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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... Ritual Processes : The Case of Kawasaki Daishi 60 Individual Wishes and Social Requests 68 2 Scripture and Benefits This - Worldly Promises : The Lotus Sutra Benefits in Early Buddhist Teachings Benefits as Divine Blessings : The Flower ...
... ritual , practice , and cus- tom that are often visible apart from scriptural sources ) and theolog- ical studies on the other with their focus on issues of creed , text , and doctrine . The latter , especially when related to the ...
... ritual , folk customs , and even etiquette . A brief glance at contemporary Japanese scholarship shows this well ... rituals , spirit posses- sion , festivals , asceticism , taboos , and the relationship of Buddhism with folk customs ...
... ritual practices , symbol- ized by various religious objects such as talismans and amulets , and affirmed in doctrinal terms in various religious organizations as well through textual traditions . It is , as we shall see , vigorously ...
... ritual practices carried out at the temple and through faith in Yakushi.52 Faith and benefits , therefore , are inti- mately linked : the former produces the latter ; the latter reinforces the former and is central to the doctrines that ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |