Taiwan's Buddhist Nuns

Chapter 5: Jueshu renhua—“Cultivating Buddhist Leaders, Awakening Humanity’s Essence through Education”: The Nuns of Luminary Buddhist Institute

Chapter 5 Jueshu renhua— “Cultivating Buddhist Leaders, Awakening Humanity’s Essence through Education” The Nuns of Luminary Buddhist Institute As discussed in Chapter 1, though fully-ordained nuns have out-numbered monks since the 1950s, it was primarily monks who held leadership positions and gave public dharma talks during the 1950s–1970s.1 Li Yuzhen reports that before the 1980s, nuns at many mixed-gender temples in Taiwan were automatically relegated to kitchen duties and had few opportunities for study and giving dharma talks.2 To remedy this state of affairs, the nun Wu Yin (b. 1940) founded the Luminary Buddhist Institute in 1980 with the express goal of training nuns as spiritual leaders, while propagating the dharma through their missions of education, culture, and social service (Figure 5.1, next page). Their motto is “Vow of Compassion, beiyuan; Actualized Action, lixing; and Harmony, hehe.” This Institute of around one hundred nuns operates a number of organizations . The Luminary Buddhist Studies Institute, the Luminary Library, the nuns’ main dormitory, and the Luminary Temple are located at the headquarters in a rural township outside of Jiayi city in southwest Taiwan; but now Luminary operates affiliated branches offering courses in Buddhist studies and meditation sessions, and other classes and camps for the public (children, youth, and adults) in Taipei (Yinyi Institute), Miaoli (Dinghui Institute), Taichung (Yanghui Institute), Jiayi (Anhui Institute), Fengshan (Zizhulin Study Center), and Taoyuan County (Xiang’guang Shan Chan retreat center).3 In contrast with other Buddhist monasteries and nunneries large or small in Taiwan, the Luminary Buddhist Institute’s main mission is the training of nuns and lay outreach through education; its focus is on education and 79 80 Taiwan’s Buddhist Nuns scholarship rather than on the provision of charity or traditional Buddhist services like sūtra chanting and funeral rites. The Luminary nuns, many of whom hold post-graduate degrees, are actively engaged in teaching, writing, and publishing, and this has not escaped scholars’ notice.4 After an overview of the Luminary Buddhist Institute’s historical background and a description of their missions, this chapter will also discuss two of Luminary’s social welfare missions: their post-earthquake reconstruction efforts and their work aiding foreign brides of local Taiwanese men. In comparison with Ciji, a look at the Luminary Buddhist Institute offers a different perspective from which to answer the questions: “How have women shaped Taiwan’s Buddhism? How has Buddhism shaped the role and identity of Taiwanese women? How are Buddhist women shaping the future of Taiwan ?” I agree with Wei-yi Cheng5 that overall the Luminary phenomenon is feminist in its outlook and accomplishments, without having used the term “feminism,” nor allying themselves with Taiwan’s feminist movement. Yet this chapter will probe further into the questions of gender and feminism with regard to the Luminary nuns. The main “refrain” at Luminary proclaims equality, “all sentient beings are equal,” “Buddha-nature has no gender,” yet the nuns are expected to manifest the ideal of the male da zhangfu. At the same time, they speak of the individual and collective empowerment (fuquan) of women. Their transmission of Buddhist compassion is not articulated in terms of Guanyin or as mother’s love as in Ciji. Yet among the Luminary nuns there persist some essentialist ideas of the feminine and a conviction that women’s strength lies in difference. This androgynous balance has helped transform Taiwan’s Buddhism, Taiwan’s women, and Taiwan’s society. First, Figure 5.1. Master Wu Yin and her disciples during the Vassa (Rains-Retreat). Ceremony at Buddha Hall, Luminary Temple (Shih Wu Yin) 81 Cultivating Buddhist Leaders Taiwanese Buddhism gains well-trained female dharma masters. Second, at Luminary, Taiwan’s women can become well-educated professionals, fulfilling both individual spiritual desires as well as expected social responsibilities. Third, Luminary is transforming Taiwan’s traditional religious landscape, since laypeople who become Buddhist might cease to practice popular forms of worship. Finally, through their outreach programs in community education and their work with other NGOs, Luminary is building the horizontal links that are the sinews of civil society.6 The Luminary Buddhist Institute rose to prominence in Taiwan’s Buddhist circles with the leadership and vision of Wu Yin, born Chen Xiazhu in 1940 in Taichung County. After graduating from high school she had hoped to enter college and become a teacher but her mother opposed her, saying, “Girls become someone’s...