重興禪門正統 ―― 現代“佛教復興”語境下來果振興揚州高旻寺研究=Returning to the Legitimacy of Chan: A Case Study on the Revival of Yangzhou Gaomin Si by the Traditional Chan Master Laiguo in the Context of Modern and Contemporary Buddhism
In the late Qing and Republican period, China has entered the modernization period with political, ideological and cultural development in all aspects of the society. Deeply rooted in the process of modernization, Chinese Buddhism has also encountered unprecedented impact. How to revitalize Chinese Buddhism has become a topic for many people of insight to consider and explore. This article's protagonist Lai Guo was a Chan monk who actively defended the sanctity of Buddhism during the great changes taken place within the country and Buddhism. In the process of revitalizing the Gaomin Monastery, Lai Guo had not completely abandoned the traditional monastery institution. He was actually a beneficiary of the Jiangnan monastery institution of “Becoming an Abbot while Receiving the Dharma Scroll”（傳法傳座）, and could use the authority of this system given to the abbot to conduct all-round management of the monastery well. The Chan character of the Gaomin Monastery and the attentive meditation practice of Lai Guo deeply echoed each other. He rebuilt the strict Chan tradition in Gaomin in the way of participating in meditation alone. A series of measures to revitalize Gaomin were formulated from both inside and outside. These measures were eventually retained in the form of the “Statutes of the Four Appartments in the Gaomin Monastery”（《高旻寺四寮規約》）. The success of the revival of the Gaomin Monastery proves that Lai Guo can stick to the orthodoxy and take Buddhism to its right position in the changing times. However, some aspects of Lai Guo and the Gaomin Monastery which are contrary to the modernization trend of Buddhism also suggest that the success of this revitalization is not perfect, and there are many problems worth discussing.
