當代台灣佛教的聖俗悖論 -- 直入大乘與迴入大乘的經證與宗義=Paradoxical Discourses about the Sacred and the Secular in Contemporary Taiwanese Buddhism : Textual Evidences in Sutras and Doctrines about “Straight into the Mahāyāna” and “Detour into the Mahāyāna”
This study finds that not only the followers of the path to liberation emphasize “self-interest,” Mahāyāna followers may also have similar concern according to their different nature and paths: i.e. “the inconceivable liberation” mentioned in Flower Adornment Sūtra (Avatamasaka Sūtra) is an approach that gets “straight into the Mahāyāna,” while the belief that one can benefit others only when one is able to benefit him/herself first is a path similar to the path that “detours back into the Mahāyāna.” Critics of “Humanistic Buddhism” always argue that as long as Buddhism focuses its practices on providing reliefs to benefit all beings, it will easily become “secularized,” vulgarized and even corrupted. Such assumption is actually a western import of dichotomy deeply rooted in monotheistic religions, which cannot fully explain one’s religious practices-- especially Eastern ones. Even when they are pursuing and practicing a higher level of attainment in life, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in China never stand on the opposite side or isolate themselves from the secular world. Furthermore, for them, the sacred and the secular are just two embodiments of the same idea. However, the dichotomy between the sacred and the secular is inevitably introduced into the academic fields of Buddhist studies. Thus,Buddhism would be considered spiraling into a crisis of “secularization” when some Buddhists who advocate for more social engagement turn to be vulgarized, neglectful of meditation, and eager to establish connections with others. Worse even, such criticism may be extended more generally to equate “Humanistic Buddhism” completely with “secularized practices.” This is totally a misinterpretation to the word “secularization.” In fact, secularization and vulgarization are caused by moral degeneration of the individuals' minds rather than the individuals’ “disenchantment” of mystical experiences (through the process of reasoning or scientific verification). The compassionate Bodhisattvas, on the path “straight into the Mahāyāna,” are both secular and sacred. Free from disruptions caused by the dichotomy between the secular and the sacred, they aspire to attain the sacred solemnity of Buddhahood. They are to be regarded as the ideal and shall never be mediocre commoners described in the sacred-secular dichotomy!
