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The Concepts and Practices of Vinaya in the Humanistic Buddhism: A Case Study of Fo Guang Shan Monastery
Geneaology and Taxonomy of the ‘Twentieth-century Renjian Fojiao 人間佛教’Mapping a famen 法門 from Mainland China and Taiwan to Europe
The first part of this paper will discuss concepts and practice of‘twentieth-century renjian fojiao’; it will start analyzing theoretical meanings and doctrinal implications of renjian fojiao in modern and contemporary Mainland China and Taiwan, and assess various case studies of ‘renjian fojiao in practice’ among Buddhist communities since the Republican period onwards and also from the pre-modern Imperial time. I will attempt a taxonomy of these principles and practices, and then ponder whether this renjian fojiao should not be classified as an overall ‘school’(zongpai 宗派) but considered rather as a ‘Dharma gate’ (famen 法門). Secondly, I will consider the transmission of renjian fojiao to Europe, more precisely the Netherlands, in particular I will look at how (Mainland China) Longquan monastery 龍泉寺 (located in Utrecht) and (Taiwan) Fo Guang Shan 佛光山 (located in Amsterdam) are adopting and adapting ‘twentieth-century renjian fojiao’ in the Netherlands. Finally, this paper will conclude by questioning how ‘twentieth-century renjian fojiao’ could be more present in international platforms that are working towards conflict resolutions and peace building, and therefore could intervene and facilitate dialogue and constructive interaction among different cultures and religions in today’s globalized and pluralistic society.
Humanistic Features in Contemporary Chan Practices: Using Fo Guang Chan as an Example
From the transmission and lineage of the Chinese Chan School, the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order founded by Venerable Master Hsing Yun derives from the Linji School. The “Fo Guang Chan” initiated by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, emphasizes equal attention to faith and practice, the development of meditation and wisdom, and the practice of compassion and wisdom. This is evident in its method of teaching, curriculum design, setting, and delivery. It fully integrates with modern society, contemporary knowledge and conditions, and has started a new practice of Chan.
The Process of Modernizing Buddhism: Two Thousand Years of Rise and Fall in Human History
When Buddhism was transmitted into China over two thousand years ago, during the time of the Han Dynasty, Daoist ritual techniques and arts for achieving immortality were prevalent. As Chinese Republican-period scholar Tang Yongtong pointed out: During the Han period, other than the major rituals of worshipping heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers, there were many other types of sacrificial worship. Prior to the Qin Dynasty, there was already the belief that one must perform specific Daoist ritual techniques and arts in order evoke higher spiritual powers.
When Mahāyāna Meets Theravāda: Humanistic Buddhism’s Challenges and Opportunities in Myanmar
From 15 to 17 February 2017, the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism of Chunghua (Zhonghua renjian fojiao lianhe zonghui 中華人間佛教聯合總會) organized a visit to Myanmar for a three-day meeting regarding harmony and dialogue between Mahāyāna and Theravāda Buddhism (Liang’an nanbei chuan fojiao ronghe jiaoliu fangwen zhi lu 兩岸南北傳佛教融合交流訪問之旅). As well as being noteworthy for uniting Mahāyāna and Theravāda Buddhist Schools, this crosstraditional exchange was important due to the involvement of the National Saṃgha Committee Chairman, Venerable Bamaw Sayadaw Dr. Bhadanta Kumarabhivamsa; other well-known senior Burmese monks; and Myanmar government officials. During their stay in Yangon, the monastic delegates joined in various activities including the Thousand-candle Offering, a forum on Educational Exchange on Mahāyāna and Theravāda Teachings, and visits to monasteries, Buddhist educational institutions and sites of historical interest in the company of Burmese monks and laypeople. Additonally, Tipitakadhara Sayadaw U Sundara guided them in the Vipassanā Meditation. To an extent, then, the group of delegates from Taiwan and Mainland China experienced Theravāda practices. Afterwards, Ven. Foxing from the Buddhist College of Minnan and Julia Jin, president of the Merit Times, each wrote on the possibilities for Mahāyāna and Theravāda union in the house periodical of the Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism.
Venerable Master Hsing Yun and the Reinterpretation of the “Pure Land” within Humanistic Buddhism
This essay examines the teaching of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, one of the leading active proponents of Humanistic Buddhism. It begins by discussing the historical and contemporary status of Humanistic Buddhism, contextualizing it as a movement borne out of modernist influences and demands placed upon Buddhism to adapt and reform according to an everchanging social world. Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s notion of “the Pure Land,” a Buddhist concept he reinterprets as demanding the creation of an “earthly” Pure Land is examined. This interpretation, it is argued, is tied to pragmatic concerns regarding the necessity to reform Buddhist practices in order to successfully spread Buddhist teachings in the modern world. The essay draws parallels between the example of socially engaged practices of Christian missions at the turn of the century in China and the rationale underlying the drive to reform among nascent Humanistic Buddhists, such as in the teaching of Master TaiSxu. The example of Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s advocacy for creating an “earthly” Pure Land demonstrates how contemporary Humanistic Buddhist theory follows this logic and interprets traditional Buddhist teachings as advocating for socially engaged practices among both monastics and laypeople. To this end, Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s teaching regarding “life education” reinterprets spiritual development as practices designed to improve the external world rather than solely the individual’s internal world. This is demonstrated in Fo Guang Shan’s strategy of spreading Buddhism in mainland China through cultural education and activities rather than proselytization.
Humanistic Buddhism: Responding to Contemporary Developments
There are contemporary approaches to the use of Buddhist practices that can be said to be revolutionary in terms of how we study and evaluate the tradition. Since these practices are directed toward the public domain, they are one type of “Humanistic Buddhism.” A challenge for Buddhist groups is how to respond to these developments. A similar challenge exists for the academic study of Buddhism. How can we understand and deal with the contemporary world that has emerged?
Objectively Validating the Practice of Humanistic Buddhism
Venerable Master Hsing Yun once said that Humanistic Buddhism is the union of tradition and modernity; it fuses mountains and forests with society, temples with homes, monastics with lay practitioners, profound words with service and practice. Therefore, an important future direction for the practice of Humanistic Buddhism would be to embed the spirit and values of Buddhist traditions into all levels of society.
Humanistic Buddhism: Responding to Contemporary Developments
There are contemporary approaches to the use of Buddhist practices that can be considered revolutionary in terms of how we study and evaluate the tradition. Since these practices are directed toward the public domain, they are one type of “Humanistic Buddhism.” A challenge for Buddhist groups is how to respond to these developments. A similar challenge exists for the academic study of Buddhism. How can we understand and deal with the contemporary world that has emerged?
The Future of Humanistic Buddhism
In the late 1920s, to address the longstanding flaws present in traditional Buddhist practices since the Ming and Qing dynasties, Master Taixu (1889-1947) dedicated his life to Buddhism for human life, which puts an emphasis on and develops life. Since then, his disciples and those he has inspired proposed Humanistic Buddhism, which focuses on the realities of society. In the 1980s, Buddhists on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and in other areas with ethnic Chinese population, actively advocated and practiced Humanistic Buddhism.
