This study examines a specific group of female practitioners at Fo Guang Shan: shigus師姑. Though they are perceived as laity, shigus are different in that they live celibate lives, are vegetarians, and uphold lay bodhisattva precepts, making them more alike to monastics. The term shigu has been used by Venerable Master Hsing Yun since the founding of Fo Guang Shan to describe women who have devoted themselves to serving Buddhism. Particularly, the Venerable Master held the first ceremony for initiating shigus in 1992. For this paper, interviews were conducted with six prominent Fo Guang Shan shigus Hsiao Pi-hsia蕭碧霞, Hsiao Pi-liang蕭碧涼, Huang Mei-hua黃美華, Huang Tun-jing黃惇靖, Wu Shu-hua吳淑華, and Tsai Li-fen 蔡麗芬. Moreoever, this paper traces the origin of the term shigu through the terms qinggu清姑, caigu 菜姑, and zhaigu齋姑, to explore the origins of the shigu system developed by Master Hsing Yun, and to clarify its function within the Buddhist monastic community. The interviews conducted offer insight into the reasons for initiating shigus into the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order. Furthermore, this paper discusses how this practice reflects the philosophy of Venerable Master Hsing Yun's Humanistic Buddhism and his promotion of building a pure land in the human world. The interview also examines the ways in which shigus respond to the challenges of society, and make a vow to enter the world for the benefit of others and to advance Buddhism throughout the world. Taking into consideration the above, the study of Fo Guang Shan shigus is not only an examination of Fo Guang Shan, but also an exploration of the role of women in the development and influence of religious organizations, from how the role of women within religious organizations is shaped in response to changes in times, culture, and society, to the identity issues arising as a result. The purpose of this paper is to provide a reference for the unexplored issues surrounding religion and women's oral histories.
