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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... 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 riyaku both as a descriptive term , referring to a ...
... deity or buddha one prays to , thus committing oneself to a particular course of 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 ...
... deity , one is expressing some form of faith , at the very least in the abil- ity of the deity to " hear " that prayer and act on it . As the priest put it , the acquisition of the benefits sought will deepen the supplicant's faith ...
... deity , that has been the primary factor in the his- tory of the temple and has withstood changes of sectarian affiliation . Tendai or Rinzai sectarian affiliation would thus appear to be less im- portant , in terms of the temple's ...
... deity for any purpose may go to a shrine or temple to make a supplication without ever having had a previous commitment to that place . Furthermore , the system is “ open access " in that the level at which the supplicant relates to it ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |