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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... questions, and providing materials related to their institutions. We would like to thank the countless worshippers and visitors at various shrines and temples. They kindly accepted our often intrusive questioning of their actions and ...
... question of genze riyaku in particular, the Buddhist scholar Kikumura Norihiko argues that the term originally referred to spiritual benefits but Japanese folk beliefs corrupted the idea to include material pleasures.7 The Nichiren ...
... question the applicability of the term “religion” to non-Western cultures: since the term relates to creeds, beliefs, teachings, and doctrines, it is inappropriate as a term of analysis for situations where customs, practices, and other ...
... questions about how and why a religious tradition such as Buddhism has developed from its roots in monastic enlightenment beneath the bodhi tree to its role of provider of good fortune, business prosperity, and ancestor veneration in ...
... questions, we should mention here three terms that are linked to the concept and practices surrounding genze riyaku. These terms are “peace of mind” (anshin), “faith” (shinko ̄), and “salvation” (kyu ̄sai), all of which would no doubt ...
Contents
1 | |
Settings and Dynamics | 37 |
2 Scripture and Benefits | 71 |
Morality Belief and Prayer | 107 |
Gods Saints and Wizards | 140 |
5 The Dynamics of Practice | 178 |
The Marketing of Efficacy and Truth | 206 |
7 Guidebooks to Practical Benefits | 234 |
8 Conclusions | 256 |
Notes | 263 |
Bibliography | 285 |
Index | 297 |
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |