對話與辯證 ── 聖嚴法師的旅行書寫與法顯 《佛國記》之比較研究=Dialogue and Dialectic: A Comparative Research between Master Sheng Yen’s Travel Literature and Fa Xian’s Record of Buddhist Kingdoms
In recent years, travel literature has become a popular literary genre in Taiwan. It has also become a new popular topic of literature research in Taiwan. The travel literature works of Master Sheng Yen, which has been published as one of Dharma Drum Collections by Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation, is one of the most important literature reading text for Taiwanese readers during the last decade, and its influence is growing stronger and wider with each passing day. Travel literature in Chinese literary history can be traced back to the medieval age when the Buddhist monks traveled to the west for religious purpose. The travel records written by medieval monks have become a foundation to the tradition of Chinese travel literature. Among those travel writings, Fa Xian, an eminent monk of Eastern Jin dynasty, and his work Fo- guo-ji, also translated as Record of Buddhist kingdoms, is most important in Chinese history. Master Sheng Yen and eminent monk Fa Xian have the same identity, they are both Buddhist monks, and they both made great contribution to their religion and society. Considering the connection between Master Sheng Yen and Fa Xian, this research will make a comparative study between the travel literature works of Master Sheng Yen and Fa Xian’s Fo- guo-ji. This paper will be divided into two parts, the first part will make an observation and analysis on the dialogue which occurred between Master Sheng Yen and Fa Xian through their writing and will deal with the following subjects: how the dialogue between two great monks were made, the way the dialogue carried on, and the contents of the dialogue. The second part of this paper will focus on the dialectic speeches which appeared in many places of the books, including: see / not to see, sthiti / abolish, past / future. These dialectic dialogues made Master Sheng Yen’s traveling writings not only special in having his own characteristic but also made his traveling writings of great importance and deep meanings in the history of Chinese Buddhist literature.
