一貫道的宗教全球化初探：從臺灣、馬來西亞到英國

The Globalization of Yiguandao:From Taiwan, Malaysia to the UK

一貫道是當代宗教全球化現象的重要案例之一。就「華人族裔內的跨國連結」而言，本研究考察1970 年代臺灣與新加坡、馬來西亞共同位於東亞後進發展國家的結構處境，當時一貫道擔綱者的社會階層係黑手師傅與黑手頭家，海外「投資設廠」以取得正當性因而成為可行的宗教傳播策略。再就「跨族裔的全球化」而言，本研究考察1990 年代起，一貫道由馬來西亞與臺灣接續傳向英國倫敦與曼徹斯特的歷程；此一階段的擔綱者，一方面是兩地道場的新世代跨文化轉譯者，另方面是來自臺灣的黑手頭家轉換為身心靈指導者，兩者協同面對了後工業化靈性消費的英國社會。

The transnational transmission of Yiguandao is significant in the study of globalization of religion. First, focusing on the transnational connection within overseas Chinese communities, this paper explores the spread of Yiguandao from Taiwan to Singapore and Malaysia in the 1970s, when the three countries shared the same structural condition of latecomer development in East Asia. Overseas investments made by the social carriers in Yiguandao became a feasible strategy for religious transmission. Second, in terms of cross-ethnic globalization of Yiguandao, this paper investigates how Yiguandao was transmitted from Malaysia and Taiwan to London and Manchester, UK, in the 1990s. Yiguandao confronted the consumption of spirituality in the post-industrial society whereby its salvation mode has been gradually characterized by and its syncretism has incorporated new elements from western religions. Still, despite its close inter-action with the mind, body and soul movement, Yiguandao does not completely adapt into individualized religious beliefs.