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  • 期刊

唯心思想帶來晚近中國佛教之衰微嗎?-印順法師觀點之檢視

Does Doctrine of the Tathāgatagarbha lead to Degradation of Modern Chinese Buddhism?- A Reflection on the Views of Master Yin-shun

摘要


印順法師繼承太虛大師改革暨復興中國佛教之理想,然而與太虛大師看法不同,他認為現實佛教界的問題,根本是「思想」的問題,因此期能對佛教思想起澄清作用。其中,中國佛教傳統主要承接印度後期大乘的如來藏思想,而晚近中國佛教走向衰微之勢,印順法師認為與唯心思想之長期發展是相關的。然而,印順法師此一判定,是否可得到普遍的認同?如他的老師太虛大師即未必會同意;此外印順法師的後學如法鼓山聖嚴法師、慈濟功德會證嚴法師等,也明顯和他的思路不同,而高度地認同並闡揚佛教唯心的教法,也皆展示出積極、入世的菩薩行格局。如此,真常心系的佛法,果真可和中國佛教走向衰頹之勢牽連起來?或者,怎麼樣的唯心思想,導致了佛法的衰弱而成為印順法師反省的重點?佛教的唯心思想是否導致晚近中國佛教的衰敗──對此,本文認為既是、也不是;唯心論可增益對佛法的信仰,但同時易於產生弊端。意即,如果唯心思想能重信而不雜濫、重定而不枯寂,則唯心思想未必帶來佛教的衰弱,其間的重點在於「方便出下流」。甚至可以說,佛教若沒有如來藏思想,僅留在「第一義悉檀」的法義,過度擯除真常唯心教法,則曲高和寡,如此佛法也無法受到絕大多數人的歸信,而佛教亦會衰退,乃至於滅亡。因此,佛教興盛之契機,乃在於權、實關係間整體的辯證、平衡,兩者缺一不可,佛法所重視的「二諦圓融」,以及不即不離的中道法義,其深刻意涵也在於此,而這也是印順法師所要著眼的要點。

關鍵字

如來藏 假想觀 方便 正覺 權實 中道

並列摘要


Following in the footsteps of Tai-xu, Master Yin-shun advocated a reform of Chinese Buddhism. Yet unlike Tai-xu, he identified certain Buddhist views (drsti) as the main cause for the decline of Buddhism in both India and China, and thus wrote extensively in an effort to address the problem. The doctrine of the tathāgatagarbha became the main object of his reflections, a point which coincidentally has come to resonate with Critical Buddhism in Japan about fifty years later. In Yin-shun's view, the doctrine of the tathāgatagarbha tends to undermine the spirit of the bodhisattva, which has gradually led to the degeneration of the exalted spirit of the Mahayana, and consequently, the decline of Buddhism. But is this a reasonable claim? Is there a causal relation between the doctrine of the tathāgatagarbha and the decline of Buddhism in China and India? If so, then why? And if not, what exactly were Yin-shun's ideas trying to convey? It is worthy to note that Yin-shun took a Middle-Way approach in his view on the tathāgatagarbha, neither regarding as the ultimate truth as traditional Chinese Budhists do, nor disregarding it entirely like scholars of the School of Critical Buddhism do. Instead of completely rejecting the doctrine of the tathāgatagarbha, he merely points out its limitations. As a sincere follower of the Buddha and Nagarjuna, he was mainly concerned with the distinction between uttara and upaya teachings and it is under this interpretative framework that he intended to consolidate all the Buddhist teachings and guide beings towards the Buddhist path. To deny the doctrine of the tathāgatagarbha, and portray the teachings on emptiness (śúnya) as the only truth, would also violate the teaching of the Buddha. When Buddhist theory becomes inaccessible to the majority of people, the teachings are in danger of declining or even disappearing altogether. Hence, a true follower of the Buddha will never completely reject the expedient teaching of the tathāgatagarbha. Yin-shun's aim was to emphasize the middle-way approach during the dialectical process between the ultimate teachings and provisional teachings of the Buddha.

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