會靈山現象的社會學考察：去地域化情境中民間信仰的轉化與再連結

A Sociological Analysis of the Collective Trance Movement 'Converging with the Spirit-Mountain': The Transformation And Re-embedding of Folk Religion under the Situation of De-territorialization

現代化過程產生時空的標準化，將對於基層地方性脈絡裡的特殊性人際關係與社會活動產生消解性作用，也就是會產生「去地域化」的結果。這對於漢人傳統地域性之民間信仰，產生極大衝擊，可能瓦解原屬祭祀圈內信仰生活之完整性與正當性。然而民眾基層的「生活世界」，儘管的確受到「去地域化」的衝擊，但是對應且平行於「現代性」運作的各種機制，它卻也可能產生各種內在性的轉化，而達成於一種適應於新的社會情境的宗教實踐模式。在台灣當代的時空脈絡中，「會靈山」現象的存在與發展，提供了我們一個真實的例子，來就有關問題提出分析與討論。「會靈山」是一個在當代台灣興起的集體性起乩運動，信徒多由地方宮壇的執事者帶領，以小團體為主，而至全台各地之「母娘廟」進行通靈起乩之朝聖活動，其興起大約在1980年代以後，而在1990年代末期達到高峰。「會靈山」雖逐漸產生文本與系統性的教義，卻仍保留著民間信仰無正式組織，無教派歸屬的信仰型態。本文特別探討「會靈山」修行系統中的三個核心組成元素：「先天靈」之觀念、「私人宮壇」與「善書」等，在維繫宗教實踐層面所扮演的角色。最後，本文也就民間信仰活動中之「內在能動性」在時代變遷過程中所產生的相應變化有所討論。

The process of modernization produces a standardized time-space experience. It disrupts the social activities and relations particularized to territorial contexts. As a result, de-territorialization may appear, and the plausibility of Han people's traditional territorial folk religion may be weakened. Nevertheless, as religious practices of local communities face the challenge of deteritorialization coming from the mechanisms of modernity, it is possible that through some analogous mechanisms folk religion can be transformed into a format in which it can adapt itself to modem situations. In the present paper, the case of Converging with the Spirit-Mountain, a collective trance movement becoming popular in Taiwan since the mid-1980s, may help us to shed light on these issues. This movement is Jed by thousands of group leaders coming from the 'Private Temple.' The purpose of the participants' religious practices is to spiritually converge with specific 'Mother Deities' residing in the so-called 'Mother Temple,' and through this process be healed as well as attain ultimate salvation. Even with richly produced texts and furthermore a systematic doctrine, this movement remains a form of folk religion, in the sense that it is without any formal organization or sectarian activities. Three elements of this movement-a concept of 'the Precedent Heaven Soul,' 'Private Temple,' and 'Morality Book' are discussed intensively. The internal dynamics of folk religion across time in Taiwan also are examined.