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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.
Transcending Borders: Using Regional and Ethnographic Studies to Envision the Future of Humanistic Buddhism
Arizona is a region where the population of Chinese Buddhists is low and the general populations of both Asian-Americans and Buddhists are small. Thus Buddhist communities find themselves not only distant from large centers of Buddhism in California, but also isolated from each other. A study of two very different approaches to Buddhism in Arizona may shed light on the future of Humanistic Buddhism (literally “Buddhism in the midst of people”) in similarly sparsely- populated regions of the United States.
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.
Transcending Borders: Using Regional and Ethnographic Studies to Envision the Future of Humanistic Buddhism
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.”
Perspective: The Teacher and Late Modern Buddhism in the West: Commitment and Dilemmas
The teacher plays a key role in Buddhism. In some traditions, the practitioner is advised to remain patient and persistent in the search for a lifelong teacher, as the right teacher is said to appear only once the practitioner is “ready.” The teacher may be the abbot in a monastery, the geshe in a gompa, or the roshi or ajahn in a temple. However, in this late-modern world, it is becoming increasingly common for Convert Buddhists to have no link or personal connection to any such organization or individual Dharma teacher.
Commentary: Loving-Kindness and Compassion
Venerable Master Hsing Yun writes that loving-kindness (maitri) and compassion (karuṇā) “are like a priceless passport—a person may own nothing, but no matter where they go happiness and safety will follow.” How might this statement be understood within the context of the Universal Vehicle (Mahāyāna) of Buddhism? As the Venerable Master writes, lovingkindness aims to bring others happiness, and compassion is the desire to alleviate the suffering of others. Here, I understand loving-kindness (maitrī) to love in its purest altruistic sense. Maitrī is not an erotic, passionate, selfish, or possessive love. All true love wants is the happiness of others.
Appendix: Loving-Kindness and Compassion
Transnational Networks of Dharma and Development: Engaged Buddhism in the Era of Globalization
The various Buddhist social reformation and liberation movements are broadly referred to as Engaged Buddhist movements. While addressing issues concerning their communities, they have also acquired global dimensions as evident from the transnational networking among Buddhists/Buddhist organizations in Asia, as well as in the West, and the multicultural following that has come to characterize these contemporary Buddhist social movements.
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.
