Andre Laliberte is currently Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, Universite of Quebec at Montreal.
摘要
Laliberté looks at a relatively unexplored aspect of modern Taiwan: the influence of religion on politics. This book offers a detailed survey of three of the most important Buddhist organizations in Taiwan: the Buddhist Association of the Republic of China (BAROC), the Buddha Light Mountain (or Foguanshan) monastic order, and the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Association (or Ciji). It examines their contrasting approaches to three issues: state supervision of religion, the first presidential election of 1996, and the establishment of the National Health Insurance.
This study analyzes the factors that explain the diverse paths the three organizations have taken in the politics of Taiwan. Based on an in-depth examination of Buddhist leaders' behaviour, The Politics of Buddhist Organizations in Taiwan compels us to question conventional views about the allegedly passive aspect of religious tradition, deference to authority in societies influenced by Confucian culture and the adverse legacy of authoritarian regimes.
目次
Foreword vii Acknowledgements viii List of abbreviations xi
1. The political participation of Taiwanese Buddhist organizations in comparative perspectives 1 Introduction 1 Buddhist organizations and politics in contemporary Taiwan 2 Explaining the political participation of Buddhists 6 Understanding the politics of Taiwanese Buddhist organizations 14 Organization of the book 21 Conclusion 21
2. Taiwanese Buddhist organizations and politics in historical perspective 23 Introduction 23 Buddhists and politics in China before 1949 23 Buddhists and politics in Taiwan prior to 1989 34 Buddhists and politics after 1987 42 Conclusion 43
3. The BAROC and the safeguarding of the religion through lobbying 45 Introduction 45 The status of the BAROC after the lifting of martial law 45 The goals of the BAROC 49 The structure of the BAROC 53 The political behavior of the BAROC 54 Explaining the political behavior of the BAROC 59 Conclusion 64
4. Foguangshan’s humanistic Buddhism and the duty of remonstrance 66 Introduction 66 Xingyun and the development of Foguangshan 66 The goals of Foguangshan 68 The structure of Foguangshan 69 The political behavior of Foguangshan 70 Explaining the political behavior of Foguangshan 77 Conclusion 85
5. Ciji’s humanistic Buddhism and the avoidance of politics 86 Introduction 86 The goals of Ciji 86 The structure of Ciji 90 The political behavior of Ciji 92 Explaining the (a)political behavior of Ciji 97 Conclusion 104
6. Conclusions 106 Introduction 106 Summary of the findings and their relevance 106 Conclusion 112
Appendices 113 Notes 119 Selected bibliography 159 Index 173
