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The Concepts and Practices of Vinaya in the Humanistic Buddhism: A Case Study of Fo Guang Shan Monastery
Greed, Desire, and the Universal Need for Master Hsing Yun's Humanistic Buddhism: A View from the United States
Greed. We all know greed is a problem. U.S. citizen Bernie Madoff’s successful investment fund attracted wealthy investors. Every year his returns on investment were much larger than those of other funds. In the end it turned out that he was not investing his customers’ money at all. Instead, he was running a Ponzi or “pyramid” scheme, paying off the investors who withdrew their money with the money he was taking in from new investors. While the Ponzi scheme was going strong, he was the toast of New York City and highly admired by others in the finance world. When thousands of his customers lost large sums of money, he became the poster boy of greed. Yet of course his customers were greedy too.
Geneaology and Taxonomy of the ‘Twentieth-century Renjian Fojiao 人間佛教’Mapping a famen 法門 from Mainland China and Taiwan to Europe
The first part of this paper will discuss concepts and practice of‘twentieth-century renjian fojiao’; it will start analyzing theoretical meanings and doctrinal implications of renjian fojiao in modern and contemporary Mainland China and Taiwan, and assess various case studies of ‘renjian fojiao in practice’ among Buddhist communities since the Republican period onwards and also from the pre-modern Imperial time. I will attempt a taxonomy of these principles and practices, and then ponder whether this renjian fojiao should not be classified as an overall ‘school’(zongpai 宗派) but considered rather as a ‘Dharma gate’ (famen 法門). Secondly, I will consider the transmission of renjian fojiao to Europe, more precisely the Netherlands, in particular I will look at how (Mainland China) Longquan monastery 龍泉寺 (located in Utrecht) and (Taiwan) Fo Guang Shan 佛光山 (located in Amsterdam) are adopting and adapting ‘twentieth-century renjian fojiao’ in the Netherlands. Finally, this paper will conclude by questioning how ‘twentieth-century renjian fojiao’ could be more present in international platforms that are working towards conflict resolutions and peace building, and therefore could intervene and facilitate dialogue and constructive interaction among different cultures and religions in today’s globalized and pluralistic society.
A Discussion on "Faith" in Humanistic Buddhism as Exemplified by Venerable Master Hsing Yun's "Positive Forecasts for Life"
《人生卜事》是星雲大師依生命經驗口述的108則法語,希望佛法能在人有困境時,乃至日常生活中,做心靈上的指南。《人生卜事》的設計與用法看起來像算命,違背表面上的佛教教義:但是所謂的「卜事」不是占卜,而是透過對因果的釐清、身口意的淨化來改變人的命運。此設計受大眾的喜愛,展現星雲大師人間佛教的信仰觀。星雲大師針對當代迷信的引導,對比佛陀時代吠陀的祭祀儀式之教義,有多方面的相似之處,能看出星雲大師弘法的善巧方便。另外,本文旨在探討《人生卜事》如何引導人的正確信仰:從充滿迷信、恐懼,及個人慾望的信仰,到慈悲、智慧、利益眾生的菩薩道。
Venerable Master Hsing Yun's Methodology for the Practice of Humanistic Buddhism: a Case Study of Chan at Hsi Lai Temple
本文以星雲大師「人間佛教」的實踐為研究對象。本研究將從幾個面向展開:禪的定義、禪在西來寺的實踐、以及對其進行評估,並作為現代社會的一個基本準則。
【Buddhist Encounters: Finding a Home in the Human Condition】Introduction
Since the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Dr. Lewis R. Lancaster, Emeritus Professor of the University of California, Berkeley, USA, has been giving online lectures for the Department of Religious Studies at University of the West, USA (one of the universities established by Fo Guang Shan). Through his engaging teaching approach, he has guided students to explore the depths of Buddhist teachings and its application. In the hope for more people to benefit from his lectures, they will be featured as a column series in the Humanistic Buddhism: Journal, Arts, and Culture journal, which will be published in both Chinese and English. Dr. Lancaster has granted permission for the FGS Institute of Humanistic Buddhism to translate the content into Chinese. We included an introduction written by Dr. Lancaster in this current issue of the journal to set the stage for this unique column series.
Melodic Meditation: Buddhist Chant as a Vehicle for Choral Composition
During the 2017–2018 academic year, it was my good fortune to spend five months in Taiwan researching Buddhist chant as a U.S. Fulbright Senior Scholar. My primary host institution was the Institute of Humanistic Buddhism here at Fo Guang Shan and I worked closely with the capable leaders of the Institute, most notably Venerable Miao Guang. I spent a majority of those five months living in the residence attached to 普賢殿 (Samantabhadra Shrine) on these Fo Guang Shan headquarters monastic grounds. Morning and evening chanting services in the Main Shrine were a typical part of my routine, as was the thrice-daily mealtime chanting.
My Understanding about Humanistic Buddhism
Humanistic Buddhism inspires us to elevate and have faith in ourselves; because this self embodies the wisdom and virtue of the Buddha. Thus we must realize that we are all buddhas and be proud to say that “I am a buddha.” Such is the spirit of Humanistic Buddhism. Instead of placing our fate in the hands of divine entities, we should take responsibility for our own lives. The saying in the Āgamas, “Rely on the self, rely on the Dharma, rely on nothing else,” is a rendition of the faith of Humanistic Buddhism.
Issues of Acculturation and Globalization Faced by the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order
Ever since Buddhism began disseminating from India to other parts of the globe, it has had to find its way through a seemingly endless array of host cultures. As the world’s largest Buddhist order, Fo Guang Shan has successfully taken root in some 200 major cities across the five continents. How has Humanistic Buddhism as advocated by Fo Guang Shan’s founder Venerable Master Hsing Yun acculturated in a wide range of cultural locations across the world? This paper assesses the progress and acculturation of Fo Guang Shan, and discusses the factors of success and failures in terms of its acculturation strategies, changes in the approaches of Dharma propagation, and the acculturative stress experienced.