My article focuses on how Buddhism may be dying out in Japan. Japan is a nation that previously, when it came to funerals had been obstinately Buddhist to the point of receiving their own nickname for this religion; “funeral Buddhism”. But this phrase described a religion seeming to cater more to the needs of the dead rather than the living with which it is losing its status in Japanese society. They think one reason attributing to this is that there aren’t enough Buddhist priests who are still holding active sermons. Without this temples are not able to attract newcomers or keep those who are already Buddhist interested and actively participating. Mr. Mori, 48, the 21st head priest of the temple thinks “If Japanese Buddhism doesn’t act now, it will die out, we can’t afford to wait. We have to do something”. This decline in Buddhism is not only affecting the people in the funeral business but also people with family-run temples nationwide. Their business is being jeopardized due to the lack of successors to chief priests. Japan is not the only nation where Buddhism is dying out, it is affecting other countries as well.
Before reading this article I didn’t realize Buddhism was dying out in areas putting families as well as a religion in jeopardy. It was interesting to learn about the different ways in which Buddhism influences other countries. After reading Siddhartha and learning about the influences of Buddhism in early civilization it was remarkable to see how the religion has evolved over time and how it is practiced in modern day times. I feel this article would be worth your time reading to make connections from Buddhism in Siddhartha to Buddhism today.
Work Cited
Onishi, Norimitsu. In Japan, Buddhism May Be Dying Out.14 July 2008. 9 Oct. 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/world/asia/14japan.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
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3 comments:
This is very interesting, as I always think of Japan as a heavily Buddhist country. Especially as their population declines, they may lose much of the dominance they once possessed. I feel like they're a country struggling to find their identity.
I agree with Sean that Japan's decline in Buddhist religion might indicate a struggle to find Japanese identity. Also, I wonder what religion the majority of the population worships in place of Buddhism, or whether the majority of the population is religious at all. Perhaps Japan's fast-paced and modern culture is abandoning religion altogether.
That's... depressing. I'm a fan of manga, and being that I can see it's a big part of their culture. So to hear it's dying out is like hearing that a peice of their soul is dying. What's going to replace that piece?
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