中國處境中的宗教對話之歷史經驗－以太虛大師與艾香德牧師為例=The Historical Experience of Dialogue between Religions in Chinese Situation: The Example of Taixu and Karl Ludvig Reichelt
Master Taixu, an eminent monk in the modern history of Buddhism in China, once met many times Rev. Karl Ludvig Reichelt, a missionary from Norway to spread Christianity in China. To propel the development of their respective faith, they discussed heatedly, with remarkable open-mindedness and cosmopolitan tolerance, about the beliefs and doctrines of the two religions. Such inter-religious dialogues, in effect, are of great benefit to the two parties involved. Influenced by the revival of Buddhism-especially Householder Buddhism-on the Chinese soil, Reichelt became increasingly aware that ＂a missionary can hardly serve the Lord well without studying the thoughts of Buddhism.＂ By establishing the institutions like Ching Fong Shan, Tao Fong Shan, and Tian Fong Shan, he initiated the ＂Movement for Religious Unity＂, to promote the understanding and dialogue between different religions. When propagating ＂Humanistic Buddhism＂, Taixu attempted to learn about the development of world religions, to balance Buddhism and science, and to further the application of Buddhist thoughts in modern social life. He exerted himself to spread Buddhism abroad, and made some special efforts in his ideal of advocating ＂Humanistic Buddhism＂, like adopting the organizing mode of the Christian Church. Objectively speaking, the two religious masters deepened their own understanding of different religions by being engaged in inter-religious dialogues, and thus advanced the development of each religion. However, their inter-religious dialogues and related practices also gave rise to considerable controversy in their times. It is definitely very inspiring and instructive for today's advancement of inter-religious dialogues to re-examine the historical experience of the two religious masters in the similar fields.
