【作者简介】惠忆晨，清华大学社会学系。

【文章来源】《社会》2023年第4期。

【内容提要】本文以近代著名僧人太虚在 20 世纪 20 至 40 年代的佛教改革和社会思想论说为对象，分析太虚是如何从佛教教理出发，因应当时的各种社会思潮，提出社会改革方案，并论述佛教同社会思潮以及社会转型之间的相互建构关系。本文一方面管窥佛教文明面对现代社会的创造性适应与转化何以可能，另一方面呈现一种积极入世的中国佛教面貌，使太虚的理念同韦伯比较宗教社会学中有关大乘佛教的现世心态和生活动力的论述展开隔空对话。最后，本文尝试从“方便”与“究竟”的范畴入手挖掘太虚社会理论的价值，也为佛教中国化提供新的理解视角。

【关 键 词】太虚；社会转型；佛教中国化

【全文链接】https://www.society.shu.edu.cn/CN/Y2023/V43/I4/1

What is “Freedom”: The Chinese Implications of Taixu’sReformation of Buddhism

HUI Yichen

Abstract:This paper focuses on the Buddhist reform and social thought of thefamous modern monk Taixu in the 1920s -1940s，analyzing how Taixu reconstructedsocial reform plans by drawing on Buddhist teachings and responding to varioussocial currents at that time. In addition，this study discusses the interdependentrelationships between Buddhism，social ideas and social transformation. On the onehand，Taixu put forward the ultimate“freedom”of the mind as a value guide in theHistorical View of Freedom in order to solve the authoritarian consequences broughtabout by the introduction of Western social progressivism. On the other hand，Taixuinterpreted the “gradual”teaching that was not emphasized in the MahayanaBuddhist system previously as a way to guide human society from individual worldlyperfection to the complete enlightenment of the “Bodhisattva path”，making theconstruction of society a practice of the“Bodhisattva path”. In addition，Taixu，whohad experiences of studying abroad，recognized the drawbacks of Western postwarsocial group organizations and saw that the Chinese society based on “families”wasbecoming more“individualized”. Therefore，how to restrain“selfishness”had becomethe basic principle in Taixu’s envision of the modern China social organization. Hisplan was to integrate the “altruistic”perspective of the “Bodhisattva path”intocivic morality，using the Buddhist concept of “dependent origination”to build abasic social relationship in which people were equal to each other. This studyexplores the creative adaptation and transformation of Buddhist civilization in theface of modern society. In his active engagement with the world，Taixu inadvertentlystarted a dialogue with Weber’s comparative sociology of religion，particularlyregarding his discussions on Mahayana Buddhism’s worldly mentality and lifemotivation. Finally，this study attempts to extract the social theoretical value ofTaixu’s concepts of “skillful means”and “ultimate reality”，providing newperspectives for the study of the Sinicization of Buddhism.

Key words：Taixu，social transformation，Chineseization of Buddhism