文化綜攝與個人救贖：由“清海無上師世界會”教團的發展觀察台灣當代宗教與文化變遷的性質與特色

Cultural Syncretism and Personal Salvation: Observing Religious and Cultural Change of Modern Taiwan through the Case of Suma Ching Hai Association

丁仁傑(Jen-Chieh Ting)

《台灣社會研究季刊》 49期 (2003/03) Pp. 135-200

https://doi.org/10.29816/TARQSS.200303.0004

摘要

本文的目的，在透過對於台灣當代一個頗具活力宗教團體－「清海無上師世界會」－的檢驗，來反省當代台灣宗教文化變遷的性質與特色。雖然該教團並不是當代台灣最大的宗教團體，該教團所流露出來的某些特色，卻有助於我們來捕捉當代台灣社會文化變遷的軌跡。在台灣社會與華人宗教文化的脈絡裡，本文歸納清海教團在台灣的發展，大致上可以分為三個階段：1．有著佛教外貌的「合一教」發展時期；2．超脈絡化的靈修運動時期；3．全球性弘法時期。其中第一個階段到第二個階段間有著較為劇烈的轉折，第三階段則是第二階段的延續與擴充，在這些變化的背後反映出來了深刻的社會與文化意涵。文中我們密集的討論了華人文化脈絡中「合一教」的表現形式，以及當代台灣社會中「宗教信仰個體化」的實質內涵，其中「宗教信仰的個體化」是台灣當代宗教文化變遷的一個重要趨勢，「合一教」則是一個可以連結傳統與現代的大的文化框架。簡言之，「文化綜攝」與「個人救續」是當代台灣宗教活動的兩個主要面向，在清海教團發展的過程中，這兩個面向各有所出現，並且也曾以某種方式相互結合。最後，建築在本文的發現上，我們對於西方既有的解釋新興宗教誕生與發展的模型也提出了初步的檢討與反省。

關鍵字

新興宗教 ； 清海無上師世界會 ； 綜攝主義 ； 宗教信仰的個體化 ； 私人化 ； 自我宗教 ； 教會－教派模型

並列摘要

Established in 1986, the Suma Ching Hai Association has since become an energetic religious organization in Taiwan. By examining salient characteristics and subsequent development of this association, we try to shed light on the religious and cultural change of modern Taiwan. The Suma Ching Hai Association has experienced three distinct historical phases since its inception: the creation of a syncretic religious organization with Buddhist-like appearances; the evolution of a trans-contextual spiritual movement; and, finally, the development of a global missionary network. The qualitative change exhibited between the first and the second phases in the history of the Suma Ching Hai Association represents a radical transition in action and thought, which culminates in the third phase as subsequent outgrowth of the second phase of the Suma Ching Hai Association's changed philosophy. In this article, I discuss pertinent issues concerning Chinese syncretism and religious individuality, where the former offers a bridge between traditional and modern Taiwanese religion. Generally speaking, cultural syncretism and personal salvation are two important dimensions underpinning some religious activities in modern Taiwan. Examining the changes in the philosophy of the Suma Ching Hai Association offers insight on the religious change of modern Taiwan and how religious groups can integrate traditional beliefs with recent trends in religious thought in modern Taiwan. Finally, I offer a discussion as to why the church-sect model of a dynamic of religious organization is not appropriate for explaining the new religious phenomenon in Taiwan.

並列關鍵字

New Religion ； Suma Ching Hai Association ； Syncretism ； Religious Individuality ； Privatization ； Self-religion ； Church-Sect Model

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