余英時對佛教的理解與對新禪宗的論衡

Yu Ying-shi’s Understanding of Buddhism and his Discussion of New Zen Buddhism

余英時是當代傑出史學家，他從少年時代至晚年，與佛教禪宗都有一定的接觸，其著述中涉及佛禪議題的也不少。基本上，余氏肯定佛教義理在現代是很重要的精神資源。他認為佛教主出世，而新禪宗轉向「入世苦行」，影響至大。余氏對佛教的理解，可歸納為四項：一者，佛教是高度發展並且在思想上有一套成熟而複雜的哲學；二者，佛教經由道家思想的接引而融入中國文化，並廣泛流衍；三者，佛教高僧具有「士」的「拯救眾生之悲願」，值得尊敬；四者，佛教具無形作用，特別是大乘精神有助於「內聖」暨「外王」之實現。至於他對新禪宗的論衡，可概括為五個觀點：一是惠能創立具革命性意義的新禪宗；二是新禪宗的核心精神是「入世苦行」；三是新禪宗主張超越世界與現實生活「不即不離」；四是新禪宗激發宋明新儒家的勃興；五是新禪宗「直指本心」強調心的作用。在他看來，新禪宗的入世轉向，糅合了此岸與彼岸，與西方新教倫理相近。兩者對勘，新禪宗比基督新教較早提出「入世苦行」此一宗教倫理，但在歷史與社會影響方面，基督新教無疑更大。

Yu Ying-Shi is a distinguished contemporary historian who has had significant engagement with Buddhism and Zen from his youth to his later years, with numerous writings addressing topics related to Buddhism and Zen. Fundamentally, he affirms that Buddhist doctrine is an important spiritual resource in the modern era. His beliefs that Buddhism primarily advocates for“renunciation of the world”while new Zen Buddhism shifts towards“worldly-engagement”have had a profound impact. Yu’s understanding of Buddhism can be summarized in four key points: First, Buddhism is a highly developed and complex philosophical system. Second, Buddhism has integrated into Chinese culture through the reception of Taoism and has spread widely. Third, Buddhist monks embody a“scholar’s”aspiration to“rescue all beings,”which deserves respect. Fourth, Buddhism has an intangible influence, particularly the Mahayana spirit, which aids in the realization of both the“inner sage”and“outer king.”His evaluation of the new Zen Buddhism can be categorized into five points: First, Huineng established a new Zen Buddhism with revolutionary significance. Second, the core spirit of the new Zen Buddhism is“worldly-engagement.”Third, the new Zen Buddhism advocates“not pursuing and not avoiding”as an approach to transcend the world and real life. Fourth, new Zen Buddhism stimulated the rise of Neo-Confucianism during the Song and Ming dynasties. Fifth, new Zen Buddhism emphasizes“directly pointing to the mind,”highlighting the significance of the mind. In his view, new Zen Buddhism’s shift towards“worldly-engagement”combines the concepts of secular and non-secular, resembling Western Protestant ethics. In comparison, new Zen Buddhism proposed the idea of“worldly-engagement”earlier than Protestant Christianity, but in terms of historical and social impact, Protestantism undoubtedly has had a greater influence.