現代佛教女性的身體語言與性別重建：以慈濟功德會為例

Body Language and Gender Reconstruction of Contemporary Buddhist Women: A Case Study of Tzuchi Merit Association

本文以一佛教組織慈濟功德會的女性信眾為例，探討佛教的教義和團體實踐如何影響身體的概念和運用，身體又如何體現信仰，如何透過行動重建生命觀和人際關係。作者一方面呈現慈濟領導人證嚴法師及其信眾的身體陳述，另一方面視身體行動為一種語言，是個人和集體意識的表達，具超越文字所能述說的無聲的力量，可能深刻地改變女性生命史及其性別意識。研究發現，慈濟女性委員是以熟悉的家庭角色經驗，以養兒育女或勞動苦行的「社會身體」，進入宗教活動領域，但傳統家庭中「男對女卑」的權力關係，在慈濟志工團體內並未複製。此除受佛教傳統教義「色身脆弱無常」此一「解構」觀點所影響外，做醫院志工的親身體驗亦加強「眾生平等」的「去性別化」趨勢，而與社會的性別角色差異有所抗衡。當身體成為修行的依據，身體行動成為倫理教化的同時，女性的身體轉化為「行菩薩道」的神聖道場，是可以被自我意志經營，非世俗的社會角色所能界定，「宗教身體」透過儀式洗禮和信仰實踐，和其他成員有了「神聖連結」，得到非性別屬性的超越意涵。此「宗教身體」和「社會身體」並存的現象，展現細緻的身體政治，也重建性別觀念和形象。

This case study of female believers of the Buddhist Tzuchi MeritAssociation examines how Buddhist teachings and group practices influenceconcepts about and usage of the body, how the body works to embody beliefs, andhow actions serve to reconstruct life views and interpersonal relations. On theone hand, this paper presents narratives of the body by the leader of Tzuchi,Master Cheng Yen, and her followers. On the other hand, this paper deciphersbodily actions as a language that express individual and collectiveconsciousness in such a powerful way as to be beyond words, potentially change awoman's life history, and her gender consciousness. In particular, this paperfinds that Tzuchi female commissioners enter the religious domain by expandingupon already familiar domestic role experiences. In traditional families, their'social body' is used to raise children where labor is prominent and powerrelations are 'males are superior, females inferior.' Nevertheless, Tzuchivolunteer groups do not duplicate the engendered powe relations in domesticlife. This is partly because Buddhist doctrine adheres to a 'deconstructive'view of the body as flimsy and unstable, and partly because hospital volunteerpraxis adhere to the Buddhist ideal of 'all beings are equal.' Thus, Tzuchivolunteer groups tend to degenderize human relations and to contest genderdifferences. When the body is engaged for moral cultivation and bodily actionsserve to highlight ethical learning, the female body is converted into a sacredsite for 'leading a Bodhisatta's way.' This body can be managed by self-will andneed not be defined by secular social roles. By virtue of ritual beliefs andpractices that build up 'sacred solidarity' between members of volunteer groups,this body elicits meanings beyond gender. The coexistence of 'the religiousbody' and 'the social body' demonstrates a subtle body politics thatreconstructs gender ideas and images.