宗教交談=inter-religious dialogue; 佛教=Buddhism; 天台=Tiān Tái(Wade-Giles: T’ien T’ai); 交談理論=theory of dialogue; 不二=non-duality; 中道思想=the idea of Middle-way
摘要
宗教交談是當前宗教面對全球化趨勢所作出的回應之一,更是各種宗教避免自身落入意識型態的一帖良藥,可以為人類帶來和平與希望。目前西方宗教哲學對於宗教交談此一議題,已有諸多基礎性的理論研究,但佛教及其他東方宗教則鮮有從自身宗教義理出發,對此論題予以回應。西方的宗教交談理論研究雖能從各自的立場,多元闡述宗教交談的可能性與限制性,然大多不出西方哲學歷來所重視的「真理觀」(the theory of truth)、「認識論」(epistemology)以及「人觀」(anthropology)等三個面向。我們若在宗教交談脈絡下,繼續深究此三個面向的可能議題,則會觸碰到「平等性」與「差異性」等哲學問題,而此問題更是任何脈絡下的交談都必須面對的。論及宗教交談,我們自然想到必須要在平等的基礎上來進行交談,但若視現象全然平等,只是本質上絕對的「一」的外顯,將差異化約為等同,又何需交談?另一方面,若只是注重全然的差異性,而成為散落的「多」,彼此之間毫無關連,又從何交談?由此筆者不禁想問,以中道為實踐準則的佛教,如何處理不落一多兩邊,並且兼容平等差異?佛學義理若能回應這些具有弔詭性的問題,或許能夠從中道的理路,為當前宗教交談理論提出可行的建議。 若我們說佛教是一個提升生命境界的宗教,而哲學是追求人生崇高智慧的學問,兩者之間自然有許多相應的基本理念。因此,佛教信仰者或佛學研究者,若能夠從當前西方宗教哲學,論及宗教交談時所設立的框架下,作出反思及回應,一方面能夠展現佛學思想的柔韌性與方便性;更重要的是,在另一方面能夠有限度地與西方哲學,在宗教交談的論題上有所會通。職是之故,本論文以中國佛教天台宗「諸法實相」、「圓頓止觀」及「性具思想」等幾個重要的基本義理學說為基礎,探索其中能與西方哲學「真理觀」、「認識論」及「人觀」會通的宗教交談意識。為了避免強加比附,甚至落入錯誤解讀佛學義理的窠臼,因此在第一章「諸法實相」、第二章「圓頓止觀」以及第三章「性具思想」等三章的前兩節,均致力於佛學義理的理解與詮釋;繼而,在充分理解以及闡明確立自身宗教義理哲思的基礎上,於各章最後一節與西方哲學思維對比思考:第一章「真理觀」層面,以潘尼卡(Raimon Panikkar, 1918-)不二元的(non-dual)極性(polarity)真理為例;第二章「認識論」層面,以西方哲學「符應」(correspondence)、「連關」(coherence)、「開顯」(alétheia)與「後現代」(post-modern)等四種不同認識進路所可能引發的交談模式為例;第三章「人觀」層面,則以拉內(Karl Rahner, 1904-1984)的超驗神學人學(transcendental theological anthropology)為例,從而呈現天台佛學於各層面所具有的「不二中道」宗教交談意識,即「諸法實相」是兼具平等與差異的中道真理觀,「圓頓止觀」是全面觀照平等與差異的中道認識論,「性具思想」則是兼顧交談主體平等與差異的中道人觀。最後,本論文由天台佛學的立場提出反思,認為佛教信仰者可視宗教交談為深化自身信仰的實踐場域,然而,如果宗教交談也不幸成為一種至高無上的僵化意識型態,那麼當然也應該予以對治,這才契合佛法不落兩邊的中道意旨,以及宗教交談拒絕固化的基本義涵。
To bring peace and hope to humankind, inter-religious dialogue among religions in the present days, has not only been a response to the globalization, but also a solution to help them liberate from various rigid ideologies. To make inter-religious dialogue possible, both “equality” and “diversity” play important roles. While establishing the platform of equality for inter-religious dialogue, we should not ignore the differences among the diverse religions in the world; if religions are identical, dialogue will be unnecessary. Conversely, while distinguishing the diversity of religions for inter-religious dialogue, we should not avoid the common ground among religions in the inter-dependent world; if religions are isolated, dialogue will be impossible. Therefore, we can see that religions cannot have dialogue on a common ground without equality, but without diversity religions will probably lose their uniqueness. Here is the question: How can Buddhism face such kind of paradoxes: convergence (diversity in equality) vs. divergence (equality in diversity). Buddhism, a religion practicing the philosophy of Middle-way, might be able to offer substantial opinions to the current studies of inter-religious dialogue. However, Buddhism has seldom studied this issue on the basis of its religious philosophies, though there have been a number of theoretical studies of inter-religious dialogue from the perspective of western philosophies. Western theoretical studies have approached inter-religious dialogue by focusing their studies on the three aspects “the theory of truth,” “epistemology,” and “anthropology.” Therefore, the Buddhist practitioners and researchers can respond to the inter-religious dialogue, within the frames mentioned by western philosophers. Moreover, this can manifest the flexibility of Buddhism and also initiate an inter-religious dialogue between the Buddhist and the western religious philosophies. This thesis intends to explore the non-dual consciousness of inter-religious dialogue within the philosophies of Chinese Tiān Tái Buddhism, by a comparative reading of different paradigms between the Buddhist and the western philosophies, especially in the third section of each chapter. Chapter one, regarding the theory of truth, compares Zhū-fă-shí-xiàng (諸法實相) with Raimon Panikkar’s (1918-) non-dual truth. Chapter two, regarding epistemology, compares Yuán-dùn-zhĭ-guān (圓頓止觀) with four possible models of inter-religious dialogue derived from different epistemological approaches. Chapter three, regarding anthropology, compares Xìng-jù (性具) with the Karl Rahne