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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... Actions , Amulets , and Obligations 192 Return and Renewal : The Cycle of Purchase and Gratitude 195 Leaving Messages : The Use of Votive Tablets 197 Pilgrimage and the Pursuit of Benefits 199 Social Organizations and the Pursuit of ...
... actions and motivations , and patiently re- sponded to such questioning . We wish to thank our academic colleagues at the University of Stir- ling , the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies , and the University of Hawai'i for their support ...
... actions may be the means of expressing underlying meanings that do not need affirmation in doctrinal forms . While we ... action . Thus we readily use the term " religion " to describe the is- sues we are talking about . We do this ...
... action . Likewise Buddhism's accommodating stance to- ward the ancestors and Confucian family ideals is occasionally cited as an example of the expediency of a religion whose primary focus was on monastic celibacy , withdrawal from the ...
... action based on faith and ethical duty . In connection with these spiritual and material questions , we should mention here three terms that are linked to the concept and practices surrounding genze riyaku . These terms are " peace of ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |