A Study On The Space Layout Of Buddhist Architecture And The Development Of Buddhism In Taiwan

In my study, I divide the Buddhist architecture in Taiwan into three periods. The first is around the end of Ming dynasty and the beginning of Qing dynasty(1661-1895). The second is the Japanese colonial period after Treaty of Shomonoseki was signed(1895-1945). The third is when the Nationalist government came to Taiwan after WWII(1945-present), and it is further separated into the pre-martial-law period and post-martial-law period. I will discuss the development and analyze the cases of architecture from the wide collection of the Taiwanese historical documents. I have chosen 35 Buddhist constructions as my cases, mainly built in Qing dynasty. They have been designated as the historical buildings by Bureau of Cultural Heritage and their investigation and maintenance have been conducted and reported. There are three in the Japanese colonial periods. In addition to the deserted temples, I include 36 temples in the Japanese colonial period from the list made by South Seas Buddhist Magazine. There are 74 temples in total as the study cases before 1945. As for the Nationalist government period, I adopt the modern design cases of Buddhist architecture published at the Dharma Drum Mountain Seminar on Buddhist Architecture held by the Buddhist groups in 2006.In the study, I aim to discuss the space layout of Buddhist architecture and the development of Buddhism in terms of the history of Buddhism in different periods of Taiwan, the Buddhist thinking, and the government’s policies. I have found that in the Qing dynasty, under the influence of Minnan(Hokkien) custom, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are all followed in Taiwan, and the followers focus more on the effectiveness and self-interest. Some followers even build a shrine at home to study Buddhism. The architecture is mainly the Minnan style: a single construction or the courtyard space layout. In the Japanese colonial period, the seven schools and eight factions coming to Taiwan brought the altruistic thinking of Mahayana Buddhism. They also apply the spirit of western neoclassicism, eclecticism, and modernism and use the reinforced concrete in the construction of Buddhist temples. This has an enlightening influence on the modernization of the Buddhist architecture and thinking in Taiwan. Plenty of monks followed the Nationalist government from Mainland China to Taiwan; therefore, they purified and legitimized Buddhism in Taiwan. After the lift of the martial law, Taiwan has more relations with Mainland China, and the Chinese Buddhism is further proved and promoted. The thinking of humanistic Buddhism has enhanced the modernization and therefore the internationalization of Buddhism and Buddhist architecture in Taiwan.Buddhism in Taiwan is affected by three divisions of Buddhist thinking. Then, it combines them into the local new Taiwanese Buddhism. As a result, the Buddhist architecture has transformed from the traditional space layout to the modernized Buddhist construction that corresponds to the humanistic thinking and functions. The combination of the western architectural terms and the traditional Buddhist architectural space layout free the Buddhist architecture from the Chinese traditional modes and styles. It has an inspiring meaning for the modernization of the Buddhist architectural space layout. The course of the modernization of the Buddhism in Taiwan could serve as a reference for the future development of Buddhism in Mainland China.