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. |
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... Osaka specializing in the provision of this - worldly benefits , linked these issues together in a booklet published by the temple and entitled Kankiten shinkō e no michi ( Toward faith in Kankiten ) , Kankiten being 22 INTRODUCTION 32.
... Osaka from the plains around the ancient Japanese capital of Nara . It is famed as a center of worship of Kankiten , a deity of Hindu origins and one of those many figures of worship that have been assimilated into Buddhism through its ...
... Osaka and the surrounding region . These include most notably Ishikiri Shrine , whose deities of worship are famed for healing and assisting in recovery from surgery , and Chōgosonshiji , better known as Shigisan , whose main figure of ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |