靈性非宗教、轉化非救贖：對台灣新時代運動靈性觀的社會學考察

Spiritual but not Religious, Transformational but not Salvational: A Sociological Examination of New Age Spiritualities in Taiwan

新時代運動起源自西歐及美國地區，是一種透過個人的靈性覺醒轉而追求身心靈一體成長的新興社會運動。這個外來的新興靈性運動，在1980年代初期由少數幾位有旅美經驗的人士從美國引進台灣後，即以其強調「自我」為主體的特色吸引了一小群人士參與，經歷20多年的發展之後，成為台灣多元化宗教及靈修市場中的一員。本文主要在於回答幾個問題：一、為什麼在台灣社會有一小群人士會離開各種宗教團體與信仰，轉而投入新時代運動？二、台灣新時代靈性觀在多大程度上符合Paul Heelas的觀點：新時代作為一種「自我宗教」？三、新時代運動在進入台灣以後，開展出什麼樣的一種靈性觀？本研究透過深度訪談40位認同新時代一詞並投入相關活動的人士，以台灣的情況來對照及擴充西方對新時代運動的相關理論解釋，得出幾點結論。首先，受訪者以「實證主義」為取向的態度，在生活中印證及建構出這個「自我宗教」。其次，這些參與者抱持一種「靈性非宗教」的態度，包括：反對宗教的「權威化」、「排它性」、「教條化」與「儀式化」，以及「組織化」等。這個新時代靈性觀的另一特色是「轉化非救贖」，亦即，參與者重視個人自身的轉化經驗，但不認為那是一種外力的救贖或加持，他們也沒有原罪或業障的想法，而是透過自我覺察的能力，在參與新時代活動中經歷一連串自我反思的過程，以重新建構自我認同。台灣新時代運動的靈性觀反映出許多人希望在「傳統與現代」或「『舊時代』宗教與新時代靈性」之間尋求一種新的平衡。

The New Age Movement (NAM) in the West is a new form of social movement that originated from the US and west Europe, which cultivates spiritual awareness and personal development within a holistic framework. New Age ideas were introduced from the US to Taiwan in the early 1980s and have subsequently developed into a fluid spiritual social movement. Since then, the preference for a sacralized 'Self and self-transformation by means of healing has been attracting a growing number of followers among the diverse religious and spiritual marketplace in Taiwan. This article aims to answer three questions: first, why do a number of people leave various religious groups and get involved in the NAM? Second, to what extent can the NAM in Taiwan be considered as Paul Heelas's 'self-religion'? Third, what kind of spirituality does it manifest in Taiwan? Data analysis for this article is based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 40 people who acknowledge, and become strongly involved in, the Movement. Related theoretical explanations for the NAM in the West are also referred to in order to get a broad, comparative overview. I then draw the following conclusions. First, my informants acknowledge, elaborate and revise a form of 'self-religion' according to their life experiences in reality. Second, people who get involved in the NAM regard themselves as being 'spiritual but not religious,' which is shown in their criticisms of characteristics of 'religions' such as authoritarianism, exclusivism, orthodoxism, ritualism, and rigid institutionalization, according to their previous religious experiences. Another characteristic of the spirituality of the NAM in Taiwan is 'transformational but not salvational.' In this respect, participants emphasise their experiences of self-transformation and do not regard it as a kind of 'salvation' by 'transcendental power' or 'personified gods/goddess.' Moreover, they do not embrace ideas of original 'Sin' and 'Karma'. Instead, they are encouraged to cultivate self-awareness in the process of self-reflexivity while participating in New Age practices to reconstruct their self-identity. The characteristics of New Age spiritualities in Taiwan imply that many people in the NAM seek a new balance between 'tradition and modernity' or 'new age spiritualities and 'old age' religion'.