in order to defend Buddhism against their critiques.

As part of his project to establish this harmony, Peng included stories in his biographies of Buddhist laypersons who exemplified Confucian virtues.

[10][3] Peng understood the Pure Land method from a Huayan point of view and wrote works like Treatise on the Huayan-Nianfo-Samadhi to explain this Huayan-Pure-Land synthesis.

[3] As such, Peng held that the numerous methods taught in the Avatamsaka (especially the practice of the ten vows of Samantabhadra) all ultimately led to the goal of rebirth in the same pure land.

According to Hongyu Wu, "Late Qing and early Republican reformers such as Gong Zizhen 龔自珍 (1792-1841), Wei Yuan 魏源 (1794-1857), Yang Wenhui 楊文會 (1837-1911), and Tan Sitong 譚嗣同 (1865-1898) were all indebted to his Buddhist thought and practice.