宗教研究的「神入」

Empathy in Religious Studies

台灣學界尚未充分開展對宗教經驗的研究，尤其是漢人宗教研究著重於宗教行為和組織的觀察分析，忽略宗教信仰過程的個人經驗探討。本文以個人長期田野經驗為例，探討宗教研究所需的「神入」，已非人類學傳統「參與觀察」的方法所能傳達其義，因為宗教牽涉哲學、倫理學、美學的人文學領域，研究者需對被研究者有「同情的默會」與「體驗之知」。筆者以為研究者的親身體驗是重要的研究資料，研究者不一定要成為信徒，其或只是在「信徒化」的濡染過程，因身份位置和信仰經驗的不同詮釋，並沒有所謂標準的信徒可言。信徒表達的宗教經驗是「生命性」、「道德性」與「情感性」，而研究者著重宗教的「概念性」、「功能性」和「理性」，前者的關懷常超越時空，而後者則企圖把被研究對象「凝固」在特定時空中，宗教研究的「神入」是要在研究態度和知識的建構上貼近前者。本文意圖凸顯宗教信仰有其涵蓋身心靈的特殊性，研究者貼近被研究者感情、言語、身體行動感受所構築的生活現實，在「人情」基礎上體會人們信仰的道德理由和情感動力，對其敘事、體驗、信仰指向的非限此時空的存在感和人我「締結性關係」有同情的默應，這樣的「神入」才能深入瞭解與呈現信徒的宗教經驗。

Studies of Han religion have mainly focused on religious behavior and organization than individual belief experiences. Drawing on long-term fieldwork, the author reflects upon the issue of 'empathy' in studying religion. Given that religion involves humanities such as philosophy, ethics, and aesthetics, the researcher has to sympathetically understand, and get close to the belief system of, the researched. Methodologically speaking, 'participant-observation' of anthropological work is not able to highlight what 'empathy' means in religious studies. The author argues that even the researcher's personal experience of becoming a kind of believer/insider is pertinent to the study. 'Empathy' takes into account the believers' experiences with regard to life, morality, and affection, rather than ideas, function and rationality in academic concerns. This article discusses how religious beliefs are characterized by bodily, mental and spiritual aspects. It is only through feeling into life realities represented by sentiments, narratives and bodily actions of the researched can a researcher understand why people are morally and emotionally motivated to participate in religious activities. Also, the researcher may have to attend to the researched's sense of being beyond this world and this life, and sense of self-other connection. 'Empathy' as such will lead to deep understanding of religious experiences.