Faith and Practice circles

Faith circle and Practice circle

信仰圈與實踐圈
• 時間：11/6
• 主旨：佛教一般信仰與精英層面
believers vs. elites?

Or do we need other categories?

What is your approach? (Religious studies, Philosophy, History, Sociology...)
Where do your sources come from?
Are the books influential or not?
Do we neglect something that is not in the books?

 

大傳統與小傳統

Great tradition and little tradition

• 概念出自雷德菲爾德（Robert Redfield）
• 1956《鄉民社會與文化︰一位人類學家對文明之研究》
• （Peasant Society and Culture; An Anthropological Approach to Civilization）
• 社會中存在的兩種不同文化傳統。
In Society, there are two levels of culture.
• 人類學家所觀察的一般農民社會
Anthropologists normally observe peasant societies

• Vincenzo Petrullo Peasant Society and Culture: An Anthropological Approach to Civilization by Robert Redfield American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 59, No. 2 (Apr., 1957), pp. 352-353

 

 

• 大傳統是少數有思考能力的上層人士創造出來，如中國的儒家或道家；
Great Tradition: minority of upper class people who have the ability to think. Example: Chinese Confucianists and Daoists

• 小傳統則是大多數不識字的農民在鄉村生活中逐漸發展而成的。
Little Tradition: majority of peasants who are analphabets

• 兩個傳統之間的互相依存、互相交流的關係。
Relation between Great and Little tradition: mutual interaction and preservation

• Redfield參考了中國的經驗
Redfield also analyzed the Chinese society

 

大小傳統之別

Differentiation between Great and Little Tradition

• 西方人類學家或民俗學家研究
Research by Western anthropologists and ethnologists
• 小傳統屬地方性的民間文化，往往不是獨立自足。
Little tradition belongs to local folk culture. It is never independent.
• 小傳統是從上層文化滲透下來
Little tradition is infiltrated from the Great tradition
- （例如神學、 哲學、科學、藝術）
Example: theology, philosophy, science, art
• 小傳統經過了一番「俗化」而已。
Little tradition has gone through a process of vulgarization
• 大傳統中不少偉大的思想與重要觀念起源於民間
Many important ideas of the Great tradition come from folk culture
• 台灣，李亦園提出中國的雅文化和俗文化
In Taiwan, Li Yiyuan stated: "Ya wenhua" and "Su wenhua"

 

• 上層與下層文化之間存在一共同生長關係（symbiotic (interactive) relationship）

• （George F. Foster） （"What is Folk Culture？" American Anthropologist, Vol. 55, No. 21, 1953, pp. 159-173）

 

 

• 中國佛教的大傳統和小傳統之間的關係密切
Close relation between great and little tradition of Chinese Buddhism
• 中國佛教的大傳統是否足以概括小傳統？
Does the great tradition of Chinese Buddhism have a general influence on the small tradition?

信仰圈 Believers

• 心態上:Attitude
- 選擇某一信仰 choice one of the religion (or school).
- 繼承傳說與儀式 Implement tradition and ceremonies
- 融入生活的一部分 Buddhism is part of one's life

• 功能 Function
- 祭祀活動 offering activities
- 救贖活動 activities of confession

• 境域途徑 Medium
- 參與實體寺院活動 Take part in substantial monastery activities
- 接受虛擬傳播（含網路，電視）accept the teachings via media

實踐圈 Practitioners

• 心態上: Attitude
- 認證某一信仰 recognize a certain belief
- 反省傳說與儀式 reflect on traditions and ceremonies
- 融入生活的全部 keep the lifestyle of Buddhism

• 功能 Function
- 祭祀祖先活動教育後代系統 offering ceremonies and educate next generation
- 死後救贖生前解脫 confess in this life to get a better next life

• 境域途徑 Medium
- 引領實體寺院活動 look forward to substantial monastery activities
- 創作虛擬傳播（含網路，電視）create teachings and distribute them via media

 

---