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OGA, Japan — The Japanese have long taken an easygoing, buffetlike approach to religion, ringing out the old year at Buddhist temples and welcoming the new year, several hours later, at Shinto shrines. Weddings hew to Shinto rituals or, just as easily, to Christian ones.
OGA, Japan — The Japanese have long taken an easygoing, buffetlike approach to religion, ringing out the old year at Buddhist temples and welcoming the new year, several hours later, at Shinto shrines. Weddings hew to Shinto rituals or, just as easily, to Christian ones.
Buddhism (of which there are many "streams") will continue to flower and that is a very good thing and it need not threaten Christians.
The truth and light of Christ do not cease to exist as one realizes the nature of mind and the true nature of all phenomena.
The fundamental Buddhist principles do not oppose nor do they contradict the essential message of Jesus and the essence of Christ.
So if you're the kind Christian (and i shouldn't presume) that would gladly see all spiritual expressions besides your particular brand of Christianity become obsolete, fear not.
Light is light. Spirit is spirit. Love is love. Truth is truth. The Way is the way.
the east became more worldly and turn away from asthetic paths, but the west continues to have many new buddist temples. zen has made some real inroads here.
the east became more worldly and turn away from asthetic paths, but the west continues to have many new buddist temples. zen has made some real inroads here.
I think the letter to the editor of that article was much more interesting than the article itself and much more correct. Here it is from a writer on Buddhism, culture and politics, along with being a singer/song writer and musician, who is also a podcaster in Japan.
Dear editor(s)
In regard to the article online at [url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/14/is-japans-buddhism-dying_n_112701.html]Is Japan's Buddhism Dying Out?[/url] entitled, "In Japan, Buddhism May Be Dying Out."
I must say, as a life long Buddhist from the US, who has now lived in Japan for the past 4 plus years, there could be nothing further from the truth. Buddhism in Japan is defiantly not dieing out. Buddhism is alive and flourishing in Japan! I have been to Soka Gakkai ([SGI] the largest lay Buddhist organization in the world, with millions of members in Japan alone) meetings all over Japan.
The article claims, "…interest in Buddhism is declining in urban areas." This has been disproven by the large growth of SGI members in both urban and rural areas, where new community centers are opening all the time. For the 3 years I lived in Sendai (two hours north east of Tokyo by bullet train), the 10th largest city in Japan, I have been to international SGI meetings with groups of people from many countries practicing Buddhism in Japan. I have been asked to speak or perform at 7 different SGI community centers through out Sendai in front of audiences ranging from 100s of people to smaller gathering of just a hand full of people. I have also participated in a number of group, Buddhist, discussion meetings in people's homes all over Sendai. On top of that, I organized a monthly English Buddhist study meeting in Sendai that kept increasing in monthly participation. I also had two opportunities to travel to the Itoh Peninsula (south of Tokyo) to take part in the annual English-speaking, Buddhist 2-day seminars, which takes place every October. Each time I went, I met English-speaking, Buddhist members who live all over Japan, who have had similar experiences I've had in Sendai. I also have been to many large and small SGI Buddhist meetings throughout Tokyo, in Hachioji City, Shinanomachi City and in other areas of metropolitan Tokyo. In all these meetings there was a large participation from not only young and old Japanese people, but from people from all over the world, who are now living in Japan, or who were just visiting Japan at the time.
After living in Sendai, I recently moved to Niigata (which is a smaller city than Sendai) but I have seen the same active participation of SGI members in Buddhist meetings in people's homes and at the many community centers I've visited in Niigata City, Nagaoka City, Sanjo City and Shibata City. Elsewhere, in both Sendai and Niigata, I have had the opportunity to speak at gathering of junior high school and high school members of the SGI, where hundreds of young people were gathered to study and practice Buddhism very enthusiastically. I have many SGI friends from around the world, who are now living in even more remote places in Japan than I have lived, like Aomori, who share with me the great participation they are witnessing of young and old Buddhist practitioners in many Buddhist prayer, study and discussion activities in their areas. This article misses the main point that priesthoods in Japan are dieing out due to the incredible growth of Buddhist lay organizations in Japan and this is a very welcome thing to the growth of Buddhism in Japan and to the great evolution of Buddhism in Japan. Buddhism was never meant to be horded by one class or caste of society.
The most famous Buddhist teacher in Japanese history, Nichiren (1222-1282), although a monk, didn't have a temple (until his later retirement years), yet he had loyal follows all over Japan, whom he met on his two exiles, first on the Izu Peninsula, and then on the Island of Sado (off of Niigata). He also converted many followers to his form of Buddhism on his journeys from Kamakura, the Shogun capital at the time, to the main seat of Buddhism for many centuries, Mt. Hiei in Kyoto, where he studied in the top Buddhist sutra libraries at Enryaku-ji Temple. Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha of India also had no formal temple for most of his 50 years of teaching Buddhism. He traveled all over what is now India and Nepal on foot. He conducted outdoor seminars, meditation retreats, and question and answer sessions at Eagle Peak and in the bamboo grove, among other places. The institutionalization of Buddhism into professional clergy, who hide away in temples and monasteries and are removed from everyday life, is reminiscent of one branch of Buddhism (Theravada), which has been labeled by its critics, Hinayana (meaning lesser vehicle). Another branch of Buddhism, Mahayana (meaning greater vehicle) is a branch of Buddhism, which believes Buddhism should be an active part of the practitioners' daily lives.
In this article, Norimitsu Onishi, states the statistics: "In 1999, 62 percent still held funerals at home or in temples, while 30 percent chose funeral homes, according to the Consumers' Association. But in 2007, the preferences were reversed, with 28 percent selecting funerals at home or in temples, and 61 percent opting for funeral homes." However, he may not be aware of what has contributed to this drastic change. In 1999, the Nichiren Shoshu Priesthood, which enjoyed the greatest growth of any sect in Japan after World War II (thanks to its affiliation with the Soka Gakkai) decided to excommunicate the 10 million plus Soka Gakkai members. Since then, those millions of SGI members in Japan and around the world have discovered that having priests be involved in funerals and marriages is a useless formality, which has no basis in the Buddhist sutras. Over the past 10 years, since what we in the SGI now call our "independence day" from the Nichiren Shoshu's form of "funeral Buddhism," the SGI has not seen any decline in participation in our activities. We have seen the same growth that has been occurring since our organization was founded before World War II. If the interviewed chief priest, from the article, Giju Sakamoto of Chorakuji in Akita, went down the street to one of the local Akita SGI Community Centers, he would see that Buddhism is still flourishing in his area as well.
In the Lotus Sutra, which is the preeminent text of many sects of Buddhism in Japan, the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni) states, "In the beginning, I made a vow to make all people equal to me, with no distinctions." Priesthoods have been formalities that have existed long before Buddhism came into existence. They are a product of caste and feudalistic societies-a formality that Buddhism should have shaken a long time ago, in order to live up to Shakyamuni's vow. In Buddhism, all people are Buddhas and there should be no distinctions between priests and laity, nor between male of female priests or male or female lay persons (perhaps this is why the first person to attain enlightenment in the Lotus Sutra was a women [the dragon king's daughter]).
The growth of lay Buddhist organizations in Japan, along with the development of the printing press, universal literacy, and now the internet has superannuated the need for professional religious people in Buddhism or in any other religion. Historically, the priesthood's role in Buddhism has been to copy, transcribe, and translate Buddhist texts and to interpret them for the illiterate public. This was needed in a feudalistic society, where most people were illiterate and most people worked all day and they only had one day each week (if that) to get involved in religious activities.
Devoid of a legitimate purpose by the above-mentioned developments of society, we have seen priesthoods in many religions fall into decadence. The death of "funeral Buddhism" in Japan will hopefully start a wave of the death of priesthoods in all religions, which are no longer needed in our modern world. This will hopefully be the awakening of religions to their true purpose, which is the spiritual enhancement of lay people's everyday lives and the betterment of society.
Timothy Harada [URL="http://www.timharada.com"]www.timharada.com[/URL]
Author of the Buddhist Discovery Novel, Myth Shattering, amoung other books on Buddhism, culture and politics.
I am so happy Buddhism is flourishing. It is a wonderful practice that enriches your life.
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Buddhism is thriving in the world...
