當代越南移居人士社群在台之宗教活動研究—以新店普悲寺與新莊弘法院為例=A Study On the Religious Activities of Modern Vietnamese Immigrant Communities in Taiwan - Take Xindian Pubei Temple And Xinzhuang Hongfa Cloister As Examples
The main purpose of this research paper is to study the religious activities of contemporary Vietnamese migrant workers in Taiwan, using Pu Bei Si in Xin Dian and Hong Fa Yuan in Xin Zhuang as the case study. With globalization, many Vietnamese has migrated to Taiwan for the past 20 years or so. Through the research method of interviews and surveys, this paper aims to understand the living conditions of the Vietnamese migrant workers in Taiwan and their reason for having a religious belief, especially the kind of influences that Buddhism has on their new inhabitants. From the results of the survey, it is found that Buddhism plays an important role in the Vietnamese migrants’s lives. It has helped to smoothen their mind, enabling them to ease their uncomfortable feelings. Also, Buddhism has taught them to treat others with compassion and face every life situations with equanimity. Hence, Buddhism has not only benefitted them in many ways but also directed their way of thinking to a higher level. The findings has also shown that religious belief could lead everyone to truthfully face the life challenges and themselves courageously and be able to repent openly. A person with religious belief could fulfill the needs of their mental wellbeing and maintain their inner peace. Therefore, religious belief is seen as the main source of energy for a person’s mental health. Not only does it provide one with a meaning life, but it also beautifies one’s life, making it a blissful and auspicious life. Due to the limitation of this research paper, we could only focus on the seven years old Pu Bei Si and five years old Hong Fa Yuan to understand the level of participation by the Vietnamese migrant workers on a monthly and yearly basis. This research is carried out by conducting surveys and interviews to understand the operation of these two monasteries and how they have impacted the lives of the Vietnamese migrants workers in Taiwan.
