Summary Over the past twenty years, Buddhism has developed rapidly in Taiwan. Many Buddhist groups participate actively in charity work,and female believers are the driving force behind these activities. On the one hand,these women translate the giving and caring qualities of traditional female roles into Buddhist mercy and altruism,expanding their range of activity in society;on the other hand,they also encourage other family members to join Buddhist groups, thus giving family attributes to these organizations. The present paper discusses the trend toward integration of modern Buddhism and public life in terms of both the influence of religion on the family and the influence of the family on religion,focusing on the important medium of Buddhist women's religious practice.
The research data used in this paper comes mainly from the author's five years of fieldwork with the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Association,as well as the publications of this organization. The author first discusses female Buddhist believers in the family,describing the social and family conditions under which they participate in Buddhist charity activities, as well as the manner in which individual participation transforms into family participation. The factors that contribute to this process include the following:(1) the emphasis on the reestablishment of family ethics in the doctrine and practice of popular Buddhism;(2) the transformation of the loving and tolerant motherly role into a group moral dynamic,making women a guiding force in Buddhist organizations;(3) the weakened functions of the modern family.�mily ethics in the doctrine and practice of popular Buddhism;(2) the transformation of the loving and tolerant motherly role into a group moral dynamic,making women a guiding force in Buddhist orga�izations;(3) the weakened functions of the modern family.�mily ethics in the doctrine and practice of popular Buddhism;(2) the transformation of the loving and tolerant motherly role into a group moral dynamic,making women a guiding force in Buddhist orga�ization