敬愛的主持人，各位法師、來賓、女士、先生：
感謝outstanding women in buddhism awards committee的提名人修懿法師與諸位委員，將「佛教傑出女性獎」頒贈給我。我是一介平凡的比丘尼，是佛法的卓越智慧，讓我的人生脫胎換骨，因此在此殷重地感恩佛陀、達摩與僧伽對我生命的再造之恩！
我的學術背景是教育與漢學，然而在大學時代，我深深受到佛法的感召，因此決志皈依三寶，終身素食，而且在1978年出家，那年我才二十一歲。
二十八歲，受到阿闍黎印順導師的提攜護念，開始進入佛學院授課，並在他的指導下，展開了佛教學術研究的路程。直到1994年，我開始進入大學任教，至今已出版了26本著作。
原本以為，自己應該是以「學者」與「教師」的角色走完人生之路，但是因緣際會，我竟然從學術象牙塔走了出來。三十二歲，成立了護教組織，讓世人改變其動輒侮慢僧尼、曲解佛法的偏頗做法。1994年，抗議異教徒鏟除公園中的觀音聖像而掀起了「靜坐絕食護觀音運動」。1999年，推動了「佛誕放假」的全國性大規模運動，因而改變了台灣數十年來「只有耶誕單獨放假」的政治生態。2000年，又發起了「廢除八敬法」的佛門性別平等運動，此後並推動跨宗教的性別平等理念。
在社會運動方面，1989年，我開始越過佛教領域，第一次廁入社會關懷的事業，從此，人權、環保、動物解放、反賭馬、反賭博合法化……，一系列的社會運動，沖撞著既有的法規體制與思想觀念。凡此種種，往往集有志之士的「共願」，而轉化或減除了深重的「共業」。
也因為上述經歷，我曾被佛教友人笑稱是「橫跨三界」(學術界、教育界與社運界)。此中，教理的研究與實踐，依然是精神力量的源頭活水。無論是主導或參與任何一種社會運動，我都不隨波逐流，而是在教理的基礎上，全心反省並全力實踐。而在實際的參與過程中，個人在法義體會的收獲上也最大，因為那不再只是經典的智慧，而已滲入生命底層，而成為人生處世的智慧。
無論是護教、護生還是提倡女權，社會運動大都顛覆著既成體制或思想觀念，或是涉及鉅大的既得利益，因此必然會被反擊、醜化，廁身其中的張力很高，必須要有無常、無我的緣起智慧，否則很難保持平穩的情緒。
首先，事態發展的因緣是如此的錯綜復雜，因此即使全力以赴，其結果也未必讓人滿意，以此「諸行無常」的觀照，使我只專註在過程中的決策與行動，對其結果則淡然處之，不會陷入患得患失的憂悲惱苦中。「諸法無我」的深刻體會，則使我對個人處境淡然視之，從不憂讒畏譏，即使各方羞辱、謾罵交攻，乃至當事人恩將仇報，我也從不自憐、自戀、自怨自艾。
謹此向各位分享我的人生體驗，這是為了證明一點：清涼、安穩的人生境界，不一定非得在禪堂與阿蘭若處訓練不可，也可以在每一件忘我利他的菩薩行中，達致同樣的效果。
在每一次的生命歷練中，你可以讓自己的生命更具足疼惜眾生的慈悲、觀照世間的智慧，以及沛然壯闊的膽識與勇氣。感謝大家！
address in outstanding women in buddhism awards ceremony
respectable host(s), venerables, honored guests, ladies, and gentlemen,
thank you very much for nominating me, ven. shou-yi (修懿) , for recommending me for this outstanding women in buddhism award. and thank you very much, respectable committee members, for conferring me this very precious award. i am just a very ordinary bhikkhuni. it is the excellent wisdom of budhadharma that has transformed my life. therefore, i would like to dedicate my most sincere and profound gratitude to the blessings that the buddha, dharma, and sangha have given me, blessings that have fundamentally re-created my life.
my academic background focused on two areas: education and sinology. however, during the years in the university, i was so deeply touched by the buddha dharma that i made up my mind to take refuge in tri-ratna (the three jewels), remain a vegetarian throughout my life, become ordained in 1978. that was the year when i was 21.
when i was 28, with the help and guidance of my acarya, the most venerable yin-shun(印順) , i began to teach at buddhist colleges and started the journey of academic research in buddhism. in 1994, i stated teaching in the university, and up till now, i have published 26 books about buddhism.
i once thought that i would complete the journey of as a buddhist scholar and teacher. however, due to various causes and conditions, i walked out of the ivory tower of the academic world and started participating in different engaged buddhist movements. when i was 32, i established an organization to protect buddhism, to change the misled behaviors of the secular people that tend to distort the dharma and debase monks and nuns whenever they can. in 1994, with 「the hunger strike to protect kuan-yin」 movement, i initiated a strong protest against the respect-less act of the non-buddhists who tried to demolish the kuanyin statue in a public park. in 1999, i advocated a national movement to have the buddha』s birthday set as a national holiday so as to change the christmas-only national holiday system in the political arena, a system that has favored christianity alone for the past decades in taiwan. in 2000, i initiated the 「abolishment of the eight special rules for bhikkhunis,」 a movement to promote true gender equality in the buddhist community. ever since then, i have also crossed the religious boundary and worked with spiritual leaders of various religious organizations to promote gender equality.
as for my involvement in social movements, since 1989, i began to cross the boundary of traditional buddhist practice and started to actively participate in various movements with aggressive appeals and concerns for the well-being of the society in general: human rights, environmental protection, liberation of animals, anti-horse racing movement, anti-casino-bill movement, etc. these have been a series of social movements that have challenged the existing legal system as well as the built-in ideas and ideologies that go hand in hand with the system and related practices. all of these efforts have always attracted and formed a 「common vow」 among people who share the same ideal and have therefore transformed or reduced the weighty and deeply-rooted 「common karma」 that has been shaped due to prevalent mal-practice.
it is because of my participation in all the activities mentioned above that my buddhist friends once teased me that i have been 「crossing the three realms,」 not the three dharma realms, but the realms of the academic, educational, and social movement world. however, here i would like to share with you that although i have been crossing borders and boundaries, the study and practice of the buddha-dharma has always remained as the source of my spiritual power, the inspiration and guiding principle of all my practices. whether i am leading or participating in any kind of social movement, i do not float with the trend or follow the crowd. instead, i base my practice on fundamental buddhist teachings: i reflect on the circumstances with all my heart, and dedicate my efforts with all i can. hence, during the process of my actual participation in these activities, i am the one that has learned and benefited the most: for all the wisdom i have acquired from these encounters have no longer remained wisdom in the scriptures, they have permeated into the depth of my life and have turned out to be the wisdom of life and true practice.
whatever the movements are about (protection of buddhism, protection of life, promotion of women』s equal rights, etc.), most social movements tend to subvert existing systems, ideas, or ideologies, and sometimes they involve [or threaten] interest groups who have enjoyed massive benefits within the present systems. consequently, it won』t be surprising that the movements we are trying to promote will get distorted or attacked in return, and one who is involved in these movements will feel intense conflicts all the time. therefore, it is necessary to prepare ourselves in advance with the wisdom of dependant origination, the wisdom of impermanence and selflessness, or it is not easy to keep our peace of mind.
first, the causes and conditions of the situation and its development during these movements are so complex and inter-connected; hence, even if we have tried our best, we may not get a satisfactory result. with the perception that 「all happenings are impermanent,」 i have been able to concentrate on decision-making and actions during the process while feeling detached about the outcome. hence, i will not fall into the traps of worries, sorrows, vexations, or suffering due to obsessive yearning for gains or fear for loss. the deep realization of the buddhist teaching that 「there is no absolute self in all phenomena」 has taught me to remain unemotional about all sorts of personal attacks such as sarcasm, ridicules, attacks, criticism, humiliations, or even ungrateful backbiting by the ones i have helped. because of the wisdom of the dharma, i have never cared about flattering words or fear mocking criticism, nor have i felt self-pity, self-adoration, or self-complaint.
with all these life experiences, i would like to share with all of you a wisdom that we can verify: that is, the ideal, peaceful, and stable life that we try to acquire does not have to be obtained in the meditation hall or trained in the monasteries. the same effects can be achieved in every single bodhisattva act we practice, in every single altruistic effort we make to benefit others while forgetting our self-interests. in every trial of life, you can charge your life with more substantial compassion that enables you to love and care for all sentient beings more. in every trial of life, you can acquire more wisdom to perceive the world as it really is and learn to live at peace in it. in every trial of life, you will be empowered with more immense and in-exhaustive guts, sense, and courage, and what it takes to benefit all sentient beings.
i share this award with all of you, with all who have joined us on this bodhisattva journey. thank you very much!
