齋佛相濟．敦儒修真－圓滿德治法師的內修外弘=Self-cultivation and Social Engagement - Zhaijiao’s Syncretism with Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism in Ven. Monk Yuan Man De Jhih’s Life
丹道=Dan Dao; 新莊覺明寺=Xingzhuang Jueming Monastery; 齋教=Zhaijiao; 圓滿德治法師=Ven. Yuanman De-zhi; 全省孝子孝婦事錄=The Records of Filial Pious Men and Women’s Traces in Taiwan Province
In this thesis I will introduce Ven. Yuanman De-zhi (圓滿德治法師, 1902-1971), a local gentry entering the Buddhist order and establishing Jueming monastery (覺明寺) at Xingzhuang Township (新莊) in Taipei County after the Japanese Colonization. He had been a rich business man and won the election of Japanese city councilor; then, he became a widower and transferred his career to social service through religion. His self-cultivation and social engagement exemplifies his contemporary attitude toward the syncretism of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. Ven. Yuanman, whose secular name Chen Tu (陳塗), was very interested in religion, contacting the Longhua sect (龍華派) of Vegetarian Religion (literally in Chinese Zhaijiao,齋教) in his youth, being converted to the Taoist Goddess Godden Mother － the Celestial Worthy (Yaochi Jinmu Wuji Tianzun, 瑶池金母無極天尊) at the age of 49, three-year latter taking Ven. Kaisan (開參法師), the abbot of Daxing Monastery at Baihe Township in Tainan (臺南白河大仙寺) as teacher and named as Xinming (心明), and completed the construction of Jueming Monastery at the age of 66 (1967). Although he began to build Jueming Monastery at his 50s, he neither received tonsure nor accepted ordination, which was common practice in his days. Today Ven. Yuanman's lay disciple Lu Puyi (呂普義) administrates Jueming Monastery and hired Buddhist monk as abbot, as well as attributing the monastery to the Longhua sect of the Linji School of Mahayana Buddhism (大乘佛教臨濟宗龍華法門道場), an identity similar to Vegetarian Religion. Lu Puyi has reserved a great number of scriptures belonging to Ven. Yuanman, including Guan qiao shuo《觀竅說》 and Shuangxiu jian fa shuji《雙脩漸法述記》, two manuals of Taoist internal alchemy, Dan Dao (丹道). Based on these two scriptures, I will analyze Ven. Yuanman’s religious cultivation. Ven. Yuanman has attributed himself to social charity and moral education. Specifically, he spent many years riding bicycles around the island, collecting the deeds of filial piety, compiling and printing the book "The Records of Filial Pious Men and Women's Traces in Taiwan Province" 《全省孝子孝婦事錄》. In order to promote filial piety, then he organized the "Cultural Revival and Filial Piety praise Group"「文化復興宣孝團」, and traveled around the island for one year. The research on Ven. Yuanman includes his inner cultivation and external service in terms of "Nei Xiu Wai Hong" (內修外弘). In addition to his Buddhist career, Ven. Yuanman also emphasized his approach toward Confucianism and Daoism to achieve civil education and to pursue the Truth; that is, "Dun Ru Xiu Zhen"(敦儒修真) in his words.
