근대 중국 태허의 불교혁명과 인간불교

Abstract

Taixu was born during a time when Buddhism, which was facing the threat of extinction due to the Taiping Rebellion, was revived by figures like Yang Wenhui. This period marked a time when Buddhism became central to the intellectual currents of the time, particularly as a response to the Western powers' encroachment and the need to overcome Western learning (Xixue). After becoming a monk, Taixu came to the realization that Buddhism needed revolution, particularly through writings related to the revolutionary movements of the time, and dedicated his life to this cause. The Buddhist revolution that Taixu advocated mainly focused on three major reforms: organizational revolution (reforming the structure of the monastic community), property revolution (modernizing the management of temple assets), and doctrinal revolution (interpreting Buddhist teachings according to the needs of the time). However, these reforms failed due to opposition from conservatives. Taixu established the Wuchang Buddhist Academy, the Minnan Buddhist Academy, and the Han-Tibetan Institute of Buddhist Studies, among others, to implement modern Buddhist education. This was deeply connected to the situation in which temple assets were being seized under the pretext of promoting temple education. While promoting Buddhist education, Taixu also advocated for the ideology of Humanistic Buddhism. This paper examines his thoughts, focusing on the thesis in which Taixu first proposed Humanistic Buddhism. Furthermore, this paper discusses how the 'Humanistic Buddhism' proposed by Taixu became a central thought in modern Chinese Buddhism and how it later became the mainstream of Chinese Buddhism, particularly after the establishment of the People's Republic of China and the founding of the Chinese Buddhist Association, continuing into the present day.