[1] Xunzi, an important early Confucian thinker, considered xin (心) to be cultivated during one's life, in contrast to innate qualities of xing (Chinese: 性; pinyin: xìng), or human nature.
Whereas Confucians viewed it necessary to cultivate xin to develop de, or moral virtue, Zhuang Zhou considered this socialisation to be detrimental to one's personal nature.
[3][4] In East Asian Buddhism, the term "心" - "heart-mind," encompasses a holistic understanding of the mind, integrating thoughts, emotions, and consciousness as a unified entity.
The Indian idea of the inherently pure mind popular in Mahayana influenced East Asian interpretations, which expanded on it by emphasizing the innate purity and potential enlightenment of the heart-mind.
This idea becomes the central soteriological concern in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, especially Jodo Shinshu which emphasizes the "mind of true entrusting" (Shinjin 信心).