聖嚴思想融合性之歷史根源與特色

The Synthetic Tendency of the Thought of Master Sheng Yen: Its Historical Origin and Characteristics

聖嚴法師畢生致力於漢傳佛教之研究與傳播，成就斐然，在東西方均享有崇高聲譽：在歐美佛教界，聖嚴法師展現漢傳禪師之面貌，指導禪修，培養出多位西方法子，推動漢傳禪法在西方社會扎根，其教學標榜中華禪（Chan）特色，有別於日本禪風（Zen）；在東亞佛教學圈，聖嚴法師則以法鼓山創辦人身份，積極推動心靈環保教育與人間淨土思想，為當代漢傳人間佛教之代表者。
近代漢傳佛教，面對西方現代性之衝擊，亟思轉型以續佛慧命，聖嚴法師研究佛學之深心悲願，在於追邁前賢，紹述漢傳佛教，興弊起衰，以恢宏之心胸汲取漢傳佛法珍貴遺產，對其各項傳統進行創新性的融貫會通，以闡發其思想精義，並回應現代社會乃至全球化世界之需求，以契合當代人心，促進宗教交流，擘劃全球倫理，為世界和平而努力。
本研究計畫以聖嚴思想為考論對象，由其明末佛教之研究切入，目的在於整體呈現聖嚴思想之全貌，進而論證其佛學體系之融合性，乃禪、教、淨、律並揚，其歷史根源乃追武明末佛教復興大師，並展現對漢傳佛教進行整體現代化研究、詮釋與轉化之特色。

Master Sheng Yen had devoted himself to teaching and spreading Chinese Buddhism for all his life and obtained honorable achievements. In western society, he was taken as a qualified Chan master and had successfully established DDM Chinese Chan lineage transmission in Europe, Oceania and America. In East Asia, he founded DDM, one of the representative contemporary Chinese Buddhist organizations, to promote the idea of “spiritual environmentalism”(xinling huanbao 心靈環保) which absorbs the environmental movements into Buddhist practices and endows humanistic Buddhism a global profi le in contemporary society. As we know, Master Sheng Yen was heir to both the Gushan Linji lineage and the Jiaoshan Caodong lineage, which might motivate him to transcend the sectarian barriers and guide the developments of DDM from the synthetic vision of the whole Chinese Chan Buddhism (Zhonghua Chan 中華禪). From the perspective of syncretism, this essay attempts to argue that the thought of Mater Sheng Yen is the synthesis of the legacy of Chinese Buddhist traditions of Chan, doctrine studies, Pure Land practices, and precepts-giving. Furthermore, the essay will suggest that this synthetic tendency could be traced back to the efforts of the eminent Chinese Buddhist masters in the late Ming. In conclusion, I will point out that the remarkable contributions of Master Sheng Yen actually coming from his taking Chinese Buddhism traditions as a whole, taking a new approach and giving them modern interpretations.