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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... Purchase 136 4 The Providers of Benefits : Gods , Saints , and Wizards 140 Personalization and Purchase 143 Ninomiya's Pill and the Gathering of Gods and Buddhas 146 Intensifying Assimilation : The Impact of Meiji Disestablishment 155 ...
... purchase of amulets and other lucky charms , visits to diviners , atti- tudes toward spirits , and the potential incidence of miracles.14 Since the terms ( and concepts ) of religion and shūkyō are imbued with multiple meanings and ...
... for practical benefits and why they sell objects ( the amulets and so on ) that are purchased in this practice . But this is a form of explanation not dissimilar to the skillful means argument : plausible , 18 INTRODUCTION.
... purchase theory , accounts for a dynamic of paying and receiving that includes the crucial function of morality that is lacking in exchange theory and Davis's " in order to " paradigm . In making a purchase , the buyer pays a material ...
... purchase benefits . Amulets alone can be found as pieces of paper , carvings , brocade , bells , pen- cils , dried reeds , porcelain , and a wide variety of other materials and forms . Although we introduce the subject of amulets and 34 ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |