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Exploring the Meaning and Practice of Fo Guang Humanistic Living Chan through Hsing Yun’s Chan Stories
This paper discusses the meaning and practice of Fo Guang Humanistic Living Chan from two aspects: (1) Dharma can only be found in the world: the meaning of Humanistic Buddhism in Hsing Yun’s Chan Stories; and (2) Enlightenment cannot be attained away from the world: daily practice in Hsing Yun’s Chan Stories. Together, these two aspects detail the integration of Humanistic Buddhism into the everyday lives of Fo Guang members. Using Hsing Yun’s Chan Stories as the research subject, Humanistic Buddhism Chan meditation was popularized among Fo Guang members through television broadcasting in the early period (1987). The propagation of the Dharma through such a ubiquitous medium highlights Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s response to the audience’s needs. This approach allowed for exposure and the rapid uptake of Chan meditation in many households, culminating in the worldwide spread of Humanistic Buddhism. The humanistic aspect of Chan meditation can be discussed from the two aspects of “embracing sentient beings” and “self-awakening and liberating others.” Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s has exhorted practitioners of Chan Buddhism to embrace the suffering of sentient beings as the bodhisattva path. As for application in one’s daily life, this paper explores its two aspects of “diligently practice with discipline, and live with simplicity and gratitude” and “skillfully apply it in a lively, interesting and vigorous way.” The application of Humanistic Living Chan is primarily focused on living in accordance with the recepts, contentment, and limiting desires. The expedient ways that Chan masters can help us achieve breakthroughs, realize our true nature, and liberate other beings, underscores the power of Chan meditation.
The Dharma Gate of Non-Duality: Joy and Harmony
The following is an excerpt from Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s diary, which can be found in Chinese within the Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun. The title “Joy and Harmony” was the theme of the first general conference of the Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA), which was held at Hsi Lai Temple in California. The “Gate of Non-Duality” refers specifically to the gate at the entrance to Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Taiwan, and more generally to the concept of awareness beyond dichotomies. A couplet above the entryway reads, “This gate is called ‘non-duality,’ duality or non-duality, both are one’s true face. This mountain is Vulture Peak, mountain or no mountain, nothing is not my pure body.” The diary entries provide an intimate look at Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s thoughts and activities over a period of two weeks. Seeing the amount of events he attended, and the number of guests he met, we get a sense of how a “humble monk” was able to create something as great as Fo Guang Shan. Among the mundane details he documented, there are also spiritual gems he left for us to discover. -Ed.
Buddhism, Euthanasia, and Hospice Care
The debate regarding euthanasia has attracted increased public attention in recent decades. Opinion polls indicate support for euthanasia in many Western countries, reflecting legal developments which make euthanasia and physicianassisted suicide possible. The meaning of euthanasia can be summarised as the merciful killing of those who are incurably ill or greatly suffering from pain. This motivation distinguishes euthanasia from other types of killing. Despite the motivation, there is still much vigorous debate on the question of whether it is appropriate for doctors to kill. Most of the current debates have been conducted within Western, namely Christian, religious frameworks; few Eastern religious voices, such as Buddhist ones, have been heard. Therefore, an investigation of the Buddhist perspective on euthanasia provides a new viewpoint with regard to end-of-life resolutions.
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.
Buddhist Responses to Contemporary Issues of Race, Racial Prejudice, and Social Justice
What are the ethical implications of race? Is there a cogent Buddhist riposte to critical race theory, acknowledging both personal and multifactorial determinants associated with racialization? Does conceptually viewing the world through a lens of race foster unwholesome states of duḥkha, especially considering an unequal distribution of power and resources? I will explore how the Buddha viewed race and whether there is an appropriate Buddhist response to historical disadvantage. In this paper I will apply a Buddhist outlook to contemporary ethical dilemmas of race, racism, and racialization, particularly within the United States. I will expound upon Buddhist applied ethics consistent with middle way consciousness. I will survey Nietzsche’s framing of morality as a response to oppression, calibrating the evolution of suffering, followed by investigating the understanding of separateness, as contrasted to Buddhist interconnection. Then, I will investigate whether the idea of inequality is a result of exploitation, irrespective of personal characteristics and qualities, and uncontrollable factors—or whether this framing is outside of Buddhist purview. Finally, I will apply race to the context of karma, self-realization, and nirvāṇa.
Zen Master Seung Sahn’s Teaching of “Don’t Know Mind” and its Contribution to Gender Equality in Western Buddhist Communities
Although Buddhism has an egalitarian philosophical framework, the story of women’s equity within Buddhist communities throughout history has run parallel to the story of women’s equity in society. The emergence of Buddhism in the West has brought changes in the progress of gender equality in Buddhist communities. This paper focuses on the most basic and simple teaching of Zen Master Seung Sahn, the “don’t know mind.” His contribution to establishing Zen Buddhism from Korea to the West has influenced a new dynamic that has emerged within Buddhist communities in the West—the inclusion of women in leadership roles within these communities. Throughout history, men have dominated the narrative and defined what it is to be a woman, and men have controlled the outcomes for women and their experiences within their own spiritual practice. Today we see more and more women shaping the way Buddhism is practiced, just as we also see more women than ever becoming teachers and leaders in Buddhist communities outside of Asia.
Visiting Scholars and Visiting Students Program Application Guidelines Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism
Visiting Scholars and Visiting Students Program Application Guidelines Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism 相關附件 A.Purpose To promote scholarly research on Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s tea.....
BUDDHIST PILGRIMAGE: “FIXED AND PORTABLE SANCTITY FOR CHINESE BUDDHIST PILGRIMS”
簡報/PPT 香港中文大學利黃瑤璧樓G/F LT3 BUDDHIST PILGRIMAGE: “FIXED AND PORTABLE SANCTITY FOR CHINESE BUDDHIST PILGRIMS” 主講者 / Lecturer：Professor Lewis Lancaster 摘要 / Abstract： Buddhism has developed pilgrimage pa.....
