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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... figures of worship would lead to the acquisition of their grace and benevolence : as befits his position as a Buddhist priest and guardian of a number of sacred images , a priest whose role at the temple was to perform such rituals of ...
... figure of worship at the temple . Matsumoto writes as follows : One thing I would like to state here is that there are some people who say that praying for this - worldly benefits such as the healing of illness and business prosperity ...
... figures of worship that have been closely associated with so - called high or elite culture ( and have subsequently been desig- nated as National Treasures ( kokuhō ) or Important Cultural Proper- ties ( jūyō bunkazai ) have often been ...
... figures of worship , such as Kannon , for help in avoiding senility and getting a swift , painless , and merciful death . Besides such life - cycle activities , there are also calendrical festivals and ritual occasions that provide ...
... figures , each with their own spe- cialties , powers , rituals , and requirements . No distinction is made be- tween ... figure and founder of the Shin- gon Buddhist sect who is in certain ways the paragon of benefactors . In Chapter 5 ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |