多元的傳承：馬來西亞佛教的實踐：第二屆馬來西亞佛教國際研討會論文集=Multi Tradition: The Practice of Malaysian Buddhism: Proceeding of the 2nd International Conference on Malaysian Buddhism
This article attempts to discuss the following two issues: 1. There are various Buddhist cultural traditions/forms available in the world today (such as the Theravada, Chinese Mahayana, Tibetan, Japanese and others). What are the fundamental differences among the various Buddhist traditions? 2. Buddhism has been in existence for more than 2000 years. In the course of its development, what phases (process of development and its critical/turning points) have caused the formation of the unique cultural characteristics of these various traditions?
From a macro perspective, this article discovers two important phases in the course of development of Buddhism: "Inheriting" and "Reinventing". At the "Inheriting" phase, there are two important phenomena: "Choice" and "Discarding" At the "Reinventing" phase, its new teaching also faces the conflict of "Agreement" and "Challenges". The formation of different schools of practices and the emerging of theological differences/disputes gradually take root in a competing atmosphere of "agreement" and "challenges". From these important phases in the development of Buddhism, we may realize the contributing factors to the various Buddhist traditions and their subsequent differences.
