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Situating Buddhist Modernism within a Global Context: The Global Spread of Fo Guang Shan
Only in the last decades has modern Buddhism become a serious topic of academic investigation. Today, however, the field is flourishing. Modern Buddhism in its many forms is studied in many languages and disciplines. Despite this recent advancement, the subject of investigation is not always that clear. What are we talking about when we are speaking of modern Buddhism? This paper aims to tackle this question by considering the global spread of Fo Guang Shan from a transnational perspective. Transnationalism describes a recent advance within the social sciences and humanities to move away from a research approach that examines its object of interest solely by placing it within the context of one nation state. In contrast to the notion of “international,” which according to the transnational perspective refers to the relationship between states, “transnational” refers to the sustained linkages and ongoing exchanges among non-state actors that cross national borders. Thus, if we apply the transnational lens to the study of modern Taiwanese Buddhism, it follows that instead of examining the religion by solely placing it within the boundaries of the ROC, we also consider the many border-crossings, linkages, and movements between Taiwan, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and the rest of the world that have together shaped its current state.
The Concepts and Practices of Vinaya in the Humanistic Buddhism: A Case Study of Fo Guang Shan Monastery
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.
【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.
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.
Fo Guang Shan Buddhism and Ethical Conversations across Borders: “Sowing Seeds of Affinity”
On the basis of a study of an international Buddhist movement, this article defines “ethical conversations across borders” – acts of ethical deliberation, evaluation or argument that take place in cognisance of multiple ethical regimes – and proposes the conditions under which they can take place. Fo Guang Shan, described in the first part of the article, is a Buddhist movement that originated in Taiwan, but which now has branches around the world. It seeks to promote the cultivation of virtue among its members and among other people with which it has contact. The teachings of Master Hsing Yun, the movement’s founder, advocate two methods through which this project can be realised, “sowing seeds of affinity” and “convenience”. The second part of the article generalizes observations made in relation to Fo Guang Shan and draws the conclusion that all “ethical conversations across borders” require two things, namely, the identification of similarities or “affinities”, and an account of difference that stipulates the units between which the conversation is to be carried on.
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).
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.