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. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 43
... Desire 181 Purchase , Practice , and the Price of Benefits 182 The Importance of Plurality 188 Rituals , Intimacy , and the Role of Priests 190 Actions , Amulets , and Obligations 192 Return and Renewal : The Cycle of Purchase and ...
... desire to write a book together was encouraged by Patricia Crosby , our editor at the University of Hawai'i Press . She nudged us beyond talking about our ideas over lunch into actually sitting down and writing about them . Thanks , Pat ...
... desire to get married . As her thirtieth birthday approached , she began to express her 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 ...
... desires . In various publications detailing the benefits that can accrue from following their religious practices , numerous Japanese new religious movements tell stories such as Michiko's and make it clear that direct , immediate , and ...
... desire to bring all beings closer to the truth . Japanese Buddhist priests who perform memorial services for ancestors or sell amulets for good for- tune and personal benefit at their temples , for example , may ( as many have done in ...
Other editions - View all
Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |