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Dharma Function with Sound, Dharma Propagation with Music–A Study of Buddhist Chants and Buddhist Songs of Fo Guang Chan
This paper introduces the historical development and current state of Buddhist chants and songs at Fo Guang Shan, an international Buddhist headquarters founded by Venerable Master Hsing Yun. This study also offers academic analysis of the musical forms from a selected set of Buddhist chants and songs with a specific focus on how particular musical forms are manifested in these as well as why they have become popular. Most of the musical scores are transcribed by the author, some of them from recordings made in the main shrine of Fo Guang Shan, and others provided by the Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism.
Humanistic Buddhism: Plurality and Humanism in Buddhism in the Context of a Buddho-Christian Comparison
One of the unique characteristics of Buddhism is its plurality, which can be seen in its objects of faith, scriptures (or teaching methods), and practices. The fundamental reason for this plurality is in its religious perspective of “humanism,” which is demonstrated in the Buddha teaching the Dharma in different ways to different people. Completely grounded in the human as an individual, teachings are given in response to the individual’s capacity, and medicine is prescribed according to the ailment of the individual patient.
A Study on Gender Equality in Humanistic Buddhism
Since Humanistic Buddhism was first proposed by Master Taixu, the issue of gender equality has gradually kindled widespread discussion in the field of Buddhism. During the Republican Era, Master Taixu and the female Buddhists of the Pure Bodhi Vihara have actively expressed their views on gender equality. Eventually, they reached a consensus of respecting a woman’s character, protecting her rights, and advocating equal status between men and women.
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.
The Brilliant Achievements of Humanistic Buddhism in Australia
Venerable Master Hsing Yun has confidence in, awareness of, and a great aspiration to improve Buddhist teachings, and has for many years promoted the international spread of Humanistic Buddhism. With the establishment of more than three hundred temples worldwide, he has performed the first steps toward realizing his great vow of having “the Buddha’s light shining universally on the three thousand realms and the Dharma stream flowing across all five continents.” Among these worldwide temples, the construction works in Australia and the teaching of Buddhism in that country have been outstanding, drawing much praise for its speedy execution and extensive influence.
Historic Achievements of the Hsing Yun Model
At the core of religion is faith. Rebuilding faith is key to reversing the decline of traditional religion and to successfully realize modernization. True faith comes from the heart. In recent times, there have been two paths by which Chinese Buddhism has been rebuilding faith. The first method focuses on reconstructing Buddhist faith based on sūtras, i.e., on the authority of scripture. This has been adopted by the Faxiang school, among others.
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.
Interpreting the "Humanistic" in Renjian Fojiao (人間佛教) as Advocated by Venerable Master Hsing Yun of Fo Guang Shan
Humanistic Buddhism as an Approach to Management
The Humanistic Buddhism advocated by Venerable Master Hsing Yun serves as an antidote to the negativity, escapism, and long-running flaws of traditional Buddhism. It allows Buddhism to embed its profound prajñā wisdom into the fabric of society, enabling it to approach society to improve mankind and perfect character through altruistic deeds. In terms of wealth, Humanistic Buddhism does not harbor a negative view of money. Rather, it advocates making good use of wealth to promote the welfare of humanity and propagate Buddhist undertakings to advance the purification of this world.