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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... 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 conversation with the authors ) readily turn to a discussion of skillful means ...
... perform such rituals of supplication , he naturally had deep faith in the power of the buddhas and in the efficacy and be- nevolence of their response . The peace of mind that results from hav- ing prayed and acquired a sign ( an amulet ...
... performed . Thus practical benefits can contribute to , and be closely associated with , the notion of salvation in this world , a point clearly emphasized in the new religions but present in Bud- dhism as well . Indeed , Buddhist ...
... performed in reli- gious rituals , and almost entirely bound up with superstition and magical practices . As we shall see in subsequent chapters , such divi- sions are themselves inadequate and fictitious . We have already indi- cated ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |