站內檢索
Interpreting the “Humanistic” in Renjian Fojiao (人間佛教) as Advocated by Venerable Master Hsing Yun of Fo Guang Shan
Śākyamuni Buddha expounded the Four Noble Truths as his first teachings to demonstrate to human beings the causes of suffering, and more importantly, to give hope that suffering can end. For this reason, the Buddha is often referred to as the doctor who tends to human beings in their very fundamental need: fulfillment in attaining freedom from suffering. As human interests and values are given broader definitions, the Buddhist movement also becomes much more diverse in scope, giving Buddhism a humanistic character regarding various aspects of life.
Interpreting the “Humanistic” in Renjian Fojiao (人間佛教) as Advocated by Venerable Master Hsing Yun of Fo Guang Shan
Sakyamuni Buddha expounded the Four Noble Truths as his very first teachings out of the intention of showing human beings the cause of suffering, and more importantly, to give hope in that such sufferings can be ended. For this reason, Buddha is often referred to as the doctor who tends to human beings in their very fundamental needs: fulfillment in attaining freedom from suffering. As human interests and values are given broader definitions, the Buddhist movement also becomes much more diverse in scope, giving Buddhism the characteristic of humanism on various aspects of life. The purpose of this paper is to examine the elements of humanism traceable in the teachings and practices of Buddhism and find relevance between such and Renjian Fojiao (Humanistic Buddhism).
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.
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.”
The Modernization and Globalization of Humanistic Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism
The most prominent element in the success of Humanistic Buddhism is the modernization and internationalization of Chinese Buddhism. Under the premise of returning to the original intents of the Buddha, advocates and practitioners of Humanistic Buddhism look forward to spreading the Dharma in ways that are readily embraced by people of current times. For example, in the 1950s and 1960s, Fo Guang Shan’s Venerable Master Hsing Yun was already advocating for reform in Buddhism: its ranks, its organizations, its administrative systems, its precepts, its means of propagating the Dharma, its education, its culture, and its internationalization.
Rethinking the Precept of Not Taking Money in Contemporary Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese Buddhist Nunneries
Around two and half millennia ago, the order of nuns was established when the Buddha allowed women to join the Buddhist monastic community. Buddhist nuns play prominent and respected roles in the Therīgāthā (Verses of the Elder Nuns) from ancient India. The historical work the Biqiuni zhuan 比丘尼傳 (Biographies of Nuns) reports how Buddhist nuns influenced and contributed to Chinese Buddhism in the medieval era. In recent decades, there has been a strong revival of Chinese Buddhism, amid which Buddhist nuns have exerted an ever-growing impact on the monastic environment, and their opinions have gradually become very influential, particularly in Taiwan. Indeed, as aptly put by Chün-fang Yü (Light 1), “Taiwanese nuns today are highly educated and greatly outnumber monks, characteristics unprecedented in the history of Chinese Buddhism.” In Mainland China, some prominent nuns (e.g., Shi Longlian) have held posts in the official organization of Chinese Buddhism or made significant contributions to Buddhist education and Dharma teaching. However, contemporary Mainland Chinese nuns’ religious life has scarcely been explored or discussed. This study aims to rectify this imbalance by examining a central ethical issue of monastic daily life to which scant scholarly attention has hitherto been paid.
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.
New English Edition of Buddha-Dharma: Pure and Simple Offers Deeper Insights into Humanistic Buddhism
The new English edition of Buddha-Dharma: Pure and Simple was officially released by Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism (FGSIHB) in late August 2024, available as a three-volume box set. .....
Managing the Mind: at the Heart of Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s Applied Management
Venerable Master Hsing Yun founded Fo Guang Shan and established the operational management guidelines for the monastery: collective effort, leadership by system, doing only what is in accord with Buddhism, and relying on nothing but the Dharma. He also clearly defined the organizational principles and functions of Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA), so that both monastics and lay disciples have a set of regulations and procedures for the sustainable development of the Fo Guang community. The issues of financial control and the exercise of authority are inevitable in the operation of an organization. Venerable Master Hsing Yun also put forward his views on managing money, exercising authority, and handling human resources. In his opinion, the primary objective of managing human affairs is to manage the mind, which is no different from the practice of the Dharma. Furthermore, one must flexibly practice compassion and wisdom simultaneously, so that the entire organization achieves the ideal state of oneness and coexistence. Venerable Master Hsing Yun holds in high regard the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss as a realm where “all of the most virtuous people are gathered in a single place,” and looks up to Amitābha Buddha as the greatest management expert. He has infused a sense of sanctity into the secular concept of management, and also demonstrated a positive connection between worldly dharma and Buddha Dharma.
