佛教杰出女性奖颁奖典礼致词

　　释昭慧讲·张瓈文译

　　敬爱的主持人,各位法师、来宾、女士、先生:

　　感谢Outstanding Women in Buddhism Awards Committee的提名人修懿法师与诸位委员,将“佛教杰出女性奖”颁赠给我。我是一介平凡的比丘尼,是佛法的卓越智慧,让我的人生脱胎换骨,因此在此殷重地感恩佛陀、达摩与僧伽对我生命的再造之恩!

　　我的学术背景是教育与汉学,然而在大学时代,我深深受到佛法的感召,因此决志皈依三宝,终身素食,而且在1978年出家,那年我才二十一岁。

　　二十八岁,受到阿闍黎印顺导师的提携护念,开始进入佛学院授课,并在他的指导下,展开了佛教学术研究的路程。直到1994年,我开始进入大学任教,至今已出版了26本著作。

　　原本以为,自己应该是以“学者”与“教师”的角色走完人生之路,但是因缘际会,我竟然从学术象牙塔走了出来。三十二岁,成立了护教组织,让世人改变其动辄侮慢僧尼、曲解佛法的偏颇做法。1994年,抗议异教徒铲除公园中的观音圣像而掀起了“静坐绝食护观音运动”。1999年,推动了“佛诞放假”的全国性大规模运动,因而改变了台湾数十年来“只有耶诞单独放假”的政治生态。2000年,又发起了“废除八敬法”的佛门性别平等运动,此后并推动跨宗教的性别平等理念。

　　在社会运动方面,1989年,我开始越过佛教领域,第一次厕入社会关怀的事业,从此,人权、环保、动物解放、反赌马、反赌博合法化……,一系列的社会运动,冲撞着既有的法规体制与思想观念。凡此种种,往往集有志之士的“共愿”,而转化或减除了深重的“共业”。

　　也因为上述经历,我曾被佛教友人笑称是“横跨三界”(学术界、教育界与社运界)。此中,教理的研究与实践,依然是精神力量的源头活水。无论是主导或参与任何一种社会运动,我都不随波逐流,而是在教理的基础上,全心反省并全力实践。而在实际的参与过程中,个人在法义体会的收获上也最大,因为那不再只是经典的智慧,而已渗入生命底层,而成为人生处世的智慧。

　　无论是护教、护生还是提倡女权,社会运动大都颠覆着既成体制或思想观念,或是涉及钜大的既得利益,因此必然会被反击、丑化,厕身其中的张力很高,必须要有无常、无我的缘起智慧,否则很难保持平稳的情绪。

　　首先,事态发展的因缘是如此的错综复杂,因此即使全力以赴,其结果也未必让人满意,以此“诸行无常”的观照,使我只专注在过程中的决策与行动,对其结果则淡然处之,不会陷入患得患失的忧悲恼苦中。“诸法无我”的深刻体会,则使我对个人处境淡然视之,从不忧谗畏讥,即使各方羞辱、谩骂交攻,乃至当事人恩将仇报,我也从不自怜、自恋、自怨自艾。

　　谨此向各位分享我的人生体验,这是为了证明一点:清凉、安稳的人生境界,不一定非得在禅堂与阿兰若处训练不可,也可以在每一件忘我利他的菩萨行中,达致同样的效果。

　　在每一次的生命历练中,你可以让自己的生命更具足疼惜众生的慈悲、观照世间的智慧,以及沛然壮阔的胆识与勇气。感谢大家!

　　Address in Outstanding Women in Buddhism Awards Ceremony

　　Respectable Host(s), Venerables, Honored Guests, Ladies, and Gentlemen,

　　Thank you very much for nominating me, Ven. Shou-Yi (修懿) , for recommending me for this Outstanding Women in Buddhism Award.And thank you very much, respectable committee members, for conferring me this very precious award.I am just a very ordinary bhikkhuni.It is the excellent wisdom of Budhadharma that has transformed my life.Therefore, I would like to dedicate my most sincere and profound gratitude to the blessings that the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha have given me, blessings that have fundamentally re-created my life.

　　My academic background focused on two areas: education and sinology.However, during the years in the university, I was so deeply touched by the Buddha Dharma that I made up my mind to take refuge in Tri-ratna (the Three Jewels), remain a vegetarian throughout my life, become ordained in 1978.That was the year when I was 21.

　　When I was 28, with the help and guidance of my Acarya, the most Venerable Yin-Shun(印顺) , I began to teach at Buddhist colleges and started the journey of academic research in Buddhism.In 1994, I stated teaching in the university, and up till now, I have published 26 books about Buddhism.

　　I once thought that I would complete the journey of as a Buddhist scholar and teacher.However, due to various causes and conditions, I walked out of the ivory tower of the academic world and started participating in different engaged Buddhist movements.When I was 32, I established an organization to protect Buddhism, to change the misled behaviors of the secular people that tend to distort the Dharma and debase monks and nuns whenever they can.In 1994, with “the Hunger Strike to Protect Kuan-yin” movement, I initiated a strong protest against the respect-less act of the non-Buddhists who tried to demolish the Kuanyin statue in a public park.In 1999, I advocated a national movement to have the Buddha’s birthday set as a national holiday so as to change the Christmas-only national holiday system in the political arena, a system that has favored Christianity alone for the past decades in Taiwan.In 2000, I initiated the “Abolishment of the Eight Special Rules for Bhikkhunis,” a movement to promote true gender equality in the Buddhist community.Ever since then, I have also crossed the religious boundary and worked with spiritual leaders of various religious organizations to promote gender equality.

　　As for my involvement in social movements, since 1989, I began to cross the boundary of traditional Buddhist practice and started to actively participate in various movements with aggressive appeals and concerns for the well-being of the society in general: human rights, environmental protection, liberation of animals, anti-horse racing movement, anti-casino-bill movement, etc.These have been a series of social movements that have challenged the existing legal system as well as the built-in ideas and ideologies that go hand in hand with the system and related practices.All of these efforts have always attracted and formed a “common vow” among people who share the same ideal and have therefore transformed or reduced the weighty and deeply-rooted “common karma” that has been shaped due to prevalent mal-practice.

　　It is because of my participation in all the activities mentioned above that my Buddhist friends once teased me that I have been “crossing the three realms,” not the three dharma realms, but the realms of the academic, educational, and social movement world.However, here I would like to share with you that although I have been crossing borders and boundaries, the study and practice of the Buddha-dharma has always remained as the source of my spiritual power, the inspiration and guiding principle of all my practices.Whether I am leading or participating in any kind of social movement, I do not float with the trend or follow the crowd.Instead, I base my practice on fundamental Buddhist teachings: I reflect on the circumstances with all my heart, and dedicate my efforts with all I can.Hence, during the process of my actual participation in these activities, I am the one that has learned and benefited the most: for all the wisdom I have acquired from these encounters have no longer remained wisdom in the scriptures, they have permeated into the depth of my life and have turned out to be the wisdom of life and true practice.

　　Whatever the movements are about (protection of Buddhism, protection of life, promotion of women’s equal rights, etc.), most social movements tend to subvert existing systems, ideas, or ideologies, and sometimes they involve [or threaten] interest groups who have enjoyed massive benefits within the present systems.Consequently, it won’t be surprising that the movements we are trying to promote will get distorted or attacked in return, and one who is involved in these movements will feel intense conflicts all the time.Therefore, it is necessary to prepare ourselves in advance with the wisdom of dependant origination, the wisdom of impermanence and selflessness, or it is not easy to keep our peace of mind.

　　First, the causes and conditions of the situation and its development during these movements are so complex and inter-connected; hence, even if we have tried our best, we may not get a satisfactory result.With the perception that “all happenings are impermanent,” I have been able to concentrate on decision-making and actions during the process while feeling detached about the outcome.Hence, I will not fall into the traps of worries, sorrows, vexations, or suffering due to obsessive yearning for gains or fear for loss.The deep realization of the Buddhist teaching that “there is no absolute self in all phenomena” has taught me to remain unemotional about all sorts of personal attacks such as sarcasm, ridicules, attacks, criticism, humiliations, or even ungrateful backbiting by the ones I have helped.Because of the wisdom of the Dharma, I have never cared about flattering words or fear mocking criticism, nor have I felt self-pity, self-adoration, or self-complaint.

　　With all these life experiences, I would like to share with all of you a wisdom that we can verify: that is, the ideal, peaceful, and stable life that we try to acquire does not have to be obtained in the meditation hall or trained in the monasteries.The same effects can be achieved in every single bodhisattva act we practice, in every single altruistic effort we make to benefit others while forgetting our self-interests.In every trial of life, you can charge your life with more substantial compassion that enables you to love and care for all sentient beings more.In every trial of life, you can acquire more wisdom to perceive the world as it really is and learn to live at peace in it.In every trial of life, you will be empowered with more immense and in-exhaustive guts, sense, and courage, and what it takes to benefit all sentient beings.

　　I share this award with all of you, with all who have joined us on this bodhisattva journey.Thank you very much!