Siddhartha: An Encounter of Buddhism and Postmodernism

「流浪者之歌」：佛法和後現代主義的一場相遇

許惠芬(Hui-Fen Hsu)

佛法 ； 後現代主義 ； 語言 ； 主體 ； Buddhism ； Postmodernism ； Language ； Subjectivity

長庚人文社會學報

9卷1期（2016 / 04 / 01）

151 - 175

英文

「流浪者之歌」是赫曼赫塞於1922 年的作品，這位兼具德國及瑞士籍的詩人小說家，是1946 年的諾貝爾文學獎得主。本小說是悉達多的生命探索故事，背景在佛陀時期的印度。以抒情及哲思為風格，它凸顯了東方的智慧，能為西方社會的苦悶提供新的解藥。本研究的目的在探討佛法和後現代主義如何在此小說中和諧共存，尤其在語言和主體觀這兩方面有互通之處。兩者皆視語言為主觀的溝通媒介，不能完全傳達真理，即使不至於全然的扭曲。人的主體無時不在變動中，無內在的實性。後現代主義視主體為非固定、不穩定的實體存在，而佛法更加延伸主體的不確定性，視主體為非真實的存在，即所謂空性。此處將加以申述佛法的智慧，分成空性、業果及物我合一來探討。本研究分兩部分。第一部分探討佛法和後現代主義對語言的論述，第二部分探討主體觀。東西方的論述在「流浪者之歌」相遇，揭示主體和語言的建構性。佛法和後現代主義都具有解構的特質，而佛法更深遠處在於解構後倡導慈悲心的生起。藉由「流浪者之歌」闡釋佛法和後現代主義的相同性，不僅賦予此書後現代的深刻意涵，也彰顯了佛法助人離苦得樂的永恆性。

Siddhartha is a 1922 novelette by Hermann Hesse, a German-Swiss poet and novelist awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946. It explores the spiritual quest of an Indian young man named Siddhartha during the time of the Gautama Buddha. Lyrical and philosophical, this novelette highlights Oriental wisdom as a remedy for human sufferings. The purpose of this study is to explore the harmonious coexistence of Buddhism and postmodernism in Siddhartha. The ancient Eastern religion resonates with modern Western critique on language and subjectivity. Both view language as an incomplete and subjective means of communication incapable of conveying Truth, if not distorting it to a certain degree. Human subjectivity has no inherent essence or autonomy. Postmodern discourses view subjectivity as an unfixed entity, while in Buddhism, it is not only unfixed but also empty. To explore the unstable subjectivity, Buddhist philosophy of emptiness, karma and cosmic consciousness is elaborated. The contents of this paper are divided into two parts. The first part illustrates postmodern and Buddhist views on language. The second part analyzes human subjectivity. The discourse encounter of the East and West in Siddhartha highlights the construction of language and subjectivity. Sharing with postmodernism the deconstructive feature, Buddhism clears the illusion of individuality and further promotes compassion toward other beings. This study infuses Siddhartha with postmodern vigor and Buddhist wisdom, showing the path to living a meaningful life.

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