The idea of using sensual pleasure to overcome sensual pleasure reminds me of certain branches of Buddhism that present mastering delusion itself as a path to enlightenment, partially to justify the excesses of monks. Unsure if this is something the author of Dream of the Red Chamber would have encountered since my knowledge of it is in a Japanese context.
The idea of using sensual pleasure to overcome sensual pleasure reminds me of certain branches of Buddhism that present mastering delusion itself as a path to enlightenment, partially to justify the excesses of monks. Unsure if this is something the author of Dream of the Red Chamber would have encountered since my knowledge of it is in a Japanese context.