論文

《人間佛教》學報‧藝文第21期

Thierry Meynard S.J

妙凡、蔡孟樺主編

How does religion relate to society? Are they in opposition or in harmony? This question became very important in modern times in China, and formed a line which divided religious traditionalists from religious reformers. We shall first examine the traditionalist stance of the Chinese thinker Liang Shuming (1893-1988), who upheld a clear separation between Buddhism and society, thereby preserving the function of religion as a vehicle of radical criticism. We shall also examine the agenda put forth by the Buddhist monk Taixu (1890- 1947), the most important Buddhist reformer of the first-half of the twentieth century in China. We shall then examine the debate which arose between Liang on one side, and Taixu, his disciple Yinshun (1906-2005) and the sangha on the other. Since Liang regarded Buddhism to be a religion of pure transcendence, he opposed using it to tackle social problems. Liang instead advocated Confucianism, as a form of upāya, which could more effectively lead towards the ultimate Buddhist goal of renouncing to the world.

Thierry Meynard S.J:〈The Debate in China on Humanistic Buddhism〉，收入妙凡、蔡孟樺主編:《人間佛教》學報‧藝文第21期，高雄:財團法人佛光山人間佛教研究院，2019年 05月，頁164-189。COPY