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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... Requests 68 2 Scripture and Benefits This - Worldly Promises : The Lotus Sutra Benefits in Early Buddhist Teachings Benefits as Divine Blessings : The Flower Garland Sutra Benefits as Windfall : Fujii Masao Benefits as Objectives ...
... requests discussed in Chapter 5. George Tanabe gratefully acknowledges the support of the University of Hawai'i Japan Studies Endowment , which is funded by a grant from the Japa- nese government . From the beginning this book has been ...
... requests ( onegai ) to the gods and bud- dhas usually focus on a particular benefit . When requests are directed toward peace of mind , they often do so via a specific and materially oriented request . Consider the following message on ...
... requests of people who visit their temples recognize that salvation- and religion in general — must have a this - worldly dimension that is not at all inconsistent with true religion . Matsumoto Jitsudō , the head priest of Hōzanji , a ...
... request for an extension of this - worldly benefits ? Since present and future are inseparable , to disregard the present is in ef- fect to disregard the future as indeed Shinran himself recognized when he wrote that “ desire itself is ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |