Ven. Sheng Yen’s 聖嚴 Dharma Heir Ven. Chi Chern 繼程 : The Chinese Buddhist Community Established by Malaysian and Taiwanese Buddhists

Abstract

本文以繼程法師（1955-）的弘法歷程為個案，研究馬來西亞與臺灣佛教建立的國際華人佛教圈。繼程為馬來西亞漢傳佛教領袖竺摩法師法嗣以及法鼓山聖嚴法師法子，活躍於馬來西亞、臺灣、美歐等地，教導禪修以及推動佛教文藝創作。他在檳城皈依剃度，在臺灣受戒學習（臺灣佛學院四分之一的學生來自東南亞），代表馬來西亞與臺灣佛教界的長期合作。這證明臺灣佛教的國際化不是單向發展，跨國聯盟比全球化／本地化的二元對立架構，更能解釋當代國際華人佛教圈的形成。

In this paper, I take Ven. Chi Chern’s (1955-) course of carrying forward the Buddha’s teachings as a case study to study the international Chinese Buddhist community established by Malaysian and Taiwanese Buddhists. Chi Chern is a leader of the Malaysian Chinese Buddhist community, tonsured by Ven. Zhumo竺摩, and the dharma heir of Ven. Sheng Yen. He is active in Malaysia, Taiwan, America, and Europe, leading Chan meditation as well as promoting Buddhist art and literature. He was tonsured in Penang and, in Taiwan, received the precepts and studied. As a part of at least 25% of Malaysian students of Taiwanese Buddhist seminars and colleges, he is representative of a long period of cooperation between Malaysian and Taiwanese Buddhists. This testifies to the fact that the globalization of Taiwanese Buddhism is not a one-way expansion. It is a transnational alliance as opposed to the globalization or localization two opposing frameworks. This research helps to explain the formation of a contemporary international Chinese Buddhist community.