站內檢索
The Future of North American Buddhism: An Appeal to Expand Humanistic Buddhism Study beyond Chinese Custom and Culture
This is a humbling experience, to be among noted historians and scholars attending this, the 7th Symposium on Humanistic Buddhism. I told myself that I can either be intimidated, wonder what of value I would have to contribute, or just “go forth” and share my experiences, thoughts and conclusions. Plus, I have the audacity to request that you study the needs of the West, thereby giving direction to Fo Guang Shan local temples and their Chinese communities. Therefore, I will share my personal observations and what I think can be done to further the efforts being made. Please consider this a “front line” view as I see Westerners seeking a path, sometimes finding it, sometimes wandering away, and sometimes discouraged from remaining.
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.
Mapping Fo Guang Shan and the Spread of Humanistic Buddhism
With over 250 temples throughout the world, Fo Guang Shan (FGS) has emerged as a global Buddhist movement and significant force in the spread of Humanistic Buddhism. In this talk, I will demo an interactive map of FGS temples (existing and retired) developed by the project team at the Institute for the Study of Humanistic Buddhism at the University of the West. The map is constructed using QGIS technology and includes basic information for each temple (name, address, GPS coordinates) and a sliding timeline by which the user can view the historical spread of FGS temples across the world. QGIS allows for additional layers in which the user can also develop their own components (e.g., Taiwan’s population and GDP growth) and visually analyze the relationship of other data to the base map. As such, the interface provides scholars with a powerful research tool and significant starting point that can be used to investigate the geo-social dimensions of Buddhist institutions and understand the factors that have contributed to the growth of Humanistic Buddhism.
Transcending Borders: Using Regional and Ethnographic Studies to Envision the Future of Humanistic Buddhism
Ellison Onizuka (1946-1986) made this observation upon viewing the Earth from Space Shuttle Discovery in 1985. A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut, Onizuka became the first Asian-American and the first Buddhist to reach space. Raised as a Shin Buddhist in Hawaii affiliated with the Kona Hongwanji, Onizuka was struck by the lack of boundaries or borders—political, racial, or egoistic—visible from such a distance.
Humanistic Buddhism and Contemporary Chinese Art
As we enter into the third decade of the twenty-first century, at least two observations can be made. On the one hand, the human condition faces its own extinction as artificial intelligence and climate change substitute basic human habits and habitats. These substitutions simulate—but can arguably never replace—natural human ones. It is not surprising, then, that fundamental aspects of the human world buried by progress into the ashcan of history have risen from the dead. The current renewal of human tribalism and authoritarian systems challenge assumptions of what “progress” and “modernity” as defined by Western Enlightenment is and can be. Indeed, cultural critics have discussed the phenomenon of postmodernity as characterizing the late twentieth century. Can we speak of neo-tradition and post-progress as veins running through the early twenty-first century? We clearly feel the pulse of these veins, but remain unsure of their paths or purpose.
Laity and Naturalization of Humanistic Buddhism in the Workplace
The story told through this paper is a snapshot of one dimension of Humanistic Buddhism’s future in Australia. A dimension, in the hands of lay members who seek to witness to their beliefs in their place of work. Macy (2010, p. 1) describes the characteristic of the people who underpin the credibility of this study, “it is an incredible privilege that we have been given, human life with a self-reflective consciousness that makes us aware of our own actions.” Further, Macy (2010, p. 2) urges lay Buddhists to use their skills, no matter how small or insignificant they may personally feel about them, since one shared insight can escalate to initiating “meaningful societal change.”
Cultivating Social Historical Knowledge to Walk the Bodhisattva Path
In many regards, the future of Humanistic Buddhism can be considered in relation to its past. Developed as a response to social and political reforms in China during the transition from Qing dynastic rule to Republican governance, Humanistic Buddhism, as conceptualized by Master Taixu, proposed a reform of Chinese Buddhism that redirected its focus from ritual practices for the dead to emphasizing the human concerns of practitioners in this life. Thus, it prioritized an objective of engagement with human needs in a worldly context. While Humanistic Buddhism as expanded in Taiwan under the guidance of Venerable Master Hsing Yun maintains this focus on addressing human concerns, a reexamination of this historic foundation might prove fruitful in yielding new directions for the future growth of Humanistic Buddhism, especially in regards to its propagation throughout the world.
Translating Fo Guang Dictionary of Buddhism: Building Online Collaborative Buddhist Translation Projects with Small Crowdsource Platforms
As a second generation Chinese immigrant in Australia, my parents provided well for us to grow up and to receive an education in the Australian language and culture. Nevertheless, on the weekends, they also brought us to the local Fo Guang Shan temple—the Nan Tien Vihara, so that we can reconnect with our Chinese roots through continued learning of the Chinese language and participation in the Chinese religious experience inside Nan Tien Temple. Certainly, we were very happy to have that opportunity to also witness the development of Humanistic Buddhism in Australia.
「高牆心聲」—佛光山監獄教化活動的文本挖掘及 LDA 模型分析研究
佛教參與罪犯改造具有理論和實踐的雙重意義。本文以佛光山監獄教化活動為研究對象，意在通過分析參與者的直接回饋，探索活動對服刑人員的作用，提供監獄教化組織參考；使用TF-IDF 關鍵字提取和 LDA 模型，並進行特徵分組，分析106 篇參與心得；佛光山的監獄教化活動能夠積極影響參與者，不同活動產生不同效果。活動立足佛教「心靈」解脫，效果與「四給」理念契合，與教化點關係不大，與活動設計關係密切。「佛學會考」、「三皈五戒」活動具有較強宗教色彩，參與者更專注從內心獲得精神歸屬，群體間思想感悟相似。巡迴講座參與者更容易與主講人共情，加強自我反思，產生特有的內心感受。命題式書畫競賽在一定程度上束縛了參與者思惟發散與情感宣洩。教化活動呈現連續性和承接性，與佛教「信解行證」修行契合。但教化組合仍處於非自覺狀態，未來的教化活動須靈活組織，有針對性地開展。
我們未來努力的方向—講於總統府二OO一年慶祝行憲暨國父紀念月會
