本文處理謝靈運〈辨宗論〉中有關孔、釋二家「頓悟」與「渐修」的折中問題，以彰顯「頓」、「渐」問題在中國佛學與哲學思想史上的重要意義。謝靈運的〈辨宗論〉主要闡述道生的頓悟義，對於道生新論的詮釋，實為中國中古哲學思想史上的重要論文。依據謝氏的理解，道生的頓悟說法，主張「寂鑒微妙，不容階級；積學無限，何為自絕？」此說綜合了儒佛二家的主張，「今去釋氏之渐悟，而取其能至；去孔氏之殆庶，而取其一極。」作者認為，謝靈運的〈辨宗論〉折中孔、釋，一方面主張「頓渐有別」，一方面強調「頓悟不廢渐修」，可說充分展現了道生頓悟新論的完整立場。

The relationship between sudden enlightenment and gradual learning in early Chinese Buddhism was first treated as a philosophical issue in Xie Lingyun’s 謝靈運 essay “Bianzong lun” (辨宗論 On Discerning the Ultimate Truth). This debate over sudden vs. gradual enlightenment and its attendant thinking played an important role in Chinese Buddhism and influenced the philosophical tradition that followed. Xie Lingyun understands Dao Sheng’s 道生 new theory of sudden enlightenment as having two aspects: it rejects Buddhism’s graduated path while adopting its idea that enlightenment is achievable, and rejects the Confucian idea that it is only possible to approach the achievement of the Sage while adopting Confucianism’s single ultimate goal of cultivation. Xie’s essay reaches a compromise between Confucian and Buddhist approaches, on one hand distinguishing enlightened goal and learning practice, while on the other emphasizing sudden enlightenment without discarding gradual learning. This can be viewed as a reiteration of Dao Sheng’s complete position.