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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... associated with main- stream religious traditions , such as Buddhism , and by journalists in the mass media . Accusing the new religions of being solely material- istic in nature , such critics condemn them as being 2 INTRODUCTION.
... associated with belief in a specific faith , continues to have some resonance in con- temporary Japan ( as does the term " religion " in English - speaking cul- tures ) , in scholastic terms it has far broader meanings that incor ...
... associated with the pursuit of benefits , so too is Shinto . One of the major differences is that Shinto priests as well as academics studying Shinto have had little problem in accept- ing the idea that religion may be concerned with ...
... associated with the seemingly simple act of asking a deity to provide one with something of practical use in one's life . In framing this book around the nature , role , and position of genze riyaku in Japa- nese religion , we see genze ...
... associated with notions of salvation ( kyūsai ) , which may contain a this - worldly dimension . Shimazono Susumu has dem- onstrated for the new religions that salvation is related to the attain- ment of happiness in this world and can ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |