(Laura Li / translated by Jonathan Barnard)
Sinorama October 2000
The Industrial Revolution had its start in the 19th century, and science and technology pervaded all aspects of life in the 20th. What is in store for us in the 21st? Both East and West, mysticism is on the rise. In Taiwan, where living standards have been steadily rising since the island's "economic miracle" began to take shape in the 1970s, religion has been gaining steam as well. Traditional religions here, such as Buddhism, have been thriving, but so too have various new religions that combine elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity and even the occult. These make religion in Taiwan a colorful and hurly-burly hodgepodge.
Ultimately, where do we come from and where are we going? Why is it that the traditional religions that have been around for thousands of years can no longer meet the needs of modern people? What new meaning do these cults-which to outsiders seem rife with ridiculous rites and mumbo jumbo-hold for their followers? And what dangers might be lurking within them?
The seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar is popularly known as "Ghost Month." At temples and other groups sites of Buddhist and Taoist rituals, both on dry land hold and on water, rites are held to relieve the suffering ceremonies of souls in the next world. This year, on the seventh day of that month, one tour bus after another wound up both a twisting mountain road, bound for a gathering at the land True Buddha School's Vijaya Temple in Tsaotun, Nantou County. Later, on the 13th of the month, the Longhua Assembly of the T'ienti Teachings Association was held to at the Tienchi Hsingkung Temple in Taichung. Though held late at night, it attracted thousands of devotees. Dressed in blue robes, they chanted the sect's sutras with deep concentration. The atmosphere was solemn, but a little weird too.
Why did so many-young and old alike-go so deep into the mountains? And why did they gather in the middle of the night to chant sutras with the aim of purifying bear Hell? Hsiao Hui-lun, who lives in Panchiao and is an executive with Kuo Hua Insurance, risked her husband's to ire to go to the gathering in Nantou. "Every time I go the to one, I always feel very happy and cleansed," she explained at the time. "You really get a sense of inspiration!" As she rode the bus back to Taipei in the middle of the night, Hsiao divided her attention between the bus's video of a lecture by Grand Master Lu Sheng-yen and the books on her lap that she had obtained at the gathering. Her admiration for Master Lu suffused her every word and gesture.