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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... concerns over the impending loss of her job to friends , one of whom belonged to a new religious movement ( shin shūkyō ) .1 Extolling the efficacy of this religious group and its practices - which , she claimed , enabled its devotees ...
... concerned with foolish superstition . From a psychological point of view , for example , Nakamura Kokyō attacked the new religion Ŏmotokyō as “ a frightful superstition unparalleled in the country . " 5 Scholars too have joined in ...
... concerns . In this book we are talking about a non - Western culture and are dealing largely with matters not of doctrine and teaching , not necessarily even of belief , but of practice and action . Thus we readily use the term ...
... concerned with observance of ca- lendrical rituals and festivals , ranging from memorial visits to graves to New Year visits to shrines and temples , and with matters such as the purchase of amulets and other lucky charms , visits to ...
... concerns to explain it in terms that imply that these are not parts of true Buddhism but accretions gleaned from the ... concern . Within the context of Japanese religion and Buddhism in general , as we shall see , Buddhist activities of ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |