2021-12-30

臺中東勢客家釋教的齋醮傳承:以龍華佛教會瑞德壇為核心

劉懷仁。〈臺中東勢客家釋教的齋醮傳承:以龍華佛教會瑞德壇為核心〉。《民俗曲藝》214(2021.12): 21-95

Liou Huai-ren. “The Transmission of Hakka Buddhist Rituals in Taichung’s Dongshi District: A Case Study Centering on the Ruide Altar of the Longhua Buddhist Association.” Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore 214(2021.12): 21-95.

 

Abstract

 

臺灣的客家研究中,近年來已有相當成果的積累。長期以來,專研客家相關宗教者,因歷史進程之緣故,多以南北部客庄為首要調查,而中部客庄的宗教信仰文化,學術研究尚在發展中,尤其是臺3線及臺8線交迭的「東勢」,客家人口數突破七成,被關注之程度較其他客庄要來的低。職是之故,本文以東勢鮮少被討論的客家釋教作研究核心,聚焦龍華佛教會瑞德壇(緇門香花,民間奉佛之儀式專家)為考察對象。龍華佛教會瑞德壇主要負責的齋醮有「祈安獻醮」、「做功德」及「瑜伽蒙山」等,而參與式觀察將以中元普度法會的瑜伽蒙山科儀做為記錄。質言之,藉由東勢釋教壇門的線索蠡探,再結合官方文獻、民間史料等,建構出龍華佛教會瑞德壇傳承淵源和系譜,並分析其在地方社會之間的影響,以及文化網絡之關係和經營困境。

In recent years, the field of Hakka Studies in Taiwan has been marked by the accumulation of numerous achievements. However, due to a number of historical factors, most investigations have centered on Hakka villages in northern and southern Taiwan, with research on the religious cultures of central Taiwan’s Hakka villages only just beginning to develop. This is especially the case for Taichung’s Dongshi District, located at the confluence of Provincial Highway 3 and Provincial Highway 8, despite the fact that over 70% of its residents are Hakka. For these reasons, this article focuses on the largely overlooked phenomenon of Hakka Buddhism (客家釋教), namely Buddhist ritual practitioners (緇門香花) from the Ruide Altar (瑞德壇) of the Longhua Buddhist Association (龍華佛教會). These specialists perform a wide variety of rituals, including offering rites, mortuary rites, and salvation rites for hungry ghosts. This article draws on participant observation fieldwork to present data on one of this Altar’s rituals, the Yoga Mengshan Rite for Feeding Hungry Ghosts (瑜伽蒙山科儀), performed as part of the Universal Salvation ceremony (中元普度). Based on a combination of official documents and local historical sources, this study traces the transmission patterns of the Ruide Altar, analyzes its influence on local society, and assesses its links to cultural networks as well as related operational difficulties the Altar encounters.