本文是以臺灣佛教作為我們處理「社會變遷」的主體,從當代臺灣佛教變遷的考察中,我們歸結出幾項的變遷事實。這裡面包括有『個人層次』(僧侶以及在家信眾的宗教行止)、『制度層次』(組織型態、佈教方式、宗教福利模式的變遷)以及『文化層次』(社會倫理、宗教世俗化)的實質意涵。最後,我們也嘗試著將臺灣佛教的變遷事實,擺回結構的脈絡條件中,以反省當代佛教(抑或「人間佛教」)所涵攝的變遷意義。至於,本文的結構如下︰首先,我們是以「宗教現象」作為一種『社會事實』,藉以鋪陳我們以下的論述背景;其次,則是探討佛教在臺灣社會三百年來的的變遷歷史;接著則是扣緊著當代臺灣佛教所呈顯出來的各種變遷趨向以及所涵攝的意涵,以作為通篇的主要旨趣;最後,我們則是以臺灣佛教未來的展望作為結論。
This paper takes Buddhism in Taiwan as the subject of discussing "social change."From the investigation of the change of Buddhism in Taiwan, we can induce a few facts of change including the substantial implications of individual level (the religious behaviours of sangha and lay followers), system level (organizational mode, style of preaching, and the change of the models of religious welfare)and culture level (social ethics, and the secularization of religion).Finally, the author also tries to put the facts of the change of Buddhism back into the context of structure in order to examine the significance of change of contemporary Buddhism (or humanistic Buddhism). This paper includes following chapters: first, take "religious phenomena" as a kind of "social facts" in order to introduce the background of following discussions; secondly, examine the history of the change of Buddihism in Taiwan society in the past 300 years; thirdly, discuss the trends of the change of contemporary buddhism, and its implications; lastly, conclude with the outlook of Buddhism in Taiwan.