Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of JapanPraying for practical benefits (genze riyaku) is a common religious activity in Japan. Despite its widespread nature and the vast numbers of people who pray and purchase amulets and talismans for everything from traffic safety and education success to business prosperity and protection from disease, the practice has been virtually ignored in academic studies or relegated to the margins as a uh_product of superstition or an aberration from the true dynamics of religion. Basing their work on a fusion of textual, ethnographic, historical, and contemporary studies, the authors of this volume demonstrate the fallacy of such views, showing that, far from being marginal, the concepts and practices surrounding genze riyaku lie at the very heart of the Japanese religious world. They thrive not only as popular religious expression but are supported by the doctrinal structures of most Buddhist sects, are ordained in religious scriptures, and are promoted by monastic training centers, shrines, and temples. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 85
... Buddhism and This - Worldly Benefits 8 Overview of the Book Shinto and Practical Benefits Genze riyaku in Japanese Religion ... Buddhist Teachings Benefits as Divine Blessings : The Flower Garland Sutra Benefits as Windfall : Fujii Masao ...
... Buddhist scholar Kikumura Norihiko argues that the term originally referred to spiritual benefits but Japanese folk beliefs cor- rupted the idea to include material pleasures.7 The Nichiren scholar Asai Endō characterizes the new ...
... Buddhist priests alike to draw distinctions within the realms of Buddhist practice and activity - between , for example , sup- posedly pure Buddhist practices , such as meditation , and others that somehow look more appropriately ...
... Buddhism's ap- parent focus on worldly concerns to explain it in terms that imply that these are not parts of true ... Buddhist activities of providing magical efficacy are central to its dynamic rather than ephemeral or expedient ...
... Buddhist priest on the topic of genze riyaku was less a formal interview than a relaxed conversation with the head priest after the New Year's celebrations at a Sōtō Zen temple in north- ern Japan.44 Questions were based on relative ...
Other editions - View all
Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |