Abstract
The nations of East Asia have similar historical backgrounds in terms of going through modernization during the nineteenth century. All of them commonly experienced socio-political hardships. Three of the most prosperous East Asian new religions, Yiguandao, Tenrikyo, and Daesoon Jinrihoe, all emerged under similar socio-political circumstances during the nineteenth century. There was no mutual interchange, but the cosmological perspectives share some analogous ideology. All of them were types of nativist millennialism. The ultimate goal in all three is redeeming lost elements by magical means-the sudden disappearance of invading forces, the return of mystical heroes or messiahs, and an altered landscape. As Stark said, although it is impossible to calculate the actual rate of success, probably no more than one religious movement out of 1,000 will attract more than 100,000 followers and last for as long as a century. By this standard, these three groups are certainly worthy of being studied. This paper will examine and compare these three groups through four dimensions: the Messiah's eschatology, the re-interpretation of that eschatology after the Messiah's death, the rational transformations of millennial dreams, and the institutionalization of those millennial dreams. Analytically, I could demonstrate the differences among these groups through two dimensions: (1) The dimension of time, which can be conceptualized in terms of this-worldly or other-worldly; and (2) Collective vision, which can be conceptualized in terms of utopia or reform. The cross-classification of these two dimensions is suggestive of the general avenues of Millennialism. Through these comparisons and observations, light will be shed on the essence and dynamics of East Asian Millennialist Thought by exploring deeper cultural implications.
本研究以韓華日的三個最大的末世論教派為討論對象, 並以千禧年的藍圖想像, 藍圖的再詮釋, 藍圖的轉化, 藍圖的制度化四個向度, 做為比較重點。韓國的大巡真裡會, 華人世界的一貫道, 日本的天理教等, 歷史起源的時空相當類似, 經百年後如今各自在全球都擁有超過百萬以上的信徒, 相當值得作比較性的研究。「本土性的千禧年運動」這個概念, 是我們對焦進行比較的概念工具 : 在外來侵略中, 失去祖先的土地和傳統生活方式, 產生了本土運動。透過奇蹟性的手段──外力勢力可以驟然消失, 神話人物或彌賽亞的來臨, 地景的改變──其終極目標是要去修復這些元素。遠處的終極目標激發了本土者以拋棄現有生活方式和物質擁有做為奉獻。而以千禧年藍圖的轉化與制度化為焦點, 就各團體的發展結果來看, 以兩個向度來做區別 : A千禧年的時間向度 : 由現實世界中去達成, 或是必須還要出現一個截然有別的想像性的永恆國度 ; B千禧年的集體性的視野 : 需要在神聖超越性的基礎上去建立烏托邦, 或是可能由人心的改造中創造集體性的幸福。由此交叉對應中, 我們可能得到各種團體的相對位置。分析性的來看, 三個團體轉化的模式與方向有著很大的差異。一貫道是將天國的藍圖, 轉為設定在另一個永恆的國度裡, 而將此世的世俗人生場域, 視為是修練本心的場所, 是做為進道之階所必須。天理教設定了教祖的永生, 這創造出天堂在人間的落實, 也激發成員與超越性之間的相容相洽不相分離。大巡真理會把教祖直接視為拯救全人類的開放性的上帝, 他不只是拯救信徒, 也要拯救全世界, 尤其是要創造以韓國為中心的美好世界的來臨。教祖開啟了後天世界, 它其實就在這個世間, 但這個後天世界尚未完成, 尚需要所有人員的努力, 這個努力有個人性的超自然的意義 (個人要解冤, 報恩和神人調化), 也有現實性的意義 (布德天下, 改造人間), 這些努力乃是建設人間成為理想天國的前提。本文的比較性探討, 還僅只是一個極為初步的探索, 未來有待收集更多資料, 以能進行更為細部與深刻的討論。