「心靈環保自然農法」實作情境中的符號互動與行為選擇修正
黃儀娟、齊力
台灣宗教與教育團體法鼓山，自創辦人聖嚴法師以來，為融入漢傳佛教思想精髓於現代社會生活，倡導數十年的「心靈環保」運動，至今已備受佛學與社會科學各領域的關注。
微觀而論，個體的心靈、自我和社會並非彼此分離的場域 – 透過人際間長期符號互動過程, 個體藉此習得並建構看待事物與賦予意義的方式。當賦予意義的方式有所轉變，回到個體所處社會結構與生活之中予以回應，生活中的行為選擇，從而具有修正乃至重構的可能。本研究旨在探究「心靈環保運動」的參與者，能否因自身投入而調整對相關社會議題的認知和作為？參與過程中，如何對其行為選擇賦予意義與詮釋？其行為選擇的轉變或修正，又是如何形成？以「心靈環保自然農法」的實作情境為例，以佛法因緣觀為核心精神，投入實地耕作，是否可能透過個體符號互動中的意義建構，形成個體或團體層次對農作和自然生態的反思？本研究採用質性焦點訪談法，透過對「心靈環保自然農法」創導人、學員等個體的焦點訪談以及隨團實作的參與觀察，探析不同個體對自身生活模式、對農法友善土地的認知、社會現象的反思等各方面的演變歷程。參與觀察發現：透過創導人的帶領，以包括理念、人物、農法手法等核心符號的帶入、建構和認同，聯結學員對自然農法理念和生態觀的理解和認同。經由認同自然農法，並透入實作之後，漸漸轉變生活方式的選擇，以及與自然、人、農法的聯結關係。
關鍵字：符號互動、心靈環保、自然農法、紮根理論、萬物一體
Symbolic Interaction and Behavioral Factors in Choices-Making under the Practice with” Protecting the Spiritual Environment Natural Farming”
Elenda Y.J. Huang ; Li Chi
In terms of symbolic interactionism, the society is viewed as a symbolic world that is created through repeated interactions between individuals. The interpretation processes that occur between interactions would help to create and recreate meanings. In return, this symbolic world created by the shared meanings could shape individual’s behaviors. In this sense, if the shared meanings are reconstructed through the following symbolic interactions under the certain social context, one’s behavior may be modified in line with the refresh meanings.
On the basis of the core spirit of Chinese Chan Buddhism, and generated by the well-known religious and educational group Dharma Drum Mountain in Taiwan, the “Protecting the Spiritual Environment” campaign has kept its efforts on propagating Buddhist dharma teachings into people’s daily life. “Protecting the Spiritual Environment Natural Farming”, for example, is one of the significant applications that put the ideas into practices in the agricultural field.
Applied with the method of participant observation as well as focus interviews, the current study aims to explore the interpretation processes engaged in the symbolic interactions among those who joined the group practices of “Protecting the Spiritual Environment Natural Farming.”; as well as the behavioral factors, generated through the interpretation processes, which could make the members be able to modify their alternative choices-making in life.
The results showed that the members would be willing to move onward to the natural farming practices, based on their firm belief constructed from the symbolic interactions during the natural farming practices, as well as their decisions to follow the leader who convincingly introduced the methods and Buddhist philosophy to the group.