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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.
Humanistic Buddhism as an Approach to Management
The Humanistic Buddhism advocated by Venerable Master Hsing Yun serves as an antidote to the negativity, escapism, and long-running flaws of traditional Buddhism. It allows Buddhism to embed its profound prajñā wisdom into the fabric of society, enabling it to approach society to improve mankind and perfect character through altruistic deeds. In terms of wealth, Humanistic Buddhism does not harbor a negative view of money. Rather, it advocates making good use of wealth to promote the welfare of humanity and propagate Buddhist undertakings to advance the purification of this world.
Humanistic Buddhism for Social Well-being(Ⅲ): An Overview of Grand Master Hsing Yun's Interpretation in Theory and Practice
Sakyamuni Buddha's success when he was alive and the ever-expanding success of Buddhism ever since is heavily dependent on the systems approach which he adopted. Systems approach is a modern, technical term applied in management and operations research. It is based on the view that every system -- from the universe to the smallest human activity -- consists of interdependent and interacting sub-systems or components. No activity, however minute, can be planned, organized, directed or controlled until and unless (i) the relationships among the components are understood, and (ii) the effect which changes in one component have on each of the others is carefully evaluated.
Humanistic Buddhism for the Social Well-being (Ⅰ):An Overview of Grand Master Hsing Yun's Interpretation in Theory and Practice
Venerable Dr. Hsing Yun is the Grand Master of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order, the 48th Patriarch of Lin Ji Ch'an tradition, and the foremost Chinese scholar-monk of our times. He has been impressed, since his adolescence, with humanism as the all-pervading characteristic of the teachings of the Buddha. He has devoted a life-time of study, research, contemplation, discussion, and teaching to clarify and elaborate the philosophical concepts inherent in Buddhism and their practical implications. The ultimate result of this effort is the identification of core teachings of the Buddha, which are relevant and immediately applicable to life in this modern world. He calls these teachings Humanistic Buddhism (Renjian Fojiao). He sees in it an enormous potential for social well-being and individual advancement.
Humanistic Buddhism for Social Well-being (II): An Overview of Grand Master Hsing Yun's Interpretation in Theory and Practice
Venerable Dr. Hsing Yun is the Grand Master of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order, the 48th Patriarch of Lin Ji Ch'an tradition, and the foremost Chinese scholar-monk of our times. He has been impressed, since his adolescence, with humanism as the all-pervading characteristic of the teachings of the Buddha. He has devoted a life-time of study, research, contemplation, discussion, and teaching to clarify and elaborate the philosophical concepts inherent in Buddhism and their practical implications. The ultimate result of this effort is the identification of core teachings of the Buddha, which are relevant and immediately applicable to life in this modern world. He calls these teachings Humanistic Buddhism (Renjian Fojiao). He sees in it an enormous potential for social well-being and individual advancement.
Ancient Indian Buddhist Attitude Towards Women (I)
Ancient Indian Buddhist Attitude Towards Women (II)
Remarks on Current Research on Taixu and the Pure Land in the Human Realm
One could translate the Chinese term commonly rendered “Humanistic Buddhism” more literally as “Buddhism in the Human Realm” (renjian fojiao 人間佛教). The term “human realm” (renjian 人間) has both an everyday meaning in modern Chinese and a more expansive technical Buddhist meaning. In everyday parlance, it means “the human world,” “humanity,” or “social relations,” and within a modern scientific world view, humanity exists in only one place—the planet Earth. Hence, English-language texts sometimes render the term “Humanistic Buddhism” as “Earthly Buddhism.” In traditional Chinese Buddhist texts, however, the term has a more specialized, technical meaning arising from premodern Buddhist cosmology. In this context, it indicates one in a list of five or six possible paths of rebirth. To be reborn in the human realm means that one’s past karma has led to rebirth as a human being, and in Buddhist cosmology, the Earth is not the only place where humans reside. The fact that the term renjian has different definitions in these two contexts has led to some confusion when scholars confront the terms “Humanistic Buddhism” and “The Pure Land in the Human Realm” (renjian jingtu 人間淨土). Variations in the way Buddhists and scholars understand the meaning and purpose of Humanistic Buddhism only compound the confusion.
Buddhism and Hospice Care
Buddhism examines how to end the cycle of birth and death. When Siddhārtha Gautama renounced worldly life and sought enlightenment, his goal was to address the problem of life and death. In the Ming dynasty, Master Hanshan stated, “Since ancient times renunciation has been concerned with the issue of birth and death. The Buddha came into this world in order to teach all sentient beings about this. There is no other Dharma than that concerning birth and death; there is no birth or death other than what the Dharma teaches us.”
On Modernity and Tradition in Humanistic Buddhism: From Master Taixu to Venerable Master Hsing Yun
Humanistic Buddhism was initially proposed by Master Taixu in early modern times, then refined in theory and verified in practice by a number of eminent monks. It now is a major ideological trend and practical model for Chinese Buddhism in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao. Fo Guang Shan in Taiwan, under the leadership of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, has brought the model of Humanistic Buddhism development worldwide. This has become an important channel for Chinese culture to the world. How is it that Humanistic Buddhism has become a major Buddhist ideological trend on the Chinese mainland? How has it become the way for Buddhism to modernize and to survive? Humanistic Buddhism not only responds to the practical needs of this era, but it is rooted in long-standing Buddhist spiritual traditions and the Buddha’s original intents.
