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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.
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.
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.
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.
試論現代神學能給予人間佛教的參考及反思——一種宗教對話與思想借用之嘗試
筆者本文的主旨， 是想借用西方基督教神學面對「現代性」（Modernity）的議題，所能提供給「人間佛教」思想的一些參考與反思。但這並不意謂著說人間佛教的行者應該學習基督教，或者是涉及孰優孰劣的問題。而僅僅是因為在現代「基督宗教」（Christianity）神學中有出現面對此議題的相關論述，所以筆者認為或許可採取一種「宗教對話」以及「思想借用」的進路，來簡單地考察與借用一些現代「基督宗教」神學家的觀點，看看他們的思考與論述，在人間佛教思想中是否也可以有借用來斟酌思量與討論的空間。 西方宗教文化的核心是「基督宗教」，「基督宗教」在西方發展了兩千多年，經歷了文藝復興、宗教改革、科學與工業文明以及後現代文化的洗禮⋯⋯，在許許多多的變化、衝下，延續至今的現代「基督宗教」神學，能給予同樣歷經許多變化與衝擊的「東方」宗教文化核心之一—「佛教」，特別是近世以來提倡之「人間佛教」什麼樣的參考與反思呢？這是筆者本文想要論述的主題。 筆者本文將以西蒙娜．薇依（Simone Weil, 1909-1943）、卡爾．拉納（Karl Rahner, 1904-1984）、卡爾．巴特（Karl Barth, 1886-1968）、阿爾文．普蘭丁格（Alvin Plantinga, 1932- ）⋯⋯等等這幾位現代「基督宗教」神學家的一些觀點，嘗試進行一種宗教哲學上「思想借用」的論述與說明，以作為現代社會中「基督宗教」與「人間佛教」之對話的可能契機與進路。
