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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... with main- stream religious traditions , such as Buddhism , and by journalists in the mass media . Accusing the new religions of being solely material- istic in nature , such critics condemn them as being 2 INTRODUCTION.
... tradition was part , was concerned with differentiating be- tween concepts of true and false religions and , through ... traditional concerns of religion as a doctri- nally oriented phenomenon . In our usage of the term 4 INTRODUCTION.
... tradition through Buddhism's desire to expand its influence and reach greater numbers of people . Whatever the intent of the concept , it has provided a means through which those who wish to do so can legitimize the apparent accretions ...
... traditions . This book is centered on the role , meaning , and nature of genze riyaku in Japanese religion . Our basic argument is that genze riyaku is a normative and central theme in the structure and framework of re- ligion in Japan ...
... traditions , particularly Buddhism , to explain ( or explain away ) the issue of genze riyaku . To explain genze riyaku primarily in terms of anshin ( that is , to treat pleasant material benefits as side effects of " true " spiritual ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |