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- Justin BRODY 布洛迪 (Franklin and Marshall College 美國富蘭克林與馬歇爾學院): Infinitesimals, Causality and Mereological Nihilism | 無窮小、因果律和分體論虛無主義
Notions of the infinitely small have engendered numerous paradoxes within both Buddhist and Western intellectual history. In the West, Zeno famously noticed ways in which infinitely small distances challenged competing intuitions while Bishop Berkeley mocked their use in calculus, derisively dubbing them “ghosts of departed quantities”. In Buddhist philosophy, a commitment to mereological reductionism would seem to leave infinitesimal particles as the last stand for realism; thus dismissing their possibility constitutes a final step for Vasunbadhu in his proof of idealism. Dharmak¯irti, on the other hand, treated infinitesimals as dharmas when working within a Sautr¯antika framework. This lead to new questions about the nature of such particles and debates ensued within the tradition on matters such as the seeming inability of causally inert infinitesimal particles to give rise to the perception of extension.
In an attempt to give a logically coherent account of the infinitely small, mathematicians have developed sophisticated tools and gained deep insights into the nature of infinitesimals. These tools and insights can in turn provide some new ways to think about some of the ways in which infinitesimals are encountered in the works of Vasubandhu and Dharmak¯irti.
This paper will begin such an exploration. In particular, I will examine Vasubandhu’s outright rejection of infinitesimals in light of modern mathematics, offer some possible rejoinders to his objections, and consider what new objections might be raised therefrom. Turning to Dharmak¯irti and his interepreters, the paper will give a mathematical treatment of some of the attempts to explain how infinitesimals can give rise to the experience of extension.
The overall discussion will aim to bring two very rich intellectual traditions into conversation and draw on ideas from both Buddhist metaphysics and the mathematics of set theory, nonstandard analysis and cellular automata.
無窮小的概念在佛教和西方學術史上都引生了眾多悖論。在西方，芝諾（Zeno）著名地指出無窮小距離質疑其他學派的方法，而柏克萊主教（Bishop Berkeley）嘲弄了無窮小在微積分中的應用，嘲諷地將其戲稱為“消失量的幽靈（ghosts of departed quantities）”。在佛教哲學中，對分體還原論的投入似乎使極微成為實在論的最後立場，因而駁斥極微的可能性構成了世親（Vasubandhu）證明唯心論的最後一步。另一方面，法稱（Dharmakirti）在經量部的框架中將極微視為“法（dharmas）”。這導致了新的關於極微本質的疑問以及隨後在佛教中關於諸如不動的極微似乎沒有能力導致對擴展的認知。
為了給出一個邏輯自洽的關於無窮小的表述，數學家們開發了複雜的工具，並且對無窮小的本質獲得了深刻的認識。這些工具和認識可以反過來為思考世親和法稱著作中的極微提供一些方法。
本文將進行這樣的探索，尤其我將以現代數學的角度探討世親對於極微的完全否定，對他的否定提出一些反駁，並思考什麼新的反對理由可能會由此提出。至於法稱和他的詮釋者們，本文將對一些解釋極微如何導致擴展的經驗的嘗試給出一種數學的處理方式。
全部的討論旨在將這兩個豐富的學術傳統引入對話並借鑑佛教形而上學以及集合論、非標準分析和元胞自動機（cellular automata）等數學方法。
- CHEN Ming 陳明 (PekingU 北京大學): 《印度密教經文中的藥物使用與民俗》 | Medical Use and Folklore in Indian Tantric Texts
漢譯佛教三藏保存了大量印度佛教典籍的譯本，也反映了印度古代佛教的諸多豐富的面相和印度古代社會生活的複雜性。本文以漢譯密教經文為史料基礎，利用部分相關的梵文密教經文，討論印度密教經典中的藥物使用情況，及其在印度民俗與社會生活中的角色；并從翻譯學和文化交流的角度，揭示其在中印宗教與文化交流中的作用。
Chinese Buddhist canons (Tripitaka) preserve a large number of translations of Indian Buddhist texts, which reflect the many rich facets of ancient Indian Buddhism and the complexity of social life in ancient India. Based on Chinese translations of some Tantric texts utilizing some relevant Sanskrit Tantric texts, this paper discusses use of medicines in Indian Tantric texts and their roles in Indian folklore and social life. It will also try to recover the roles played by medical sciences in Sino-Indian religious and cultural exchanges from the perspectives of translation studies and cultural exchanges.
- CHEN J (UBC): 人工智能與佛教: 挑戰與超越 | Technology and Disaster: Buddhist Perspectives
宗教與災難之間的關係是一個值得研究的話題。世界上每一大宗教似乎都是在威脅人類命運的大災難發生之前或之後產生的。從災難中存活下來或有可能存活下來是一個關鍵時刻，它往往促進了一個大宗教的建立。另一個關口是宗教改革。誠然，有社會原因和宗教機構的內部原因，可以推動改革。然而，還有一個因素至關重要：災難。在歷史上，任何宗教如果沒有經歷過改革，固然都會落入解體的命運。但更為關鍵的因素（至少從外部因素而言），卻是大災難。災難能對一個宗教產生如此大的影響，這一點很有意思，也很有意義。這種現象使我們不得不考慮宗教的本質。人類何以需要宗教？ 如果能夠理解宗教的本質——它幫助人類克服不完美、有限，以及死亡帶來的威脅、困惑和無助，可能就有望理解宗教何以與災難密切相關。當下的世界正經歷著一場巨大的、前所未有的危機——由技術革命引發的對人類生存的根本性威脅。這篇小文試圖解釋技術為何與如何構成對人類前所未有的威脅，以及佛教可能如何有助於人類討論和因應這種特殊的危機。
The relationship between religion and catastrophe is a topic worth investigating. Every major religion comes into being preceding or following a catastrophe. Survival from a catastrophe or the prospect thereof is a critical juncture that instigates the foundation of a major religion. The other juncture is the religious reformation. Admittedly, there are social reasons as well as reasons internal to the religious institutions, which can propel the reformation. There is, however, another factor that is crucial: catastrophe. In history, any religion would have fallen to the fate of disintegration, had it not undergone a reformation, or a renaissance. And the most important factor, at least among external factors, is catastrophe. It is interesting and significant that catastrophe can exert such an influence on a religion. This phenomenon obliges us to consider the nature of religion. Why do we need religion? If we could comprehend the nature of religion — that it helps us overcome imperfection, the finite, as well as the menace, confusion and helplessness brought about by death──then we would understand why religion and catastrophe are an intimately connected pair.Our world is currently undergoing a tremendous, unprecedented catastrophe──the kind caused by technology revolution. This article explains why and how the technology comes to pose humanity is unprecedented and how a Buddhist perspective may contribute to the discussion of human response to technology-related catastrophes.
- Celine CODEREY 柯徳蕊 (NationalU of Singapore 新加坡國立大學): When Buddhism is the medicine. Questioning the boundaries between Buddhism and medicine in Myanmar | 當佛教是醫學時：緬甸佛教與醫學邊界之疑問
On the basis of data collected through fieldwork and the existing literature, this chapter unpacks the way Buddhist populations in contemporary Rakhine deal with health and illness using a plurality of conceptions and practices. Previous scholarly works have failed to understand this “therapeutic field” and its specific dynamics, the main reason being that health-related conceptions and practices have always been studied separately as considered to belong to different fields, religion or medicine. If, in this sense, etic categories are blinding, as they prevent a comprehensive approach, I claim that emic categories and notably the ones of Buddhism and medicine that appear in people’s narratives have an ethnographic and analytic value, as they reveal the cultural, social and political forces that contributed to define the position different notions and practices occupy in the therapeutic field and the relations of hierarchy and complementarity that have emerged over time between them. I want to show that the position attributed to the different notions and practices not only depend on their intrinsic capacity to contribute to the apprehension of health and illness, but also on the epistemic hierarchies which emerged between them as a consequence of the state’s intervention in this plurality and which affects the way there are implemented, valued, and used. In particular, the formalization and regulation of Buddhism and medicine carried out by the colonial and post-colonial state, came to attribute to these traditions a somehow privileged position, in the same time as it led to a redefinition (“purification”) of the contents of these categories, thus limiting their action in the therapeutic field and shifting the relationship with the other components of the field such as astrology, divination, exorcist practices and spirit cults. This complex process of categorisations and redefinition of relations, coexists and contrasts with the persistent hybridity of health-related notions and practices that keep cutting across all categories. I argue that if the coexistence of, and the tension between clear categories in people’s representations and the blurriness of these categories in the practices, reflects the complex interplay between biological, cultural, social and political forces, it also contributes to shape therapeutic efficacy in a certain way which reproduces political interests and power.
基於田野調查搜集的信息以及現存的文獻，本文分析了當代若開邦（Rakhine）佛教徒以多種概念和實踐應對健康和疾病的方式。以前的學術研究未能理解這個“治療領域”及其特殊的動態。主要原因是與健康相關的概念和實踐通常被認為屬於不同的領域，宗教或者醫學，所以被分開來研究。如果從這個意義上講客位的分類是不明智的，因為這種分類妨礙了一種綜合的研究方法，我認為主位的分類，特別是在人們的描述中所出現的佛教和醫學分類，具有民族誌的分析價值，因為它們反映了文化、社會和政治的力量。這些力量定義了不同概念和實踐在治療領域的位置、層級關係以及它們之間隨著時間發展而產生的互補性。我想要說明不同概念和實踐被認定的位置不僅取決於它們本身能夠幫助理解健康和疾病的能力，而且取決於認知的層級關係。這些概念和實踐之間的層級關係是由於國家對於這種多元性的干涉而產生的，影響了它們被實施、評價和使用的方式。尤其是殖民和後殖民國家對佛教和醫學的管控和正式化，某種程度上賦予了這些傳統以優勢地位，同時也導致了對這些分類內容的再定義（“淨化”），因而限制了它們在治療領域的作用，也改變了它們與治療領域其他組成部分（例如占星術、占卜、驅魔、鬼神崇拜）的關係。這個複雜的重新定義和分類這些關係的過程，與健康相關概念和實踐跨越一切分類的持續混雜是共存的，並形成對比。我認為如果人們表述中的清晰分類和實踐中這些分類的模糊二者之間的共存和張力反映了生物學、文化、社會和政治力量之間複雜的相互影響，那麼它們也以再現政治利益和權力的方式幫助塑造了治療的功效。
- Kate CROSBY 寇思璧 (Oxford 英國牛津大學): Technology and Pre-Modern Theravada Meditation: Shared Conceptions of Causality | 科技與前現代上座部佛教禪修：共同的因果觀
This talk looks at the somatic (body-based) practices of pre-modern or ‘boran’ Theravada meditation. In boran practice, positive outcomes of meditation are internalised to create a Buddha within the practitioner’s body. When we examine the advanced stages of this practice closely, we can see that its understanding of how transformation takes place shows parallels with other pre-modern sciences and technologies, including chemistry, medicine and grammar. Boran meditation was widespread until the mid-colonial period, but then began to disappear for various reasons, with just a handful of teaching lineages surviving beyond the 1970s. This means that it was already rare by the time Buddhist meditation began to gain popularity globally. This global popularity underpinned a new trend of research into meditation, but by this time meditations which stopped with psychological transformation as the highest goal had come to the fore. At the same time, colonialism and modernity transformed the broader landscape of technologies and scientific learning. This meant that the relationship between boran meditation and pre-modern technologies went unrecognised, with early studies of boran practices stalling because what was described in relevant manuals confounded researchers’ expectations of what meditation should be. This paper will look at how boran meditation harnesses understandings of causality that came to be forgotten or side-lined in the modern period, and the implications this has had for our perception of Theravada meditation.
本演講討論前现代或“Boran”的上座部佛教禪修中以身体为基础的修行。在 Boran 的訓練中，禪修的积极成果被內化，從而在修行者身體中創造一尊佛。當我們仔細研究這種修行方式的高級階段時，我們可以發現它對於轉化方式的理解與其他前現代科學和技術（包括化學、醫學和語法）存在相似之處。Boran禅修在殖民時期的中期之前一直很普遍，但之後由於各種原因開始消失，在20世紀20年代之後，只有少數幾個傳承得以保留下來。這意味著，當佛教禅修開始在全球範圍內流行之時，它已經變得很少見了。禪修在全球的流行推動了禪修研究的新潮流，但此時以心理轉化為最高目標的各类禅修已經脱颖而出。與此同時，殖民主義和現代化改變了技術和科學學習的大环境。這意味著Boran禅修與前現代技術之間的關係未被認識，而早期對Boran修行的研究停滯不前，是因為其相關手冊中描述的內容与研究人員對禪修的預期相悖。本文將探討Boran禅修如何利用在現代被遺忘或被邊緣化的因果觀，以及其對於我們於上座部禪修認知的影響。
- Douglas DUCKWORTH 達珂沃 (TempleU 美國天普大學): From Nescience to Science: Buddhist Reflections on Bridging Human-Nature | 從無知到知：連接人與自然的佛教見解
A Buddhist system of two truths provides a descriptive framework with criteria for what counts as real in contrast to what does not. This paper looks at the relationship between the two truths in the works of two seventh-century Indian philosophers, Dharmakīrti and Candrakīrti, and draws implications for comparison and contrast with modern scientific understandings of the world. I will highlight important features of Dharmakīrti’s epistemology that aim to circumvent cultural conventions in a way that resonates with scientific representations of knowledge. I will also contrast this approach with one inspired by Candrakīrti to argue for an irreducible place of ethics and persons in a hybrid Buddhist-scientific picture of the world.
佛教的二諦體系對真實與非真實的標準提供了一個描述性的框架。本文探討兩位七世紀印度哲學家法稱（Dharmakīrti）和月稱（Candrakīrti）著作中所述的二諦間關係，並將其與現代科學對世界的認識進行對比。我將重點關注法稱認識論的重要特徵——試圖規避文化傳統——其處理方式與現代科學對知識的表述異曲同工。我也將對比此方式與月稱的方式，並在佛教與科學混合的世界圖景中為人與倫理爭取一個不可簡化還原的位置。
- Jessica FALCONE 佛爾崆 (Kansas StateU 美國堪薩斯州立大學): Meditating Online “Alone Together”: Two Case Studies of Digital Buddhist Practice | “獨自在一起”線上冥想：數字佛教實踐的兩個案例
This paper will look at two disparate Buddhist communities—the Buddha Center in Second Life, and the Daifukuji Soto Zen Mission in Hawai’i—and show how each sangha has used digital outreach to build community capacity for online practice. Although the two institutions are very different—one only exists in a virtual world, while the other is a 100-year-old actual life temple—they have both worked to expand opportunities for community members to participate in online meditative ritual and practice. Based on years of ethnographic work with both communities, I look at the opportunities and limitations of online meditation with a Buddhist sangha. Since I did substantial fieldwork with these two communities before, during, and after the Covid-19 crisis, I will also discuss the extent to which the closure of in-person services during quarantine periods impacted digital Buddhist worship.
本文關注兩個完全不同的佛教群體——“第二人生”（Second Life）的“佛陀中心”（Buddha Center）和夏威夷的大福寺曹洞宗，揭示二者的僧團如何各自利用數字外展服務創建社區線上修行實踐的能力。儘管這兩家機構十分不同——一個僅存在於虛擬世界，另一個是有著百年歷史的現實生活中的寺院，他們都努力擴展社區成員線上參與坐禪修行實踐的機會。基於對兩個團體多年的民族誌調查，我將探討佛教僧團開展線上坐禪的機遇和限制。因為我曾在新冠疫情前、疫情中及疫情後對兩個團體進行實地調查，我也將討論疫情隔離期間面對面服務終止對數字禮佛的影響程度。
- Imre GALAMBOS 高奕睿 (UoCambridge 英國劍橋大學): Searching for Buddhist manuscripts in Western China | 在中國西部尋找佛教寫本.
The excavation of Buddhist sites in Chinese Central Asia is among the most fascinating chapters in the history of modern exploration. Partly fuelled by the British and Russian colonial rivalry known as the Great Game, a series of Western expeditions explored the region along the region known today as the Silk Roads. Inspired by the results of excavations carried out by European explorers, three expeditions were organized by Ōtani Kōzui, abbot of the Nishi Honganji branch of the Jōdo Shinshū school of Buddhism. His aim was to locate Buddhist ruins and relics related to the history of the transmission of Buddhism from Central Asia to China. The expeditions carried out excavations at sites around Kucha, Turfan and Khotan, bringing to light a large quantity of manuscripts and artefacts. Among the most important items was the group of Buddhist manuscripts acquired in Dunhuang and Turfan. This presentation examines how Japanese explorers who possessed a Buddhist background differed from their European counterparts in approaching these sites and artefacts. My interest is in comparing their motivations with explorers such as Sven Hedin, Aurel Stein and Paul Pelliot, and what effect the differences in attitude had on the fate of their collections.
對中國西部地區佛教遺址的勘探與挖掘是現代探險史上最引人入勝的篇章之一。部分受英俄之間稱作大博弈的殖民競賽影響，一系列西方探險隊在如今被稱作絲綢之路的地區展開了一系列的探索挖掘。受這些歐洲探險家的成果所啟發，日本淨土真宗西本願寺的方丈大谷光瑞先後組織了三次探索，旨在尋找佛教從中亞傳入中國這一過程中相關的佛教遺址與歷史文物。這三次探險分別在吐魯番，庫車和于闐等地進行挖掘勘探，發現了大量的寫本與文物。其中最重要的是在敦煌與吐魯番獲取的一批佛教寫本。本次演講將探索具有佛教背景的日本探險家在對待與處理這些遺址與文物時，與歐洲同行之間有著何種不同。我將著重分析其與如赫定（Sven Hedin）、斯坦因（Aurel Stein）與伯希和（Paul Pelliot）等西方探險者的不同，並探索這類觀念態度上的差異對其所獲文物的影響。
- GAO Junling 高峻岭 (UHK 香港大學) and Hin Hung Sik 釋衍空 (University of Hong Kong 香港大學): Bridging Buddhism and Science: The Role of Neuroscience and Technology in Spiritual Growth and Counselling | 念佛的情緒調節研究：佛教與神經科學和科技的融合
The advance of science especially neuroscience is providing more coherence evidence to Buddhism theories including those on human mind and nature. With regard to Buddhism discussion on dukkha and three poisons, greed, anger, and ignorance are interconnected factors that influence one another. In cognitive science, three poisons represent three levels of brain evolutionary stage of central nervous system, the reptilian brain, mammalian brain and human brain. Greed and anger are more impulsive and bottom-up processes, originating from lower-order brain structures. Higher-order cognitive functions well-developed in human brain are needed to regulate these impulsive behaviors. These are top-down processes, while the lack of this is referred to as ignorance in Buddhism term. Our neuroimaging studies reveal that Buddhist chanting can intercept the cycle of greed, anger, and ignorance through both top-down cognitive activity involving language and bottom-up processing by activating the locus coeruleus in the brainstem, which belongs to the reptilian brain. This unique training process, which intertwines instinct, emotion, and cognition, may elucidate the power and popularity of Buddhist chanting.
Another field of neuroscientific research on Buddhism is about the body and mind problem, a hard problem in philosophy and science. We begin the investigation on a more solid topic of connection of heart and brain, which are the vital parts to represent the body and mind, respectively. With the advance of neuroscience, we could utilize algorithms including machine learning to monitor the connection between heart activity and brain activities, by measuring the correspondent electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG). This relevant research on body and mind problem can be also meaningful for the development of AI system in human society. The integration of modern neuroscience with Buddhist principles offers promising opportunities for future research and potential therapeutic applications, especially with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI). By integrating principles of mindfulness, equanimity, and interconnectedness into AI training algorithms, we may foster the development of AI systems that are more attuned to human emotions and the complexities of the world. This holistic approach to AI training can potentially result in systems that exhibit not only advanced problem-solving skills but also a deeper understanding of the human experience. Ultimately, blending Buddhist teachings with AI development may lead to a more harmonious coexistence between humans and advanced intelligent system as we navigate the complexities of our ever-changing world.
貪婪、嗔怒和愚痴是相互影響的因素。在認知科學中，貪婪和憤怒是自下而上的過程，起源於較低級別的腦結構。為了調節這些衝動行為，較高級別的認知功能採用自上而下的過程，這種調節的缺乏即是愚痴。我們的神經影像研究表明，佛教誦經可以通過自上而下的語言認知活動調節和通過自下而上地激活腦幹中的藍斑核來打破貪婪、嗔怒和愚痴之間的相互作用和糾纏。這種獨特的訓練過程，將同時從本能、情感和認知入手改變修行者的抗壓能力。該研究有助於闡明佛教誦經的力量和廣為流傳的腦科學機制。現代神經科學與佛教原則的整合為未來研究和潛在治療應用提供了充滿希望的機會，也為未來如何引導和規劃人工智能（AI）服務於人類有參考意義。通過將正念、平靜和相互聯繫的原則整合到AI訓練算法中，我們可能會促進AI系統更加適應人類情感和世界的複雜性。這種整體方法對AI訓練可能導致系統不僅表現出先進的問題解決能力，而且對人類情感等經驗有更深入的理解。最終，將佛教教義與AI發展相結合可能使得人類與先進智能系統在新世代中能更加和諧的共存。
- GAO Xi 高晞 (FudanU 復旦大學): 中國濟生會的醫療救助活動——兼論佛教慈善模式的近代轉型 | Medical Aid of the Chinese Philanthropic Institution: Also a Case Study of Transformation of Buddhist Charity in the Modern Era
由上海集雲軒創辦的中國濟生會（1916-1950）是中國最大的民間慈善組織之一，集雲軒是一個具有佛教色彩的民間組織，中國近代著名的佛教居士王一亭是該會的第二任會長（1928-1938），王一亭也是近代著名革命家、書畫家、實業家和慈善家。以往對於王一亭和中國濟生會的慈善活動研究成果不少，但對具體醫療救助活動其救助模式的研究不多。本文將以1931年鄂振水災時期，王一亭領導的中國濟生會所展開的救助活動為中心，在梳理醫療活動的方式和手段之餘，嘗試探討影響佛教慈善模式近代轉型的因素，從而考察中國近代佛教居士的社會性身份認同，分析其對佛教慈善理念建構的近代意義。
The Chinese Philanthropic Institution, founded by Shanghai Jiyunxuan 集雲軒, which is an artist’s organization with Layman Buddhist, is one of the largest non-governmental charitable organizations in China. Wang Yiting 王一亭 (1867-1936), a famous Buddhist layman in modern China, was the second president of the institution (1928-1938). He was also a famous revolutionary, artist, industrialist, and philanthropist as well. Previous studies focused on his charitable activities and the institution, but there were few views on the rescue mode of specific medical assistance activities. This paper observes the relief activities carried out by the institution led by Wang Yiting during the Wuhan Flood 武漢水災 in 1931. It tries to explore the factors affecting the modern transformation of Buddhist charity mode based on sorting out the ways and means of medical activities. Therefore, the social identity of Buddhist layman in modern China is investigated, and its modern significance to the construction of Buddhist charity concept is analyzed.
- Charles GOODMAN 顧德曼 (BinghamtonU 美國賓漢頓大學): AI Safety and the Interdependence of Extremes | 人工智能安全與極限的互相依存
As the power of large language models (LLMs) has become more and more obvious, concerns have increased about the adverse social impacts, and even existential risks to humanity, such technology could potentially create. These concerns have been strengthened by examples of outrageous misbehavior exhibited by models such as Microsoft’s Bing AI shortly after their public release. One prominent analysis that could make sense of this misbehavior postulates a “Waluigi Effect” that sometimes causes LLMs to behave in ways directly opposed to the personality traits that programmers were trying to induce. I show that the analysis, published under the pseudonym “Cleo Nardo,” depends in part on a version of the interdependence of extremes, a key teaching of both Buddhism and Daoism. Indeed, Nardo shows us a way to use the technical concept of Kolmogorov complexity to make the traditional teaching much more precise.
Given the problems predicted by Nardo’s hypothesis, and those which have been actually encountered in practice, what could help make LLMs and related AI systems safer? The Tibetan yogi Milarepa taught: “When it comes to moral discipline, nothing to do but stop being dishonest.” After examining this saying in its Buddhist context, I show how most cases of existential risk from AI centrally depend on the system’s capacity to deceive us. Honesty could protect us, but is difficult to engineer into AI systems generally; for LLMs in particular, the concept may not even be well-defined. This topic raises problems which may be similar to those that confront Buddhist philosophers in certain other contexts.
In these ways, Buddhist teachings can help us understand the contours of the problems we face in the realm of AI safety. Could they point to any solutions? As AI systems grow more powerful, it becomes increasingly important to ensure that they respect human values, but experts in the field seem to agree that no one knows how to do this. I offer the very tentative suggestion that we try to build AI systems with the capacity for repentance. The practice of repentance, specifically as it is understood in the Buddhist tradition, could offer a model for what it would take to train future AI systems to internalize moral norms, thereby making them more likely to make a positive contribution to humanity’s future.
隨著大型語言模型（large language models, LLMs）愈加明顯，對於這種技術可能帶來的負面社會影響乃至對人類存在的風險的擔憂不斷增長。這些憂慮也由於模型（例如微軟Bing AI）發布不久即展現出來的駭人的不當行為而進一步加強。一個重要的可以解釋這種不當行為的分析假定“瓦路易吉效應”（Waluigi Effect）有時會導致大型語言模型（LLMs）以與程序設計者試圖引導的人格特質截然相反的方式做出反應。我將表明這個以筆名（Cleo Nardo）發表的分析，在某種程度上依賴於佛教和道教中都有的一個重要觀念——極限的互相依存。Nardo確實為我們呈現了利用柯爾莫哥洛夫複雜性這個技術概念使傳統教義更加精確的方法。
考慮到Nardo在假說中所預言的問題以及實踐中已經遇到的問題，如何能夠讓大型語言模型（LLMs）和相關的人工智能系統更加安全？藏地修行者密勒日巴曾教導：“當談到戒律，除了停止不誠實沒有其他。”在佛教語境中考察這句教言之後，我指出，人工智能對於人類存在的風險的多數案例主要依賴於系統欺騙我們的能力。誠實可以保護我們，但是它難以被普遍設計在人工智能系統中。特別是對於大型語言模型（LLMs），誠實這個概念甚至難以被很好地定義。這個話題所引起的問題可能和佛教哲學家在一些其他語境中遇到的問題類似。
因而，佛教教義可以幫助理解我們在人工智能領域所面對的問題的輪廓。佛教教義能夠給出解決方案嗎？由於人工智能系統變得越來越強大，確保其尊重人類價值也變得愈加重要，然而此領域的專家似乎無人知曉如何做到這一點。我在此提出一個非常實驗性的建議——我們可以嘗試設計人工智能系統具有懺悔的能力。懺悔，特別是依照佛教傳統中的理解，能夠提供一種訓練未來人工智能系統內化道德準則的模式，從而使其更容易為人類的未來做出積極的貢獻。
- Peter D. HERSHOCK 赫碩軻 (East West Center 美國西東中心): Consciousness Mattering: The “Really Hard Problem” is Ethical | 意識：真正的難題是道德倫理
The “hard problem” of consciousness is generally seen as one of explaining how phenomenal experience emerges out of physical brain activity, often with the expectation that this will require some biological explanation of the evolutionary value of consciousness. Blending Buddhist and contemporary scientific resources to theorize consciousness relationally, I will suggest, instead, that: that the explanatory gap between the phenomenal and the physical is an experimental artifact; that evolution is an improvisational record of consciousness mattering; and that the “really hard problem” of consciousness is fundamentally ethical. The talk will conclude by considering the technological risks of synthesizing human and machine intelligences and already ongoing experiments in algorithmic consciousness hacking.
意識的“難題”通常被認為是解釋現象經驗如何從物理的大腦活動中產生的問題，並且經常伴隨著認為這個問題需要對意識的進化價值進行一些生物學解釋的預期。然而，通過將佛教和當代科學相結合以相關聯地提出意識理論，我將表明：在現象和物理之間的解釋鴻溝是一種實驗構築；進化是意識影響的即興記錄；意識“真正的難題”從根本上說是倫理道德。演講的結束，我將討論混合人類和機械智能以及已經在進行中的算法意識黑客實驗的技術風險。
- Jenny HUNG 洪真如 (HKUST 香港科技大學): Wellbeing in Early Buddhism: Zombies, Experience Machines, and the Value of Consciousness | 早期佛教的福祉觀：哲學喪屍（zombies）、經驗機器（experience machine) 和意識的價值
In this presentation, I discuss the intrinsic value of phenomenal consciousness in early Buddhism, focusing on the āgamas that comprise the Suttapiṭaka. This paper has three parts. First, I argue that for early Buddhism, consciousness is intrinsically disvaluable. Second, I contend that early Buddhists would choose to be zombies rather than attaining nirvana. Third, I show that one can attain nirvana in an experience machine.
在本演講中，我會討論早期佛教如何看待意識的內在價值。我會以構成經藏的《阿含經》為主要研讀文本。是次演講分為三個部分。首先，我提出對於早期佛教而言，意識本質上是有負面價值的。其次，我推論出早期佛教徒或會選擇成為哲學喪屍（zombies）而不是獲得涅槃。第三，我提出我們可以在體驗機器（experience machine）中證得涅槃。
- Jeffrey KOTYK 康傑夫 (UoBologna 意大利博洛尼亞大學): Buddhism and Metallurgy in China | 中國佛教及冶金術
Buddhist literature is a unique witness to the evolution of metallurgy in China over the course of over a thousand years. Translators used native Chinese vocabulary for different metals when translating foreign texts, although in some instances they were faced with unclear nomenclature or references to alloys that were rare in China. The use of specific metals in ritual contexts became essential following the introduction of Mantrayāna in China during the mid-Tang period. The present study will focus on brass (an alloy of copper and zinc), which was originally imported from the Western Regions, and a unique type of iron called bintie 鑌鐵 (crucible steel), which was first known as an import from Sasanian Iran. Based on the common Buddhist use of metals in the casting of statues, vajras, and bells, we might wonder whether Buddhists in China had a strong understanding of metallurgy during the first millennium. The present study will address this question with reference to Buddhist and non-Buddhist sources.
佛教文獻是中國冶金發展的獨特見證。 佛教譯者在翻譯梵文時，使用了漢語本土詞彙來表示不同的金屬，儘管在某些情況下，他們面臨著不明確的命名法或提及在中國罕見的合金。 中唐時期密教入中國，金屬在儀式及修行中的使用很重要。 本研究將重點關注最初從西域進口的黃銅，以及一種獨特的鐵，稱為鑌鐵，最早是從薩珊王朝的伊朗進口的 。 基於佛教在鑄造佛像、金剛杵和編鐘時普遍使用金屬，我們可能會想，中國佛教徒在第一個千年是否對冶金有深入的了解。 本研究要參考佛教和非佛教的資料來解決這個問題。
- LAMOKYI 拉毛吉 (TibetU 西藏大學): 藏歷的時間劃分 | The time division of the Tibetan calendar
藏歷包括五行算、時輪歷、時憲歷等幾個不同的知識系統，其中，一日內的時間以健康成年男性的呼吸節奏為圭臬，年、月、日的劃分同時參考日、月運行規律，紀年以12、60、180不同週期分屬不同紀年方式，大尺度範圍的時間以kalpa為單位計算，本文旨在通過分析藏歷中不同時間尺度的劃分標準，從而探討東西方文化的交流。
Tibetan astrological science has several different system, such as the elementary astrology, Kalachakra calendar, Shi-xian calendar and so on. The time of a day in Kalachakra calendar is based on the breathing rhythm of a healthy man. The year, month and day are divided according to the laws of the sun and the moon. There are several ways of numbering the years as 12, 60 and 180. The Time in a large scale is calculated in Kalpa. This paper attempt to analyze the division of different time scales in the Tibetan calendar, and then to explore the exchange between Eastern and Western cultures.
- LI Ling 李翎 (SichuanU 四川大學): 印度石窟寺營建與古代數學 | Perfect Mathematics: Construction of Caitya and the Cultural Origins
調查表明，印度早期石窟寺在建造時，是嚴格按照一定的數學比例關係設計的，最典型的就是石窟寺的核心洞窟——支提窟，支提窟的主室在整體設計採用了印度建築學上慣用的精緻數字比，這種簡約的數字關係，建立了一種美學上的優雅風格。這些石窟雖然經過2000多年的風蝕和人為破壞，如果忽略工匠在設計時出現的8-10釐米的微小誤差，我們可以發現，洞窟的高、寬幾乎相等；殿內，從前面木屏位置到佛塔前的距長，為整個殿寬的1.5倍；塔的直徑又是塔到兩側牆邊距的1.5倍；塔與後牆的距離等於塔與左右牆距；內頂高度與寬度幾乎相等；側廊是殿寬的1/8；（主）殿寬又是總寬度的3/5；列柱是殿內通高的2/5；入口寬為洞窟總寬的1/8等等，這些規則與印度古老的宗教建築量度，即 《準繩經》（śulva sûtras）可能密切相關，本文嘗試從數學的角度解讀印度早期佛教石窟寺在建造上的特點。
The investigation shows that the early Indian caves were designed strictly in accordance with a certain mathematical ratio when they were built. The most typical one is the caitya. The main room of the caitya was designed with the exquisite numerical ratio commonly used in Indian architecture. Although these caves have undergone wind erosion and man-made destruction for more than 2,000 years, if we ignore the small error of 8-10 cm in the design of the artists, we can find that the height and width of the caves are almost the same; Inside the hall, the distance from the position of the front wooden screen to the front of the stupa is 1.5 times the width of the entire hall; The diameter of the stupa is 1.5 times the distance between the stupa and the sides of the wall; The distance between the stupa and the back wall is equal to the distance between the stupa and the left and right walls; The height of the inner top is almost equal to the width; The side corridor is 1/8 of the width of the hall; The width of the hall is 3/5 of the total width; The columns are 2/5 of the full height of the hall; The entrance width was 1/8 of the total width of the cave, etc. These rules may be closely related to the old Indian religious architectural literatures-the śulva sûtras, and from this way, the paper is trying to understand the characteristics of the construction of the early Buddhist caves in India.
- LIANG Chenxue 梁辰雪 (FudanU 復旦大學): 日本陰陽道星祭對佛教元素的融攝與重塑——以祭文為中心 | Assimilation and Transformation: Buddhist Influence on the Zokushōsai Ritual in Japanese Onmyōdō
北斗信仰是東亞盛行的一種信仰類型，廣泛地出現在各種宗教和信仰體系之中，並衍生出了不同的信仰形態。本文以日本陰陽道祭祀中以屬星祭爲中心的、圍繞北斗信仰展開的祭祀儀式的祭文為主要討論對象，嘗試分析在此過程中佛教的影響問題。筆者注意到阴阳道星祭經過了一個複雜的演變過程，分別可以以《諸祭文故實抄》中的祭文文範，和更晚時期形成的以若杉家文書《祭文部類》中的祭文爲代表。這種變化一方面緣於日本北斗信仰本身的演變，另一方面則與陰陽道嘗試從“祭文舊草，皆爲內典”早期的形態，逐漸發展出更具本土性的信仰體系的過程有關。兩種不同的傾向都與佛教有關，但分別表現爲積極與消極的兩個方面。通過這一案例，可以進一步了解東亞文化交流中的變容問題，以及佛教作為一種具有強大跨文化影響力的信仰體系，在其中所起到的不同作用。
Beidou belief, a prevalent form of faith in East Asia, permeates various religious and belief systems, resulting in diverse expressions. This paper primarily examines the liturgical texts of the Zokushōsai 屬星祭 ritual, which is centered around the veneration of stars, within the framework of Japanese Onmyōdō. The aim is to analyze the influence of Buddhism in this context. It is noteworthy that the Zokushōsai ritual has undergone a multifaceted evolutionary process, exemplified by the liturgical texts found in Shosaimon Kojitsu Shō 諸祭文故実抄 and the later Saimon Burui 祭文部類 from Documents of the Wakasugi Family. This transformation is partly attributed to the evolution of Beidou belief in Japan and the gradual development of a more indigenous belief system within Onmyōdō, which deviated from its initial form that regarded Buddhist sutras as authoritative scriptures. Both tendencies are intricately linked with Buddhism, although they manifest as active and passive aspects, respectively. This case study provides valuable insights into the dynamics of cultural exchange in East Asia and sheds light on the distinct roles played by Buddhism as a faith system with significant cross-cultural influence.
- Bill M. MAK 麥文彪 (UHK 香港大學): Flat Earth and Mount Sumeru: Can East Asian Buddhist Cosmology be Accommodated in Modern Science | 平地與須彌山: 東亞佛教宇宙論能否適應現代科學?
While Buddhism is often recognised in the contemporary society as a religion compatible to modern scientific thinking in terms of its purported rationalism and universalist values such as non-violence and compassion, the Buddhist cosmology which is inherently at odd with our scientific understanding of the universe is rarely discussed. Ideas such as flat earth and Mount Sumeru are implicit in all Buddhist texts but are aberrant to the modern minds. This paper examines the history of Buddhist attempts to accommodate these ideas from the Bonreki movement in late Edo Japan to some of the more recent ones from various Buddhist traditions.
就其標榜的理性和非暴力、慈悲等普世價值而言，佛教在當今社會通常被視為一種與現代科學思想相兼容的宗教。而佛教的宇宙論因為與現代科學對宇宙的認識相左而很少被討論。例如，平地與須彌山觀念隱含在所有佛教典籍中，但是與現代思想相違背。本文探討佛教嘗試使這些觀念適應時代的歷史，考察從日本江戶時代晚期的梵歷運動到不同佛教傳統近來的一些嘗試。
- Brianna MORSETH 莫百納 (CUHK 香港中文大學): Bridging Ecologies through Contemplative Technologies: Effects of Huatou and Huayan Practice on Oxytocin and Environmentally Sustainable Behavior | 通過沈思技術連接生態: 話頭和華嚴經對催產素和環境可持續行為的影響
Contemplative technologies for enhancing interrelationality are viable strategies for addressing social and environmental challenges. Scientific studies of contemplative practice often focus narrowly on mindfulness, usually secular forms, alongside compassion meditation, while largely neglecting to examine neuroendocrine variables and sustainable behaviors reflective of inner and outer ecologies. Other contemplative methods from Buddhism remain less investigated, particularly via scientific technologies such as biobehavioral analytics. Combining hermeneutical and empirical methods, this project reports on fieldwork among international retreatants at a Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. Throughout a one month immersion program, measurements were obtained of recycling, food waste, and oxytocin via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Empirical findings indicate increased oxytocin following huatou, a Chan practice, accompanied by quantifiable improvements in pro-environmental behavior, including increased recycling and decreased food waste by mass. Extrapolating from these novel results, I identify Huayan philosophical doctrines and meditation practices with potential to induce comparable neuroendocrine and behavioral changes. The fieldwork and proposed follow-up study thus shed light on the relevance of Chinese Buddhist teachings and practices to scientific investigation integrating textual analysis and laboratory technologies, yielding outcomes with potential to bridge inner and outer ecologies and mitigate ongoing social and environmental challenges.
增進相互關係的冥想技術是應對社會和環境挑戰的切實可行的策略。對於冥想實踐的科學研究經常比較狹隘地聚焦於正念（經常是世俗形式）和慈悲禪，而在很大程度上忽略對神經內分泌變量和反內在和外在生態系統的可持續行為的研究。其他來自佛教的冥想方法較少被調查研究，尤其是通過例如生物行為分析的科學技術手段。本項目結合詮釋學和實驗方法，報告了在台灣一所佛教寺院的國際靜修者中開展的田野調查。在為期一個月的沈浸式項目中，我們對回收利用、食物垃圾和催產素（通過免疫吸附試驗）進行了測量。實驗結果表明在話頭禪修行後催產素有所增加，並伴隨有可以量化的保護環境行為的改善，包括以質量計量的回收利用的增加和食物垃圾的減少。從這些新的結果推斷，我認為華嚴哲學教義和禪修實踐有可能引起神經內分泌和行為上的可比較的變化。因而這項田野調查和提議的後續研究揭示了中國佛教教義和修行實踐與融合文本分析和實驗室技術的科學研究的相關性，其結果可以潛在地溝通內在和外在生態系統並緩和持續不斷的社會和環境挑戰。
- NIU Weixing 鈕衛星 (U of Science and Technology of China 中國科學技術大學): 佛藏中的天文學資料與研究進展 | Astronomical Materials in the Buddhist Sutras and Related Research Progress
漢譯佛經中保存著不少外來天文學資料，這些天文學資料從內容來看，有關於宇宙學理論的，有關於星宿體系的，也有關於曆法時節的。這些天文學資料是古代不同文明之間天文學交流傳播的重要證據。本報告擬對這些保存在漢譯佛經中的天文學資料進行梳理和分析，對這些天文資料的保存形式、特點、可靠性、功能性等做出評價，對外來天文學的內容做出分類和辨析，對其源流和本土影響展開討論。通過以上討論，本報告將以具體的案例展示“知識因傳播而進步、文明因交流而興盛”這一科技文明交流史觀的核心含義。本報告還將對相關研究的進展情況做出概述，並探討未來可能的研究方向。
There are many foreign astronomical materials preserved in the Chinese translation of Buddhist sutras. From the content, these astronomical materials include cosmology theories, lunar mansion systems and calendrical data, etc. These astronomical materials are important evidence for the exchange and dissemination of astronomy between ancient civilizations. This report aims to sort out and analyze the astronomical materials preserved in the Chinese translation of Buddhist sutras, evaluating the preservation form, characteristics, reliability, and functionality of these astronomical materials, classifying and differentiating the content of foreign astronomy, discussing its origin and local influence. Through the above discussion, this report will demonstrate the core meaning of the historical view of transcultural transmission of sciences and technology, which is ‘knowledge advances through dissemination and civilization thrives through exchange’. This report will also provide an overview of the progress of relevant research and explore possible future research directions.
- Alessandro POLETTO 薄樂陀 (Washington University [St. Louis] 美國華盛頓大學 [聖路易斯]): Therapeutics and botany in medieval Japan: the monk Shinjaku-bō in context | 中世日本的治療學與植物學：語境中的僧人心寂房
Therapeutics and botany in medieval Japan: the monk Shinjaku-bō in context Buddhist monks have been known for their ability to handle materia medica since the inception of Buddhism in Japan. Eminent figures like Jianzhen 鑑真 (J: Ganjin; 688-763) were noted, among other things, for their ability to recognize herbs and concoct medications, as records in Shoku Nihongi 続日本紀 (797) and Ishinpō 医心方 (984) show. In this talk, I will focus on a relatively obscure figure, the monk Shinjaku-bō 心寂房 (d. 1231), whose activities are only documented in the diary and letters of the famous poet Fujiwara no Sadaie 藤原定家 (better known as Teika; 1162-1241). Shinjaku-bō, whose descent, Dharma name and temple affiliation remain unknown, was an accomplished practitioner of continental therapeutics; in particular, he appears in Teika’s journal as a frequent practitioner of moxibustion and herbalism. For a number of years and until his death, Shinjaku-bō was a constant presence in Teika’s life, for whom he also functioned as a source of information and gossip, counsel and support. At the same time, Shinjaku-bō was also a skilled botanist, and Teika often resorted to his services for most garden-related issues, including numerous instances of grafting and gifts of trees. As the poet records in his journal, “as for plants and trees, I simply follow what this monk does.” Shinjaku-bō’s pharmacological and botanical skills, as well as hints pointing towards a Shingon affiliation, allow for a broader discussion of the locus of his practices within early medieval Buddhism. Plants, whether as ingredients for medications and decoctions, or as herbs dried and burned as incense and aromatics, played, in fact, an important role within the ritual domain of Japanese Buddhism at the time, and of the esoteric traditions in particular. I will, thus, conclude my talk by tracing possible sources for the monk’s mastery of these technical domains.
自從佛教傳入日本，佛教僧人便以善用藥物的能力而著稱。例如《続日本紀》（797）和《医心方》（984）中就記載了一些高僧，例如鑑真（688-763），以識別草藥和調製藥物的能力而聞名。在此次演講中，我將聚焦於一位相對鮮為人知的人物，僧人心寂房（?–1231）。他的活動僅被記錄在著名歌人藤原定家（更為人所知的名字是定家，1162-1241）的日記和信件中。心寂房的出身、法名以及隸屬寺廟都不清楚。他是一位技藝高超的大陸療法醫師，尤其是在定家的日記中作為艾灸和草藥醫師經常出現。在定家去世前的許多年，心寂房經常出現在他的生活中，並且還承擔了為他提供信息、流言，以及建議和支持的角色。同時，心寂房也是一位技能嫻熟的植物學家。對於大部分的園藝相關的問題，包括許多涉及嫁接和以樹木作為禮物的時候，定家都求助於心寂房。正如定家在他的日記中寫到，“關於植物和樹木，我只需要依照這個僧人的作法。”心寂房的藥理學和植物學技能，以及一些指向其隸屬真言宗的暗示，允許我們對處在早期中世佛教中的心寂房的修行核心做更廣泛的討論。植物，無論是作為藥物的原料或是作為香料或燃香被曬乾或燃燒，實際上在當時日本佛教的儀式領域中，尤其是在密教傳統中，發揮了重要作用。在演講的結尾我將追溯心寂房掌握這些技術領域的可能來源。
- POON Chung-kwong 潘宗光 (PolyU PolyU 香港理工大學): 佛經用語的科學詮釋 | The Scientific Exegesis of Terminology in the Buddhist Scripture
本論文主要探討以下兩個重點：
一，佛經中記載了不少科學內容。這顯示佛在世時的印度，已掌握一定程度的科學知識。多了解科學理論，相信能幫助我們更深入理解經文，領悟佛陀開示的義理。
二， 既然佛經藴含不少科學理論，若能活用科普知識，對於注重科技的現代人可能更容易明白佛理，亦能更有效推廣佛法。本論文引用在《金剛經》中發現的不少科學理論，探究其中的理念以及對人類文明的影響。再嘗試以現代科學例子作比喻，看看能否更有效詮釋經文的意思。
The thesis delves into the following two main points:
- Some Buddhist scriptures contain a significant amount of scientific content. This indicates that the metaphorical use of science was not uncommon in Buddhist India. If we possess an understanding of popular science, it may help us to deepen our understanding of the scriptures and aid in comprehending the teachings of the Buddha.
- Since the metaphorical use of science is a common technique in composing Buddhist scriptures, applying popular science in analogizing the Buddha’s teaching may help people in modern society, where scientific technology is significantly valued, to understand Buddhism better. This should, in turn, lead to more effective promotion of Buddhism.
The thesis examines numerous scientific terms cited in the Diamond Sutra to explore their underlying ideas and impacts on human civilization. This may be what the Sutra emphasizes as the Buddha being a “speaker of reality.” Furthermore, examples of modern science are designed to illustrate the meaning of the sutra to see if they could enhance its readability.
- Robert SHARF 夏復 (UCBerkeley 美國加州大學柏克萊分校): Sarvāstivāda, the Block Universe, and Superdeterminism | 說一切有部，塊狀宇宙與超決定論
My talk will take as its focus the signature Sarvāstivāda-Vaibhāṣika doctrine that past, present, and future things all exist. This theory—or theories, since the Vaibhāṣika masters themselves disagreed on how to make sense of it—anticipates, in many respects, “block-time” models of the universe that are in fashion among theoretical physicists today. In these models, time is a dimension spread out like space, and everything that ever was or will be has a fixed position within this four-dimensional space-time block. I will argue that the similarities between the early Buddhist theories and contemporary scientific ones are neither coincidental nor insignificant: both are responses to deep puzzles concerning the nature of change, causation, and the apparent “flow” and “direction” of time.
我的演講聚焦於說一切有部毗婆沙宗的標誌性理論——過去、現在和未來一切有。此理論（或者由於毗婆沙師們對於如何解釋這一理論有分歧進而衍生出多種理論）在許多方面預見了如今理論物理學家中流行的塊狀時間宇宙模式。在這些模式中，時間是像空間一樣延伸的一個維度，過去或未來一切在這個四維時空塊中都有其固定的位置。我認為早期佛教理論與當代科學理論的相似之處既非巧合也非微不足道。二者都是對變化的本質、因果律以及顯而易見的時間的流動和方向等深層謎題的回應。
- SHI Jizhen 釋寂真 (Mount Kuaiji Institute of Advanced Research on Buddhism 稽山書院): 佛教量論與當代意識理論中的「自我表徵主義」 | “Self-Representationalism” in the Contemporary Philosophy of Mind and the “Epistemological and Logical System of Buddhism” (Pramāṇavidyā)
當代心智哲學中的「自我表徵主義」（self-representationalism）是對於「有意識的心理狀態何以可能」该問題進行回應的最新進路之一，相比於此前的高階意識理論等表徵模型，自我表徵理論展現出了更優的解釋力與自洽性，是一種目前頗具潛力的意識理論。當我們將目光轉向佛教時，我們能夠發現，「有意識的心理狀態」該問題也曾在印度與西藏的思想家間得到討論，而當代自我表徵理論的模型及其相關論證，更是與佛教量論（Pramāṇavidyā）之「自證」（Svasaṃvitti）理論有着較高的相似度，並且，在一定程度上，自證理論能夠對於自我表徵理论進行補充。本文旨在以當代最為活躍的自我表徵主義哲學家克里格爾（Uriah Kriegel）與古代印度的佛教思想家陳那（Dignāga）論師為代表，通過聚焦於二者證成意識反身理論的論證進路、解釋意識之反身機制的方案等方面，而對於「自我表徵主義」與「自證」理論作一簡要的比較研究。
The “self-representationalism” in the contemporary philosophy of mind is one of the latest ways to respond to the question “how a mental state can be conscious”. Compared with higher-order representationalism and the like, self-representationalism suggests a series of stronger and more reasonable arguments; it is a current theory with potential. The same conscious question was also discussed between philosophers in India and Tibet. Especially, the model and the argument steps of self-representationalism have a high degree of similarity with the “reflexive self-awareness theory” (Svasaṃvitti) in the “epistemological and logical system of Buddhism” (Pramāṇavidyā); to a certain extent, the reflexive self-awareness theory could supplement the self-representationalism. In this paper, I will focus on Uriah Kriegel, the most representative self-representationalist in the contemporary philosophy of mind, and Indian Buddhist philosopher Dignāga in the 6th century CE, comparing their argument steps, interpretation method and so forth, to reach a brief comparative study.
- SHI Zhanru 釋湛如 (PekingU 北京大學): 人工智能對人類的新挑戰: 佛教的應對 | Challenges to Humanity from Artificial Intelligence (AI): Responses from Buddhism
人工智能 (Artificial Intelligence) 在近些年獲得了前所未有的巨大進步， 其發展速度之快已經遠遠超過了即使是過去極為超前的若干預期。人工智能的崛起， 就產生了諸多相關的重要社會問題， 從而需要學界對於由此引起的相關倫理及社會問題加以探討並且試圖加以應對。除此之外， 人類還應該考慮另一個更為根本的深層次問題， 即目前人類自身所一手打造的人工智能，是否會終極成為替代人類的選項？由此而言， 也觸發了人類對於自身與人工智能體之間關係的考量， 以及如果技術最終會成為人類災難性結果的誘因， 那麼是否可以從宗教， 尤其是佛教的角度來未雨綢繆？所有這些， 就都是相當值得學界與社會各界詳加思考的重要問題。
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made unprecedented advances in recent years, and its rapid development has far exceeded even some of the most advanced expectations of the past. The rise of Artificial Intelligence has given rise to a number of relevant and important social issues, which require academics to explore and attempt to address the ethical and social problems that arise. In addition to this, there is a more fundamental and deeper question that scholars should consider, namely, will the artificial intelligence that mankind is currently building become an option to replace mankind? In this way, it also triggers the consideration of the relationship between human beings and artificial intelligences, and if technology will eventually become the cause of catastrophic results for human beings, what constructive responses can be proposed from the perspective of religion, especially Buddhism? All of these are important issues that deserve deliberation by academics and society at large.
- SIK Hin Tak 釋衍德 (Hong Kong Chu Hai College 香港珠海學院): Medical Sciences in Early Buddhist Literature | 初期佛典中的醫療科學
Buddhist literature contains not only teachings for spiritual liberation but also information on diverse aspects of ancient cultures, such as medical knowledge of different civilizations. Material pertaining to ancient Indian medical sciences is found in early Buddhist literature. This paper explores such material in the early Buddhist scriptures, especially the Nikāyas and Āgamas, as well as the extant versions of the Chapter on Medicine (CM) of the Vinayas. Data on ancient Indian medical sciences are examined and interpreted in terms of modern medical terminology. Abundant information pertaining to various medical sciences – including anatomy, physiology, aetiology, nosology, therapeutics, and preventive medicine (health maintenance) – is preserved in these early Buddhist texts. From such information, it can be noted that medical sciences had already developed to a certain level in ancient India. Study of medical sciences in early Buddhist literature may act as a base for further exploration of medical knowledge in other Buddhist texts. Moreover, comparisons of ancient Indian medicine with modern biomedicine may discover similarities and differences between the two medical traditions, and ancient Indian medical ideas and/or practices may provide inspirations for research and development in modern medicine.
佛教文獻中不僅包含修行解脫的教法，也有眾多關於古代文化多方面的資料，例如不同文明的醫學知識。在初期佛教文獻中，就可以找到有關古代印度醫學的資料。本文探究了初期佛教經典中，尤其於南傳《尼柯耶》和漢譯《阿含經》，以及現存律藏中不同版本的〈藥犍度〉內的此等醫學知識。本文會透過現代醫學術語，對這些古印度醫學知識作探討和闡釋。初期佛教典藉中，保存了古印度多種醫療科學的大量資訊，包括解剖學、生理學、病因學、病類學、治療學、預防醫學（養生學）。從這些資料可以得知，古印度的醫學已經發展到了相當水平。研究初期佛教文獻中的醫學，可以作為基礎，進一步研究其他佛教經藉中的醫學知識。此外，通過對古代印度醫學與現代生物醫學的對比，或能發現此兩種醫學傳統之間的異同；某些古印度醫學的理念或療法，或許可以為現代醫學的研究和發展提供新的啟發。
- SONG Shenmi 宋神秘 (ShanghaiU of Traditional Chinese Medicine 上海中醫藥大學): 中古時期佛教中的四份二十八宿圖像研究 | A study of the Four Texts Recording Images of the Twenty-eight Lunar Mansions in Buddhism in the Medieval Ages
晚唐至宋元時期的佛教文獻中有四份記載了二十八宿的星點圖和星神圖，分別是：唐晚期的《七曜星辰別行法》、日本奈良藏《熾盛光佛頂大威德銷災吉祥陀羅尼經》（972年）、高昌勝金口石窟出土回鶻時期（866-1383年）的星宿圖壁畫和藏於日本京都教王護國寺的《火羅圖》（1166）。這四份文獻的特殊之處在於星點圖和星神圖結合在一起。因為中國傳統的二十八宿星點圖存在於墓葬、天文星圖和天文星占文獻中，而且僅有星點圖；而對域外二十八宿星點數量和形狀的描繪只存在於漢譯佛教的文字敘述中，並無具體的圖例。同時，帶有域外元素的二十八宿星神圖主要出現在歷代流傳的《五星及廿八宿神形圖》和佛教星曼荼羅和熾盛廣佛圖像中，且一般不包含星點圖。這四份佛教文獻將中國傳統的星點圖和源自域外的星神圖結合，雖然在對應上存在許多配置錯誤，但最重要的作用在於賦予星點圖不同於以往的純粹天象意義，即類似於星神圖的神力，同時突出了各星宿在宗教信仰和實踐儀式中的個體差異性。但自此以後，星點圖的神力主要體現在道教儀式和實踐中；而星神圖的威力主要展現在佛教和民間信仰中，但這些信仰及其實踐多以整體性突出二十八宿圖像的功能，其差異性逐漸減弱。
There are four Buddhist texts from the late Tang to Song and Yuan periods that record the star-point charts and star god figures of the twenty-eight lunar mansions: the Seven Obsidian Star Separation Acts (Qiyao xingchen biexingfa,《七曜星辰别行法》) from the late Tang period, the Killing Light Buddha’s Dzogchen (《熾盛光佛頂大威德銷災吉祥陀羅尼經》) (972) from the Nara Collection in Japan, a fresco of a star chart from the Uighur period (866-1383) excavated from the Shengjinkou Grottoes in Kaochang, and the Fire-Ra (Huoluo tu,《火罗图》) chart from the Gokokuji Temple in Kyoto, Japan (1166). These four documents are unusual in that they combine a star-point chart with a star god chart for each lunar mansion. This is because traditional Chinese star-point charts of the twenty-eight lunar mansions exist in tombs, astronomical star charts and astronomical astrological texts, and only having star-point charts, whereas depictions of the numbers and shapes of the foreign twenty-eight lunar mansions exist only in textual narratives of Chinese translations of Buddhism, with no specific illustrations. At the same time, the twenty-eight star charts with foreign elements are mainly found in the Five Stars and Twenty-eight Star Charts and in Buddhist images of the Star Mandala and the Blazing Broad Buddha, and generally do not contain star-point charts. These four Buddhist texts combine the traditional Chinese star-point charts with star god figures of foreign origin, and although there are many misconfigurations in their correspondence, their most important effect is to give the star-point charts a different meaning from their purely celestial predecessors, i.e. a divine power similar to that of the star charts, while highlighting the individual differences in the religious beliefs and rituals of each lunar mansion. Since then, however, the divine power of the star-point charts have been manifested mainly in Taoist rituals and practices; while the power of the star-god charts have been displayed mainly in Buddhist and folk beliefs, but these beliefs and their practices mostly highlight the function of images of the twenty-eight lunar mansions in their totality, with their differences gradually diminishing.
- Christopher TONG 唐思凱 (UMaryland, Baltimore 美國馬里蘭大學 [巴爾的摩]): Buddhism, Linguistics, and Artificial Intelligence | “佛學、語言學和人工智能”
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in linguistics claims that language is correlated with, or even determines, worldview. That is to say, the language we use impacts the way we observe the world. Based on this premise, Benjamin Lee Whorf concludes that “users of markedly different grammars … are not equivalent as observers but must arrive at somewhat different views of the world.” Whorf goes on to suggest that modern science, with its European origins, has therefore been shaped more by the grammatical structures of Indo-European languages than other languages. If one accepts Whorf’s hypothesis to be true, an intriguing question begs to be asked: how have the non-Indo-European languages of Asia contributed to the ongoing development of modern science? In response, this paper examines how Buddhism offers a counterpoint to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and sheds light on the emergent discourse of artificial intelligence. While scholars and scientists generally accept Whorf’s linguistic relativity to a certain extent, they almost always understand this relativity as applicable to human languages only. In contrast, Buddhist thought and praxis often push the limits of human language to the realm of nothingness where the human self withdraws from the myriad world. Given this context, this paper examines how Buddhist approaches to the nonhuman—from Buddha’s reincarnation as a nine-color deer (jiu se lu) to Wang Guowei’s literary theory of “self-withdrawal” (wuwo) and even the Zen Buddhist practice of ensō as communicating beyond the limits of human language—offer a different framework for contemplating ongoing developments in artificial intelligence, especially in the West. Citing a wide range of materials in media studies, literature and linguistics, and the history of science, this paper compares how Buddhism as well as contemporary scientific and cultural discourses have variously approached the question of nonhuman intelligence.
據薩丕爾-沃夫假說 (Sapir-Whorf hypothesis) 所稱，語言與世界觀有密切的關係。語言學中的“語言相對論”就是指語言的使用能影響觀察世界的模式。在這前提下，沃夫認為：“使用不同語法的人…不是等同的觀察者，並必然得出稍微不同的世界觀。”沃夫進一步指出，起源於歐洲的科學因此比其他語言更多地受到印歐語系語法結構的影響。假設沃夫的理論是正確的，那麼亞洲的非印歐語言如何為現代科學作出貢獻？本文探討佛家思想如何對薩丕爾-沃夫假說作出回應，並且提供對人工智能的一種闡明。雖然學者普遍接受沃夫的語言相對論，但他們認同的程度不一，而這個理論更限於人類語言的範疇。相比之下，佛家思想往往將人類語言推向“空”的境界，使人的自我漸漸退出塵世。從佛陀前生為九色鹿的敘述到禪宗的“円相”以至王國維的“無我”詩學，本文探討佛家思想如何促進超越人類極限，並在這過程中提供應對“非人類”智能的思维模式。本文引用文學、語言學、媒體研究及科學史中的廣泛材料，提出思考佛學和人工智能問題的一個框架。
- WANG Dawei 王大偉 (SichuanU 四川大學): 以醫為業，以僧為生：宋元時期的涉醫僧人與社會 | Take Medicine as a Career and Make a Living as a Monk: Social Activities of Medical Monks in the Period of Song and Yuan Dynasties
宋元時期有非常多的涉醫僧人活躍在社會的各個層面，他們行醫時接觸的階層範圍極廣，是一個特殊又活躍的群體。且圍繞這個群體，不僅有醫術的流傳，還有政治、慈善、神異等多種類型事件或故事發生。這些僧人實際形成了以醫為業，以僧為生的生活樣態。圍繞著他們的故事，我們可以進一步發現宋元社會中，除了普通醫療群體以外的醫僧群體，他們的人生、生活、技術構成了一個有趣又鮮活的宋元時期僧眾生活圖景。
In the period of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, many medical monks were active at different levels of society. They had contact with a wide range of social classes when practicing medicine. It was a special and active group. The medical skills of this group were spread. Different types of events or stories occurred such as politics, charity, and gods and spirits. These monks actually formed a lifestyle of taking medicine as a career and making a living as a monk. Around their stories, we can further discover the medical monk group except for the ordinary medical group in the society in Song and Yuan Dynasties. Their lives and technologies formed an interesting and vivid picture of life in the period of the Song and Yuan Dynasties.
- WU Hua 吳華 (SichuanU 四川大學): 虛擬與現實：作為網絡朝聖社區的送子靈廟 | Virtual and Real: The Child-Granting NuminousTemple as an Online Pilgrimage Community
送子靈廟不是一個現實的廟宇，其沒有與任何宗教機構合作，也沒有專業的宗教人士的存在與指導。該廟的存在只是源於網絡孕育平台針對準媽媽們在互聯網祈嗣的生育訴求而創造出來的一個網絡場景。其運作除了偶爾管理員的線上引流以外，靠的就是准媽媽這一群體的自覺自律與互幫互助。但是，在準媽媽們眼裡，送子靈廟就是一個真實的廟宇，它以網絡場景的方式呈現，方便了准媽媽這一群體每天上香朝拜許願的訴求，它以無聲的方式傾聽了准媽媽們的心聲，在八年左右的時間中匯聚了數十萬條的許願與還願記錄，從而形成了一種良性的朝聖循環圈，自然構成了一個虛擬的網絡朝聖社區。本文根據網絡文本的呈現，試圖解構送子靈廟這一虛擬朝聖社區的存在，展現了民間百姓在生育方面對於送子觀音信仰存在的正向需求以及送子觀音信仰在緩解善男信女們生育焦慮之中所能夠發揮的積極作用。
The child-granting temple under discussion here is not a physical temple that exists in reality. It is not associated with any religious institution, nor does it involve the participation or guidance of religious clerics. The temple is a digital space that originated from fertility prayers and aspirations of expectant mothers expressed on the internet. Apart from occasional traffic redirection by online administrators, the operation of this virtual temple relies primarily on spontaneous sense, self-discipline, and mutual assistance among the community of expectant mothers. This Send-Child Numinous Temple is perceived as a genuine temple despite its operation in an online setting. It facilitates the daily rituals of offering incense, worshiping, and making wishes, silently listening to the heartfelt aspirations of expectant mothers. Over a period of approximately eight years, it has gathered hundreds of thousands of records of wishes and fulfillments, creating a self-sustaining and beneficial cycle and a virtual pilgrimage community.
This paper aims to deconstruct the existence of the virtual pilgrimage community represented by the Child-Granting Numinous Temple based on the presentation of online texts. It demonstrates the demand among ordinary people for the belief in the Child-Granting Guanyin. Furthermore, it highlights the active role that the belief in Send-Granting Guanyin plays in alleviating anxieties related to childbirth among devotees.
- WU Shaowei 武紹衛 (ShandongU 山東大學): 唐代佛教僧團識字率初探 | A study on the literacy rate of Buddhist monastics in Tang Dynasty
佛教僧團是中國古代的重要文化群體，在中國古代社會中有著重要影響。這種影響之發揮，一方面緣於他們的宗教身份，另一方面也源於他們的文化知識。然而，並非全部的僧眾都是識字者。唐代試經制度以及僧尼沙汰運動，為統計唐代僧團識字率提供了可能。僧團識字率的統計，為理解唐代佛教發展、政教關係以及僧團之於地域社會的作用提供了新的視角。
The Buddhist Sangha was an important cultural group in ancient China and had a significant influence on ancient Chinese society. This influence stemmed from their religious identity as well as their cultural knowledge. However, not all members of the monastic community were literate. The examination system implemented during the Tang Dynasty, which tested monks’ ability to recite a sufficient number of Buddhist scriptures to determine their eligibility for ordination, and the movement to eliminate unqualified monks and nuns provided an opportunity to estimate the literacy rate among the monastic community in the Tang Dynasty. Statistical analysis of the literacy rate among the monastic community provides a new perspective for understanding the development of Buddhism, the relationship between religion and politics, and the role of the monastic community in local society during the Tang Dynasty.
- ZHANG Meiqiao 張美僑 (ZhejiangU 浙江大學): 佛教印刷文化一斑：元代管主八刊刻秘密經文集的版本流傳與入藏始末 | A Glimpse of Buddhist Printing Culture: The Circulation and the History of the Incorporation into the Buddhist Canon of the Secret Scriptures Collection Published by Guan Zhuba in the Yuan Dynasty
元代僧官管主八主持刊刻“武至遵計二拾八號秘密經”文集，是密教典籍在藏經史上唯一一次系統補刊。這組秘密經文集見於影印本《磧砂藏》同時，又曾與《普寧藏》配套流通。秘密經文集從何而來，何時刊雕，何時與《普寧藏》、《磧砂藏》配套流通，何時從隨藏典籍成為入藏典籍等問題均有待探討。
本文將秘密經文集的流傳分為經本流傳和經板流傳兩個不同層面分別考察。其經本於大德十一年（1307）流傳各地，較其經板流傳既早且廣。經板於至正二十三年（1363）捨入平江府磧砂延聖院，此前一直作為管主八的私人刻板。秘密經文集的經本絕大部分出自在弘法寺補雕後的《金藏》，但其所屬“武至遵計二拾八號”千字文序列則與江南系統大藏經一致。
在籌備好秘密經經文後，管主八於大德十年（1306）正式募緣施財，組織刊造，此時《普寧藏》“天”至“感”字號的雕刻已全部完成。管主八於杭州路另外開設經局雕造秘密經，與《普寧藏》刊經局無涉。但因其同時作為《磧砂藏》功德主參與雕造部分《磧砂藏》本律藏和論藏，因而得以深入了解包括《磧砂藏》在內的江南藏經情況。正是在管主八續刻《磧砂藏》期間，他注意到“江南、閩、浙教藏經板”中缺少秘密經文集，於是發心續補秘密經。秘密經文集大德十一年雕刻完成後，《磧砂藏》全藏雕造尚未完功，因此秘密經雕刻的目的並非局限於對《磧砂藏》的續雕，而是“續補天下藏經，悉令圓滿”，尤其是針對當時主要流傳於世的《普寧藏》。在至正二十三年捨經板之前，秘密經文集一直相當於一部單刻文集與《普寧藏》隨藏流通。但在不晚於皇慶二年（1313），即《普寧藏》刊經局於“約”字函雕刻沙囉巴譯經及《白雲和尚初學記》之前，秘密經文集已獲得武至遵計二拾八號”千字文編號。延祐二年（1315）《磧砂藏》“約”字函的雕刻，標志著《普寧藏》和《磧砂藏》兩大刊經局均已認可並接受這組秘密經文集在江南藏經編目中的定位。但其正式進入大藏經，成為藏內典籍仍以至正二十三年經板捨於磧砂延聖院為准。
二十八函秘密經文集的入藏，歷經從大藏經內部的剝離，到重新匯編成“大藏秘密經文”並隨藏流通，再到正式編入大藏經的曲折過程。這一入藏過程，不僅包含“行宣政院所委提調雕大藏經板”管主八個人的主觀意願，還反映出元代江南地區雕藏單位對待這組秘密經文集的態度變化，是藏經研究中的一個複雜特例。
“Wu 武 to Zun 遵 total twenty-eight cases of secret scriptures” were created under the director of Guan Zhuba 管主八, a monk in the Yuan Dynasty. The secret scriptures collection, the sole supplement for Tantric texts in the entire history of woodblock printing, circulated alongside the Puning canon and could be found in the photocopy of the Qisha canon. However, several questions about the collection remain unsolved, such as: Whence did the collection come from? When was it carved? When did it begin circulating with the Puning canon and Qisha canon? And when was it incorporated in the Buddhist canon?
This paper examines the circulation of the secret scriptures collection from two aspects: the circulation of the texts and the circulation of the wooden blocks. The texts began circulating in the eleventh year of Dade 大德 (1307), while the wooden blocks, which were the private property of the Guan family, were surrendered to the Qisha Yansheng Monastery in Pingjiang Prefecture in 1363. Although the majority of the texts in the secret scriptures collection were from the Jin canon, the sequence of the Thousand-Character Classic (Qianzi wen 千字文) from Wu to Zun is consistent with the Jiangnan system of the Buddhist canon.
After collecting all the secret scriptures, Guan Zhuba began fundraising in 1306, when the cases from Tian 天 to Gan 感 of the Puning canon had already been completed. He established a new printing office for the secret scriptures collection which was not connected to the printing office of the Puning canon. On the other hand, as a merit sponsor of the Qisha canon, Guan Zhuba knew more about the Qisha canon and the state of the Jiangnan system of the Buddhist canons. While carving the Qisha canon, he noticed the absence of Tantric texts in the Jiangnan, Min and Zhe Buddhist Canons. After the secret scriptures collection was completed in 1307, the entire Qisha canon had not yet been completed. Therefore, the purpose of carving the secret scriptures was not for the supplement the Qisha canon, but to provide Buddhist canons with Tantric text supplements, especially the most widely spread Puning canon.
The secret scripture collection as a separate corpus alongside the Puning canon until 1363. The collection had received their Thousand-Character Classic before 1313, because the printing office of the Puning canon carved the Baiyun Heshang Chuxue ji 白雲和尚初學記 under the Thousand-Character Classic, Yue 約. In 1315, the complement of the Yue 約 case of the Qisha canon indicated that two printing offices had recognized and accepted the fixed position of the collection within the Jiangnan system of the Buddhist canon. However, it was not until by 1363 that the collection was formally incorporated into the Buddhist canon.
The incorporation of the twenty-eight cases of secret scriptures followed a process of separation from the Buddhist canon, rearrangement as the secret scriptures collection and circulation alongside canons, and formal incorporation into the Buddhist canon. This process not only contains Guan Zhuba’s personal intentions, but also reflects the changes in the attitudes of the printing offices. It is a unique case study in the study of the Buddhist canon.
- ZHAO You 趙悠 (PekingU 北京大學): Oneself as Mechanical: Buddhist Insights from the First Millennium | 機關木人喻：公元初期佛教經典對主體性的一種反思
While Buddhist teachings deny the presence of a stable, unchanging self, they must still make sense of human agency. In this article, I look through metaphors of mechanical men in Buddhist literature which inform us of attempts to tackle the problem by resorting to figurative speech. This survey does not only show how ancient Buddhist scholars think with technologies of their times, but also provides us with insights into what it possibly means to live towards an era of artificial intelligence.
本文以公元初期梵漢佛教文本中的「機關木人喻」為研究對象，對比同時代婆羅門教與耆那教論典中相似的比喻，分析在不同哲學立場下對同一喻體不同的用法及其特點。這讓我們得以一窺古代佛教思想世界如何借由科技反思其無我論立場，如何使用比喻等手法穿透日常語言的困境，同時或將對我們理解人工智能時代的主體性有些許啓示。
- ZHENG Qijun 鄭麒駿 (École Pratique des Hautes Études 法國高等應用研究學院): Divine Prescriptions: Medicinal Philanthropy through Spirit-Writing by Lay Buddhists in Republican China | 論近代中國佛教居士通過扶乩進行的醫療及慈善活動
This research explores the history of medical prescriptions (jifang 乩方) and disaster relief (jishi 濟世) through spirit-writing. Originating in the late Ming dynasty, the cult of the Buddhist monk Jigong 濟公 (?-1209) flourished by the late Qing and early Republican periods. Organized as Pavilion of Gathered Clouds 集雲軒 in Shanghai, this group of lay Buddhists self-identified as the Buddhist lineage of Nanping 南屏派, venerating Jigong as their patriarch. Led by successive urban elites including Wang Yiting 王一亭 (1867-1938), their success and widespread recognition helped it to establish Chinese Society for the Relief of Sentient Beings 中國濟生會 in Shanghai. One unique aspect of their activities involved spirit-writing sessions during which they received divine revelations from Jigong. These revelations guided their multi-faceted disaster relief efforts during periods of crises. To conduct an in-depth analysis of their initiatives, this study will draw upon a variety of primary sources, such as spirit-written texts, religious scriptures, temple and local gazetteers, and newspaper reports. The main objective of this paper is to shed new light on the significant influence of spirit-writing on the philanthropic activities undertaken by lay Buddhists during the Republican period.
本文探索以扶乩方式提供醫療援助與災害救助的歷史進程。始於明朝晚期的濟公信仰，在清朝晚期以及民國時期達到頂峰。上海的佛教居士組織集雲軒自認為南屏派的一支，並尊稱濟公為他們的祖師。在王一亭（1867-1938）等人的帶領下，該組織獲得了廣泛的認同，並在上海成功創立了中國濟生會。該組織的慈善活動具有一個獨特的特點，那就是他們通過扶乩方式獲得濟公的神啟，並在危難時刻以此指導進行多元化的救災工作。為了對他們的慈善活動進行深入研究，本研究將利用扶乩文本、宗教典籍、宮觀志及地方志，以及報紙報導等一手資料進行深入分析。本文的主要目的在於揭示扶乩在近代中國佛教居士的慈善活動中所起的重要作用。
- ZHOU Liqun 周利群 (Beijing Foreign StudiesU 北京外國語大學): 從早期漢譯佛教天文看宗教中國化的歷史 | The History of the Sinicization of Religion in the Light of Early Chinese Translations of Buddhist Astronomy
三國時期到唐代，印度星佔知識隨著佛教經典的翻譯沿著沙漠絲綢之路來到漢地。通過《虎耳譬喻經》、《大集經》等佛經梵漢譯本的對比，《宿曜經》、《大唐西域記》等佛教文獻的研讀，探討天文曆法早期星佔方面的中國化歷史。天文方面，印度星宿名稱的漢譯方法，用中國固有的28宿名稱來對應印度的28宿，比使用義譯宿名或者音譯宿名更加受歡迎。曆法的時間測量單位，漢地的四季劃分傳統取代印度的三季或者六季系統，與印度的十二星宿月對應，體現了譯者尊重自然節氣的巧妙處理。曆法實踐層面，在漢譯本中採取中亞或者漢地的日影數據，說明瞭知識分子對本地科學數據的採納。而在星占卜辭中，將南亞的山名和地名等專用名詞進行模糊化處理，為卜辭跨越能夠跨越地區傳播提供助力。總體來看，漢傳佛教早期天學翻譯材料經常採用因地制宜的改變，從中可約略窺見古代科學技術知識在宗教中國化過程中所採取的傳播策略和方法。
From the Three Kingdoms period to the Tang Dynasty, Indian astrological knowledge came to the Han along the desert Silk Road with the translation of Buddhist canon. Through a comparison of the Sanskrit and Chinese translations of Buddhist scriptures such as the Śārdūlakarṇāvadāna, Xiuyaojing and the Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty, the history of the early Sinicization of astrological aspects of astronomy and calendars is explored. In astronomy, the Chinese translation of the names of the Indian astrological constellations, using the inherently Chinese names of the 28 constellations to correspond to the Indian 28 constellations, is preferred over the use of the meaningful or phonetic transliteration of the names of the constellations. For the unit of time measurement, the Chinese tradition of dividing the four seasons replaces the Indian system of three or six seasons and corresponds to the Indian twelve astrological months, reflecting the translators’ skilful handling of the natural seasons. At the level of calendrical practice, the adoption of Central Asian or China sun and shadow data in the Chinese translation shows the intellectual adoption of local scientific data. And in the astrological divinations, the blurring of special terms such as mountain and place names from South Asia aids in the ability of the divinations to spread across regions. Overall, the early Chinese Buddhist translations of astrological material often employ locally adapted changes, from which a glimpse of the dissemination strategies and methods adopted by ancient scientific and technological knowledge in the process of the Sinicization of religion can be roughly gleaned.
