Taiwan went through an intense period of social change in 1949. The island's politics, economy, ethnicity …… had undergone considerable change. In response this period of tumultuous change, Master Dong Chu founded the "Humanity" magazine to help people cope.
Seventy years later, "Humanity" had weathered being shelved, relaunched and redesigned. It still continues to publish topics that help people cope with the changes in today's world monthly. As "Humanity" approaches its 70th anniversary, it is encountering a different kind of changing world. 27 June 2018, with the aim of sharing the diversity of spiritual practices, we invited dharma masters from different traditions to share the compassion and wisdom of Buddhadharma. The full texts of the keynote speeches and panels are included in this special issue of " Awakening in the Global Buddhist Village".
"Humanity's" guiding teacher, Master Sheng Yen, dedicated his life to bringing Chinese Chan Buddhism to the West. Many Westerners who became his students twenty to thirty years ago continue to follow his footsteps, engage in self cultivation and teaching, establish centers and transmit the lineage. How did they discover Chan Buddhism and how did they find their teacher, Master Sheng Yen? These stories of the teacher and the student are very inspirational.
In the twenty first century, on this 70th anniversary of "Humanity" magazine, Buddhism has spread around the world resembling a global Buddhist village. From the United States of America, Bhikkhu Bodhi described his process of transformation from a traditional monastic to that of a social advocator because he witnessed the oppression of human beings caused by the current social systems; to Italy's Bhikkhun? Dhammadinn? who shared about her journey of how she went from learning dancing to engaging in Buddhist research and ultimately to becoming a female monastic.
Contributing to the world in our capacity of Chinese Chan Buddhism, "Humanity"70 along with the Buddhist Dharma family all over the world and our friends on the same path, let us "Awaken in the Global Buddhist Village"!
About the Humanity magazine
Founded in 1949, Humanity magazine was the first Buddhist magazine published and released in Taiwan. Founded by Ven. Dong Chu and later continued by his disciple Master Sheng Yen, it has been one of the most influential magazines in Taiwan’s Buddhist circles.
Humanity magazine concerns itself about contemporary development of Buddhism, and puts an emphasis on the uplifting of people’s minds and spiritual lives. Each month’s topic not only touches upon various social phenomena, but also explores from Buddhist concepts to worldly studies, to encourage readers to search their inner beings and incorporate Buddhist practice into their daily lives. For cover and layout design, the magazine has invited outstanding illustrators to help render an elegant yet fun style, thus through pages allowing readers to slow down and find a space for spiritual relaxation, self-transformation, and the enjoyment of purity and freedom by applying the Dharma in life.
The magazine had been discontinued for a while due to Master Sheng Yen’s solitary retreat practice. When it was reissued in 1982, as an encouragement, he wrote:
Seek progress in the ordinary life and see the glory of life in hardship.
Seek development in harmony and see the hope in the hard work.
Seek abundance in peace and calm and see the solemness in the training.
Seek wisdom in silence and see the compassionate aspiration in the proactive commitment.
In the future, the Humanity magazine will continue to uphold Master Sheng Yen’s encouragements and expectations, to keep on sharing Buddhist wisdom and compassion, to help bring brightness and hope to the world.
長庚醫院榮譽副院長、腦神經科權威 朱迺欣博士潛心探索打坐對大腦的影響《打坐與腦》為朱迺欣醫師在立緒文化出版腦神經科學系列的經典著作,於2010年出版,本書為第二版印行,紀念朱醫師逝世周年。朱醫師多年潛心於佛禪學,探索打坐對腦神經的影響,實踐愛因斯坦的名言:「沒有宗教的科學是跛子,沒有科學的宗教是瞎子。」致力於宗教與科學融合的研究。目前,打坐已風行全世界。研究打坐,不但順應世界潮流,也能幫助我們瞭解心靈在大腦的運作,以及主觀經驗的一些腦機制。打坐可以說是「心靈的探針」。腦是心識(mind)的器官,打坐是心靈的訓練,牽涉到腦的運作。所以,腦與打坐應是息息相關。這表示,如果我們想瞭解打坐,必須認識我們的腦。廿一世紀是腦的世紀,我們必須探索腦的奧祕,包括認識我們自己,瞭解心識是什麼,情緒何等重要,智慧如何培養。我們正處在「心靈革命」的時代,打坐的重要性也水漲船高,因為它提供人類探索心靈的探針。做為現代人,我們必須瞭解腦;把腦的知識變成常識。如此,我們才能安然處在「心靈」革命中。我們期望,我們因而能獲得心靈的平靜、快樂和滿足。坐禪是靜坐冥想(meditation),華語傾向用打坐。雖然目前打坐風行世界,「禪與腦」對打坐本身,似乎未做深入探討,例如:打坐的歷史背景、打坐的方法、打坐的派別、打坐的原因、打坐的好處等。打坐的這些問題,我相信,應該是一般民眾想知道的。剛好,我自己對打坐有興趣,也有一些經驗,對打坐的科學文獻也有所涉獵。經過再三思索,我把想要寫的,定在打坐的腦科學研究,讓讀者從另一個角度看有千年歷史的東方心靈鍛鍊。不可否認,我對打坐和打坐的作用,有個人的一些見解,把它稱為偏見(bias)也可以。因為我喜歡歷史,我往往從歷史的角度觀察與分析;因為我也是腦科學的研究者,我也往往從腦科學的角度探討。與其他科普書籍比較,此書有一個特徵,即在敘述實驗發現或結果時,往往直接引用報告的表或圖,顯示實驗的「本來面目」,然後用通俗的語言說明或解釋。我衷誠希望,此項新嘗試能讓讀者產生親身感受的經驗,如同禪宗所說的:「如人飲水,冷暖自知。」──朱迺欣〈自序 腦科學看打坐的「本來面目」〉
作者簡介
朱迺欣美國密西根大學(University of Michigan)神經生理學博士,曾任美國科羅拉多大學(University of Colorado)神經科住院醫師,美國國家衛生研究院(National Institutes of Health, NIH)研究員,並任教於加州大學(University of California)爾灣(Irvine)醫學院,回國後任林口長庚醫院神經科主任,長庚醫院顧問級醫師及榮譽副院長,退休後2017年1月於美國加州逝世。專長診治頭痛、癲癇症、巴金森症、威爾遜病等。曾獲行政院國科會之傑出研究獎,並因研究錳中毒巴金森症出色,獲得美國巴金森基金會(National Parkinson Foundation)贊助,其研究小組成為該基金會的傑出研究中心,為亞洲第一個獲得此項榮譽之研究小組。除了學術專業論文外,著有《打坐與腦》、《腦與宗教:尋找腦中神明》(原書名《尋找腦中神明:宗教的腦科學觀》)、《靜坐:當東方靜坐遇上西方腦科學》、《神經神學:宗教有腦生物基礎嗎?》(以上皆立緒文化出版)、《懸壺看人間》、《認識腦、保護腦、開發腦》、《走出頭痛的陰影》、《巴金森病——認識與面對》、《前塵往事腦醫學》、《腦醫生的大帽子》等,另譯有《尋找腦中幻影》(Phantoms in the Brain)、《禪與腦》(Zen and the Brain)等書。
Chan is not necessarily any one thing, nor does Chan affirm or deny anything. However, whatever you need, Chan gives to you.
For regular meditators, this book provides basic sitting meditation techniques. Exceptionally busy people are advised to try and use the Chan cultivation methods in this book to harmonize themselves, and dissolve their attachment to "self." From relaxing the body and mind for as little as three minutes to attending to body and mind throughout daily life, these methods show the simplicity and practicality of expedient Chan methods.--Master Sheng Yen
作者簡介
Master Sheng Yen (1930-2009)
聖嚴法師1930年生於江蘇南通,1943年於狼山出家,後因戰亂投身軍旅,十年後再次披剃出家。曾於高雄美濃閉關六年,隨後留學日本,獲立正大學文學博士學位。1975年應邀赴美弘法。1989年創建法鼓山,並於2005年開創繼起漢傳禪佛教的「中華禪法鼓宗」。
聖嚴法師是一位思想家、作家暨國際知名禪師,曾獲臺灣《天下》雜誌遴選為「四百年來臺灣最具影響力的五十位人士」之一。著作豐富,中、英、日文著作達百餘種,先後獲頒中山文藝獎、中山學術獎、總統文化獎及社會各界的諸多獎項。
聖嚴法師提出「提昇人的品質,建設人間淨土」的理念,主張以大學院、大普化、大關懷三大教育推動全面教育,相繼創辦中華佛學研究所、法鼓佛教學院、僧伽大學、法鼓大學等院校,也以豐富的禪修經驗、正信的佛法觀念和方法指導東、西方人士修行。
法師著重以現代人的語言和觀點普傳佛法,陸續提出「心靈環保」、「四種環保」、「心五四運動」、「心六倫」等社會運動,並積極推展國際弘化工作,參與國際性會談,促進宗教交流,提倡建立全球性倫理,致力世界和平。其寬闊胸襟與國際化視野,深獲海內外肯定。
Master Sheng Yen was born in 1930 and became a monk in 1943. He conducted a six-year solitary retreat, after which he went to Japan for further study and obtained a doctorate in Buddhist literature at Rissho University. In 1975, he began sharing the Dharma in the US, and in 1989, founded the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan Buddhism.
He authored more than 100 publications in Chinese, English, and Japanese, and received the Sun Yat-sen Art and Literary Award, the Sun Yat-sen Academic Award, and the Presidential Cultural Award, among other honorary awards.
He proposed the vision of “uplifting the character of humanity and building a pure land on earth,” founded the Chung Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, Dharma Drum Buddhist College, Dharma Drum Sangha University, and Dharma Drum University. Experienced in Chan using correct approaches, he guided practice in both the West and East. Popularizing the Dharma in modern language, the Master initiated movements including Protecting the Spiritual Environment, Four Kinds of Environmentalism, the Fivefold Spiritual Renaissance Campaign, and the Six Ethics of the Mind. He shared the Dharma globally with a broadminded perspective, winning him worldwide recognition.