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.
1949年,臺灣經歷著劇烈的社會變遷,政治、經濟、族群……充滿了變數。在那個劇變的年代,人力物力極度拮据的時局中,《人生》誕生了,創辦人東初老和尚「運用它的廣長舌,張開它的獅子口,作大吼聲,驚破那一切正在迷戀著物慾的大夢,叫它們都能醒覺過來。」這是老和尚對驟變時代做出的回應。轉眼七十年過去,《人生》經歷停刊、復刊、改版,至今月月如期出刊,持續回應著時代人心的需要。邁入七十歲的《人生》,面對又一個全然不同的驟變世局,2018年6月27日,特別邀請多位來自不同傳承的法師大德共同分享佛法悲智,為修行者提供修行指引。兩場精彩的主題演講和座談會全文,就收錄在本期「悟吧!在世界佛教村」特刊。《人生》導師聖嚴法師曾說:「我們的未來,一定要有前瞻性,要往遠處看、往大處看。大處,就是世界佛教;遠處,就是未來的佛教。」應該放眼全世界,要有世界觀,不要自限在「臺灣佛教」或「中國佛教」的地域化思考中。因此編輯室廣邀世界各國的法師居士大德,分享在地的第一手觀察。在「世界佛教村」轉角,菩提長老反思社會制度對人造成的壓迫,分享從重視研修的傳統僧侶生活轉而投入社會倡議的歷程;梅村法師分享,一行禪師2018年回歸祖庭後,對於越南佛教的深刻影響;彌山法師談到韓國佛教的困境,以及佛法與科學跨界的應用;宣方剖析中國「佛系青年」現象;還有日本許多青年和尚奮臂改變現狀的「逆襲」;因稿擠而必須留待下期的東南亞五國「激進的佛教」來龍去脈,馬來西亞教界以佛曲募心的青年學佛風潮,美國本土佛教團體中的種族矛盾……各地作者分享的佛教發展現況與自身的修行歷程,彷彿展示著佛教的「光譜」:保守與激進、年輕化與高齡化、開放與緊縮、世俗化與出世的……可說是佛教融入當代社會,逐漸形成的現象與趨勢,卻也提醒我們唯有以法為洲,回歸佛陀本懷,深化自己的修行,才能在出世與入世之間,持續踏實修行,進而利益眾生。在此特別感恩各地的法門眷屬、作者群,為《人生》七十週年特刊貢獻心力與珍貴的省思。讓我們看到What a 「Wonder佛」(Wonderful) World!多麼殊勝的世界佛教村!「雜誌為佛教的生命線。」這是東初老和尚創立《人生》的初衷。一本雜誌代表一個時代文化,《人生》七十新開始,願《人生》代佛分身說法,讓智慧恆久遠,正法永流傳。聖嚴法師談21世紀的佛教徒2018「世界佛教村」座談會主題演講.座談會【驟變.應變】關寂照:變動的時代,不動的修行【佛教.文化】繼程法師:佛教是文化,是生命之道【轉角.世界佛教村】美:菩提比丘/越:一行禪師/日:青年和尚逆襲 韓:佛法跨界/中:青年為何「佛系」?/澳:南向新天地【漢傳禪法西來】賽門.查爾德/麥克斯.卡林/卡門.米哈勒內