Humanistic Buddhism and Buddhist Nuns in Taiwan

臺灣的人間佛教與出家女眾

于君方(Chün-Fang Yü)

《民俗曲藝》 168期 (2010/06) Pp. 191-224

https://doi.org/10.30157/JCRTF.201006.0007

摘要

自從1980 年代以來，臺灣佛教的發展引起國內外學者的注意。臺灣的佛教領袖多半受到印順導師(1906–2005)的影響，提倡入世的人間佛教。臺灣佛教的特色裡有兩點值得注意：第一是出家女眾的比例大大超過男眾。第二是她們很多是大專畢業生。本文以香光尼僧團為例，探討比丘尼在當代臺灣社會扮演的新角色。在悟因法師(1940–)的領導下，她們立志做宗教師，樹立傳統負責經懺喪葬專職迥然不同的新形象。通過辦雜誌、印刷書籍、建立高科技的圖書資訊及網站，香光尼致力弘法的工作。尤其值得注意的是她們辦的佛學研讀班，這是臺灣最早免費提供成人佛學教育的創舉，這也是本文的主題。我所以選擇香光是因為它是純女眾的道場。1998年我曾在嘉義香光寺做了八個月的實地考察，也到高雄臺北各分院做過參訪。當時僧團的成員有一百位左右，百分之八十畢業大專，我跟悟因及三十位不同年次的比丘尼做過多次面談。對她們來說，什麼是「人間佛教」？我希望從她們所說和所做的具體的例子，得到一些訊息。

關鍵字

香光尼僧團 ； 悟因 ； 佛學研讀班

並列摘要

Buddhism has been undergoing a renewal in Taiwan since the 1980s. Most Buddhist leaders, following the teachings of Yin-shun (1906-2005), promote socially engaged ”Humanistic Buddhism.” Two of the most noticeable features of Taiwanese Buddhism are the overwhelmingly greater number of nuns in comparison to monks and their high level of education. I will use the case of the Hsiang-kuang Bhiksuni Sangha to discuss the new roles Buddhist nuns play in Taiwan. Led by the founder Wu-yin (1940-), they aspire to become professional religious teachers of the modern technological society of Taiwan. This means that they deliberately craft a self-identity in contrast to tradition. They reject the age-old role of ritual specialists for the dead by reciting scriptures, performing death and memorial rites, and providing a place for the installation of the soul tablets and ashes of the dead in their temples. Instead, they devote themselves to spread the Dharma by publishing books and magazines, managing a high tech library and website, programming radio broadcast, and particularly by teaching Buddhism in the adult education classes for free which they established three decades ago, earlier than any other Buddhist groups.
I choose this community because unlike most Taiwanese Buddhist groups, Hsiang-kuang is single sex. It is also rather small, numbering about 100 members, 80% of whom have college eduation. This paper will use the interviews I conducted with Wu-yin, the abbess, and about 30 nuns of different generations in addition to documentary materials I gathered about the group. I lived in the head temple located in Chia-yi for eight months in 1998. The interviews were first conducted at that time. I visited the sub-temple in Taipei and interviewed Wu-yin in several subsequent return trips since. I hope to demonstrate what ”Humanistic Buddhism” means to members of the community by providing concrete examples of what they say and what they do.

並列關鍵字

Hsiang-kuang Bhiksuni Sangha Ni-seng Tuan ； Wu-yin ； adult Buddhist education classes Fo-hsüeh yen-tu pan

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