Taiwan went through an intense period of social change in 1949. The island's politics, economy, ethnicity …… had undergone considerable change. In response this period of tumultuous change, Master Dong Chu founded the "Humanity" magazine to help people cope.
Seventy years later, "Humanity" had weathered being shelved, relaunched and redesigned. It still continues to publish topics that help people cope with the changes in today's world monthly. As "Humanity" approaches its 70th anniversary, it is encountering a different kind of changing world. 27 June 2018, with the aim of sharing the diversity of spiritual practices, we invited dharma masters from different traditions to share the compassion and wisdom of Buddhadharma. The full texts of the keynote speeches and panels are included in this special issue of " Awakening in the Global Buddhist Village".
"Humanity's" guiding teacher, Master Sheng Yen, dedicated his life to bringing Chinese Chan Buddhism to the West. Many Westerners who became his students twenty to thirty years ago continue to follow his footsteps, engage in self cultivation and teaching, establish centers and transmit the lineage. How did they discover Chan Buddhism and how did they find their teacher, Master Sheng Yen? These stories of the teacher and the student are very inspirational.
In the twenty first century, on this 70th anniversary of "Humanity" magazine, Buddhism has spread around the world resembling a global Buddhist village. From the United States of America, Bhikkhu Bodhi described his process of transformation from a traditional monastic to that of a social advocator because he witnessed the oppression of human beings caused by the current social systems; to Italy's Bhikkhun? Dhammadinn? who shared about her journey of how she went from learning dancing to engaging in Buddhist research and ultimately to becoming a female monastic.
Contributing to the world in our capacity of Chinese Chan Buddhism, "Humanity"70 along with the Buddhist Dharma family all over the world and our friends on the same path, let us "Awaken in the Global Buddhist Village"!
About the Humanity magazine
Founded in 1949, Humanity magazine was the first Buddhist magazine published and released in Taiwan. Founded by Ven. Dong Chu and later continued by his disciple Master Sheng Yen, it has been one of the most influential magazines in Taiwan’s Buddhist circles.
Humanity magazine concerns itself about contemporary development of Buddhism, and puts an emphasis on the uplifting of people’s minds and spiritual lives. Each month’s topic not only touches upon various social phenomena, but also explores from Buddhist concepts to worldly studies, to encourage readers to search their inner beings and incorporate Buddhist practice into their daily lives. For cover and layout design, the magazine has invited outstanding illustrators to help render an elegant yet fun style, thus through pages allowing readers to slow down and find a space for spiritual relaxation, self-transformation, and the enjoyment of purity and freedom by applying the Dharma in life.
The magazine had been discontinued for a while due to Master Sheng Yen’s solitary retreat practice. When it was reissued in 1982, as an encouragement, he wrote:
Seek progress in the ordinary life and see the glory of life in hardship.
Seek development in harmony and see the hope in the hard work.
Seek abundance in peace and calm and see the solemness in the training.
Seek wisdom in silence and see the compassionate aspiration in the proactive commitment.
In the future, the Humanity magazine will continue to uphold Master Sheng Yen’s encouragements and expectations, to keep on sharing Buddhist wisdom and compassion, to help bring brightness and hope to the world.
1949年,臺灣經歷著劇烈的社會變遷,政治、經濟、族群……充滿了變數。在那個劇變的年代,人力物力極度拮据的時局中,《人生》誕生了,創辦人東初老和尚「運用它的廣長舌,張開它的獅子口,作大吼聲,驚破那一切正在迷戀著物慾的大夢,叫它們都能醒覺過來。」這是老和尚對驟變時代做出的回應。轉眼七十年過去,《人生》經歷停刊、復刊、改版,至今月月如期出刊,持續回應著時代人心的需要。邁入七十歲的《人生》,面對又一個全然不同的驟變世局,2018年6月27日,特別邀請多位來自不同傳承的法師大德共同分享佛法悲智,為修行者提供修行指引。兩場精彩的主題演講和座談會全文,就收錄在本期「悟吧!在世界佛教村」特刊。《人生》導師聖嚴法師曾說:「我們的未來,一定要有前瞻性,要往遠處看、往大處看。大處,就是世界佛教;遠處,就是未來的佛教。」應該放眼全世界,要有世界觀,不要自限在「臺灣佛教」或「中國佛教」的地域化思考中。因此編輯室廣邀世界各國的法師居士大德,分享在地的第一手觀察。在「世界佛教村」轉角,菩提長老反思社會制度對人造成的壓迫,分享從重視研修的傳統僧侶生活轉而投入社會倡議的歷程;梅村法師分享,一行禪師2018年回歸祖庭後,對於越南佛教的深刻影響;彌山法師談到韓國佛教的困境,以及佛法與科學跨界的應用;宣方剖析中國「佛系青年」現象;還有日本許多青年和尚奮臂改變現狀的「逆襲」;因稿擠而必須留待下期的東南亞五國「激進的佛教」來龍去脈,馬來西亞教界以佛曲募心的青年學佛風潮,美國本土佛教團體中的種族矛盾……各地作者分享的佛教發展現況與自身的修行歷程,彷彿展示著佛教的「光譜」:保守與激進、年輕化與高齡化、開放與緊縮、世俗化與出世的……可說是佛教融入當代社會,逐漸形成的現象與趨勢,卻也提醒我們唯有以法為洲,回歸佛陀本懷,深化自己的修行,才能在出世與入世之間,持續踏實修行,進而利益眾生。在此特別感恩各地的法門眷屬、作者群,為《人生》七十週年特刊貢獻心力與珍貴的省思。讓我們看到What a 「Wonder佛」(Wonderful) World!多麼殊勝的世界佛教村!「雜誌為佛教的生命線。」這是東初老和尚創立《人生》的初衷。一本雜誌代表一個時代文化,《人生》七十新開始,願《人生》代佛分身說法,讓智慧恆久遠,正法永流傳。聖嚴法師談21世紀的佛教徒2018「世界佛教村」座談會主題演講.座談會【驟變.應變】關寂照:變動的時代,不動的修行【佛教.文化】繼程法師:佛教是文化,是生命之道【轉角.世界佛教村】美:菩提比丘/越:一行禪師/日:青年和尚逆襲 韓:佛法跨界/中:青年為何「佛系」?/澳:南向新天地【漢傳禪法西來】賽門.查爾德/麥克斯.卡林/卡門.米哈勒內
這是一本適合初學者、著重閱讀的巴利語語法入門教材。讀本選自巴利上座部經藏,包含長行和偈頌。內容包含十二課,每課包含三部分:一、基礎讀本與字彙,二、文法解釋,三、進階閱讀。讀本的安排,由易而難,各自獨立且饒富深義與趣味,配合相關的文法解釋,不僅提供循序漸進的語法教學,同時傳達巴利語佛典所蘊含的早期佛教思想,實是進入巴利佛典的語言與思想世界,不可多得的入門好書。自出版以來,廣受巴利語學習者好評,已為許多巴利語文法課程的入門教材。
作者簡介
James W. Gair美國康乃爾大學(Cornell University)語言學系榮譽退休教授。W.S. Karunatillake,斯里蘭卡凱拉尼亞大學(Kelaniya University)語言學系教授。兩人自1965年便共同合作研究錫蘭語和南亞語言,直到2012年Karunatillake教授去世為止。
譯者簡介
溫宗堃澳洲昆士蘭大學(The University of Queensland)宗教研究博士,現任法鼓文理學院助理教授暨語言與翻譯中心主任。研究興趣為巴利佛教、初期佛教、正念的理論與應用。譯有多本上座部內觀禪修與正念應用之書籍。
Chan is not necessarily any one thing, nor does Chan affirm or deny anything. However, whatever you need, Chan gives to you.
For regular meditators, this book provides basic sitting meditation techniques. Exceptionally busy people are advised to try and use the Chan cultivation methods in this book to harmonize themselves, and dissolve their attachment to "self." From relaxing the body and mind for as little as three minutes to attending to body and mind throughout daily life, these methods show the simplicity and practicality of expedient Chan methods.--Master Sheng Yen
作者簡介
Master Sheng Yen (1930-2009)
聖嚴法師1930年生於江蘇南通,1943年於狼山出家,後因戰亂投身軍旅,十年後再次披剃出家。曾於高雄美濃閉關六年,隨後留學日本,獲立正大學文學博士學位。1975年應邀赴美弘法。1989年創建法鼓山,並於2005年開創繼起漢傳禪佛教的「中華禪法鼓宗」。
聖嚴法師是一位思想家、作家暨國際知名禪師,曾獲臺灣《天下》雜誌遴選為「四百年來臺灣最具影響力的五十位人士」之一。著作豐富,中、英、日文著作達百餘種,先後獲頒中山文藝獎、中山學術獎、總統文化獎及社會各界的諸多獎項。
聖嚴法師提出「提昇人的品質,建設人間淨土」的理念,主張以大學院、大普化、大關懷三大教育推動全面教育,相繼創辦中華佛學研究所、法鼓佛教學院、僧伽大學、法鼓大學等院校,也以豐富的禪修經驗、正信的佛法觀念和方法指導東、西方人士修行。
法師著重以現代人的語言和觀點普傳佛法,陸續提出「心靈環保」、「四種環保」、「心五四運動」、「心六倫」等社會運動,並積極推展國際弘化工作,參與國際性會談,促進宗教交流,提倡建立全球性倫理,致力世界和平。其寬闊胸襟與國際化視野,深獲海內外肯定。
Master Sheng Yen was born in 1930 and became a monk in 1943. He conducted a six-year solitary retreat, after which he went to Japan for further study and obtained a doctorate in Buddhist literature at Rissho University. In 1975, he began sharing the Dharma in the US, and in 1989, founded the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan Buddhism.
He authored more than 100 publications in Chinese, English, and Japanese, and received the Sun Yat-sen Art and Literary Award, the Sun Yat-sen Academic Award, and the Presidential Cultural Award, among other honorary awards.
He proposed the vision of “uplifting the character of humanity and building a pure land on earth,” founded the Chung Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, Dharma Drum Buddhist College, Dharma Drum Sangha University, and Dharma Drum University. Experienced in Chan using correct approaches, he guided practice in both the West and East. Popularizing the Dharma in modern language, the Master initiated movements including Protecting the Spiritual Environment, Four Kinds of Environmentalism, the Fivefold Spiritual Renaissance Campaign, and the Six Ethics of the Mind. He shared the Dharma globally with a broadminded perspective, winning him worldwide recognition.