佛教是否關心正義？佛教正義觀的兩種認知及相關探討

Does Buddhism Concern for Justice?—Two Perspectives on Buddhist Justice and Related Reflections

「正義」是當今重要課題，本文探討佛教視角下的正義觀，嘗試釐清佛教對正義的主要觀點。首先，論述學界對於佛教倫理是否關心正義的歧見：一方面有學者認為佛教思想側重於慈悲與解脫，缺乏對正義的積極性回應；另一方面也有論者指出正義在佛教中雖不以西方語彙概念表述，實則蘊含於教義與修行之中。其次，對佛教輕忽正義進行初步反思，論述業報輪迴說與慈悲利他精神未必與正義理念相悖。第三，指出佛教正義觀有其脈絡重點，包括從苦難的關懷出發，以「緣起」為哲學基礎，視正義為順乎自然法則的實踐，並以心性轉化作為實現正義的訴求。本文認為，佛教雖未發展出當代西方哲學的正義理論模型，但教義中已涵蘊正義思索，或可對當代倫理與社會公義提供一定啟發，藉此展望「公民佛教」之可能，而為華語學界的佛學研究提供符應時代脈動的哲學探討。

“Justice”is a significant issue in contemporary society and philosophy. This paper aims to examine the concept of justice from a Buddhist perspective, seeking to clarify Buddhism’s basic stance and main viewpoints on the matter. First, it discusses scholarly disagreements over whether Buddhist ethics concerns itself with justice: on one hand, some scholars argue that Buddhist thought focuses on compassion and liberation, lacking an active response to justice; on the other hand, others contend that, although justice is not expressed in the vocabulary of Western concepts, it is in fact embedded in Buddhist doctrine and practice. Second, it offers a preliminary reflection on the claim that Buddhism neglects justice, arguing that the doctrines of karma and rebirth, together with the spirit of compassion and altruism, are not necessarily at odds with the idea of justice. Third, it identifies the distinctive features and contextual emphases of the Buddhist view of justice, which include beginning from a concern for suffering, grounding itself in the philosophical principle of Dependent Origination (pratītyasamutpāda), regarding justice as the practice of aligning with the“natural law,”and calling for inner transformation as the means to realize justice. This paper concludes that, although Buddhism has not developed a theoretical model of justice akin to those in contemporary Western philosophy, its doctrines already contain reflections on justice that may offer inspiration for contemporary ethics and social justice (such as eliminating injustice and promoting harmony). On this basis, it also envisions the possibility of a“Civic Buddhism”and provides a philosophical inquiry into Buddhist studies in the Sinophone academic world that resonates with the pulse of the times.