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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... nature of human beings . In the end , seeking the Pure Land and praying for its realization are nothing if not a this- worldly activity : after all , if there are no this - worldly benefits there can be no salvation . Is not , after all ...
... nature of benefits that are commonly sought , along with an outline of the ritual settings in which these are ex- pressed , including various rites connected to the calendar , commu- nity , and individual life cycle . We show also that ...
... nature of Japanese religious behavior is evident in the system of benefits and lends itself to explanation by exchange theories . In his modified ver- sion of exchange theory , Winston Davis notes that while conventional exchange theory ...
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Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe No preview available - 1998 |