本論文的寫作架構是採取較為綜觀且具比較性質的禪思想研究。首先是從文獻資料，確立達摩禪到弘忍的思想特質，裨便確立早期禪建立的義理間架。其次是藉由早期禪的思想特質以之豁顯《壇經》中的慧能思想。基本上，慧能是在「無」的實踐中證成「佛性」，而馬祖道一作為中國禪宗思想的樞紐人物，其禪學思想重在「作用見性」。「作用」是般若思想的表現，「見性」的內容自然是佛性，二者在思想脈絡上有一定程度的呼應。因此，透過慧能禪學而進入馬祖道一的禪學思想有其必要。有趣的是，當禪思想中盛談般若思想的同時，主體性概念亦愈來愈鮮明，終有臨濟義玄提出「無位真人」，此是在馬祖禪之後，我們關注的焦點所在。 整體來說，馬祖道一可謂中國禪思想的中介人物，他上承慧能，下啟南宗禪，並建立了影響弘深的洪州宗。因此，細密爬梳其禪教內容及思想特質及確認馬祖在思想史上的地位，及其學說如何對後期禪學產生巨大影響，為本文行文重心。 The structure of the present dissertation takes on a more comprehensive and comparative approach to the study of the Zen thoughts. The study will first begin with a literature review confirming the characteristics of thoughts from Master Da-Mo（達磨） to Master HONG-REN（弘忍） to establish the structure of thoughts therein. Then, the Hui-neng（慧能） thoughts in “The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch” will be clarified on the basis of the features of thought in early periods of Zen. Basically, Hui-neng got enlightened in his “Buddha-nature”（佛性） from his practice of “wu”（無）, while Mazu Daoyi（馬祖道一）, the pivotal figure of the Zen of thoughts in China, preached a Zen thought with more emphasis on “zuo yong jian xing.” “zuo yong”（作用,Function） represents the prajñā （般若）thoughts and the contents of “jian xing”（見性） naturally deals with Buddha-nature（佛性）. Both of them resonate in the vein of thoughts to a certain degree. Therefore, it is necessary to enter the world of Mazu Daoyi’s Zen thoughts by understanding Hui-neng’s Zen disciplines. What is intriguing is when the discussion of prajñā thoughts dominates the Zen thoughts, the Subjectivity （主體性）concept has also become more and more obvious, with Linji-Yixuan（臨濟義玄） bringing forth “true man of no rank,” （無位真人,wu-wui chen-jen） which happened after Mazu Daoyi’s Zen discipline and is also the concern of our present study. Overall, Mazu Daoyi can be said to be the intermediary figure in China’s Zen thoughts. He followed Hui-neng, began the Southern Zen（南宗禪） discipline and established the the far-reaching Hong- zhou School（洪州宗）. Consequently, the focus of the present study is to closely inspect the contents of Zen thoughts and features, confirm the status of Mazu Daoyi in the history of thoughts, and explore how greatly his discipline impacted on the later periods of Zen.
