文／顧頡鋒 Stefan Kukowka 圖／佛陀紀念館 Buddha
Museum
2020世界神明聯誼會至今已舉辦第十年，能參與本次聖事著實令人感到榮幸與歡喜。在嚴密防疫要求下，諸位法師、義工及各地宮廟的人士依然井井有條進行本次活動，為宗教交流與世界和平立下豐功偉績。
神明聯誼不僅是宗教交流的平台，亦展現對不同宗教的尊重與包容。不同信仰的人，在相同的時間地點，用包容心齊聚一堂十分難得，此活動與星雲大師提倡同中存異，不必異中求同的理念互相輝映。
廟會在臺灣常見，然而民間宗教的各路神明共同聚集在佛陀紀念館是難能可貴。這種大廟會，顯示了臺灣社會的開放性，並且能破除對傳統佛教的刻板印象，如退守到山林遁世的佛教。星雲大師推動的神明聯誼會反映現代臺灣佛教的新發展趨向，由山林入社會服務將佛法在人間展開，為佛法在人間實踐的範本與進行宗教對話的典範。
On
December 25, 2020, Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum held the annual ‘When Buddha
Meets the Gods Event - Epidemic Prevention and Prayers for Peace and Security.’
The event was held for the tenth year in a row and displayed a resounding
success in terms of cooperation, respect, and tolerance. Not only the monastics
and volunteers of Fo Guang Shan, but also the many thousand believers from
across Taiwan were able to work together and make the event run smoothly.
‘When
Buddha Meets the Gods’ is not only a platform for religious exchange but also a
demonstration of respect and tolerance for different religion. That people of
so many different faiths come together with a compassionate heart and tolerate
each other, is indeed rarely seen. This reflects Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s
concept of ‘although there are differences within similarities, there is no
need to seek common ground within differences.’
Divine
processions are not uncommon in Taiwan; however, it is remarkable that deities
of folk religions have come together at the Buddha Museum.This shows the
general openness of Taiwanese society and can dispel stereotypes of Chinese
Buddhism, being an escapist religion focussing too much on rituals. The
Buddhist reformer Master Taixu (1890-1947) tried to change and adapt Buddhism
to an increasingly globalised world. Yet, among others, it was Venerable Master
Hsing Yun who was able to realise many of the ambitious goals of his
predecessors.
Venerable
Master Hsing Yun’s ‘When Buddha Meets the Gods’ reflects a new trend in the
development of modern Taiwanese Buddhism, moving from the mountains to the
community with the people in the world as its focus. Its deep but simple
approach to the Buddhist teachings is a model par excellence for the practice
of Humanistic Buddhism and serves as a modality for successful religious
dialogue.
Stefan Kukowka sharing his thoughts on the event
