景文科技大學通識教育中心教授=Professor, Dept. of General Education, Jinwen University of Science and Technology
關鍵詞
傳統式的歷史=conventional history; 佛教史家=Buddhist historian; 佛教特質=Buddhist characteristics; 政教關係=relationship between politics and religion; 禪=Zen; 天台學派=Tiantai schools; 師匠的風尚=activities of Masters; 佛教中國化=sinification of Buddhism
Buddhist version of history is quite different from conventional historical understanding as it carries some unhistorical material-Buddhist faith or thought. Buddhist faith or thought is very important for Buddhist research, but a researcher still has to distinguish historical information from those miraculous events discounted as later accretions in order to get closer to the truth. For historians, the fact, record and an ability of imaginative understanding, if they are necessary, are not absolute. With philosophical outlook or religious views on Buddhist history, there will be some phenomena coming out: confessions, systematic theology and creeds. Reliable Buddhist history depends on historians' "sense of the direction in history." Achievement and conclusions could be gained only by deep feeling for the lives and working hard. Through the history of Zen and Tiantai schools, this paper aims to analyze the differences between Buddhist version and conventional standards of history, to realize the relationship of Buddhist masters and imperial power and to manifest Buddhist characteristics and Masters' activities.
