Why Buddhism is dying in Japan

 

Why Buddhism is dying in Japan

by Hugo

(Japan)

Buddhism in Japan loses ground every year. As discussed last month, many temples have closed and young people do not practice as much as their parents did. What are the reasons for this? Some argue on online forums that Japanese Buddhism is more popular outside the country than on the archipelago itself. I do not agree but, I would say that it is most certainly more respected abroad than in Japan today.

I believe Buddhism here in Japan all started as a state controlled religion. In many countries, governments have used religion to justify their control on the people but, it has been especially true in Japan since the Meiji restoration (1868). The government used the justification that the emperor was a direct descendant from the sun goddess Amaterasu to claim power to the throne. Many good things came with the restoration;. The civilian sector benefited on many levels like health, education and economy as Japan worked double-time to get out of a feudal middle-age society. In doing so, it entered a more powerful position to equal that of the biggest in the world; France, England, The U.S. and Russia.

On the religious side though, not much changed. The emperor was a god and his cult was ever expanding. This policy was continued for his son, Taisho and his grand-son Showa or Hirohito as we know him in the West. During the reign of Showa, the government increased its military might causing Japan to become a fascist nation. Thus, control over religion was increased and anyone that practiced non state sanctioned religions was persecuted. Many religious leaders were put in prison during the war and many died there.

After the war, the Americans wanted to eliminate the old regime and all the reasons why it got so strong in the first place. Thus they decided to separate government and religion altogether. They forced Showa to publicly declare that he was not a god and forbad the teaching of religion in schools. It had the desired effect and generation after generation; the people have forgotten the indoctrination that occurred during wartime.

Now, though, people do not learn anything about Buddhism unless they go to special classes or are part of a cult, where indoctrination is an intrinsic part of the way things are done. Unfortunately, all Buddhist ceremonies are in a Japanese form of Sanskrit, thus non-understandable by the common people, just like Latin was the language for mass in Catholic churches up until the second Vatican council in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.

The only exposure to Buddhism people now have, is through funeral ceremonies.. It is not surprising therefore, that people, especially young people, have come to associate Buddhism with Death. Nowadays when they hear sutras being chanted, the say that they are scared of them, as it’s a reminder of Death and decay. Sutras are actually about how to end suffering and they are carriers of hope and teachings, not death and decay.

Buddhism in Japan is a big busine$$ now. It’s a death centered business. People go to very expensive funerals and have to pay priests several times in the years following the death of a relative to get the ceremonies that allow their deceased to attain Nirvana. These amount to thousands of dollars over a period of 33 years. Just to get a posthumous Buddhist name, will cost anything between $1000 and $5000 depending on the “quality” of the name.

Generally these ceremonies are free but a “donation” is expected. Often, the expectation goes with the economic status of the deceased. I heard of a famous monk expecting a $50,000 donation for a funeral ceremony and in the middle of the ceremony, since the expected (read demanded) donation wasn’t met, he stopped the ceremony and left. The problem then, is that no other priest will continue what another has started as it is bad karma to do so.

So, what can be done to restore Buddhism to its original purpose of salvation and cessation of suffering? It is not easy in such a place where money controls everything and where priesthood is a job like many others. What has to be done is for someone to step up, start preaching about what Buddhism is really about. Some people have written great books but in order to be read, these books have to appeal to the people.

Two things control the modern Japanese society: money and the media. OK, one thing controls society: money. What I mean is that someone has to be popular in the media and start to teach people what real Buddhism is. If you have ever watched some crazy Japanese TV shows on youtube, you’ll see that this might prove difficult.

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Aug 15, 2010

Why restore it?

by: Adam


I don’t agree with the last magazine’s expression that we must restore Buddhism. The mainstream ego focused Buddhism practice you described is certainly only buddhism by label and bares no resemblence to the actual path.

To me Buddhism is a personal journey to the present moment shedding the ego in order to be aware that all these material things we hold important, like popularity of the practice, are vestiges of the ego that we must reflect on at a personal level.

We must be the change we wish to see in the world, and those who feel connected and compelled will natural join.

Mine is just a single view point that I wish to express.

Thank you for reading,

Adam


Aug 15, 2010

How to save Japanese Buddhism

by: Natalie


To Whom it may Concern,

While reading through this issue of the e-zine, I was thinking of how Buddhism could be renewed in the Japanese society. One of the biggest similarities between America and Japan is that money runs everything, and people are in what we call a “rat race” to get more of it. Unfortunately, this rat race is keeping people all over the world from attaining true happiness, and inner peace.

If I were living in Japan, and Buddhism was dying out due to misunderstanding, I would find a way to target the rich public. Money is the problem, as much as I would hate to focus on that part of the way of life, but a solution is to get rich sponsorship. Imagine a rich man who has a young son who does not live up to his expectations, and needs to learn discipline, respect, and compassion. His father may then be amenable to having his son instructed in the Buddhist ways.

In order to appeal to the rich, and the rest of the public, I would use the elements of Buddhism that could be popular in the media. For instance, martial arts are very popular here in the United States, so people would be more inclined to try Buddhism if they saw the martial arts skills of its practitioners. Japan may be a different story, but there is always a way to appeal to the public. Non-violence can be very fascinating, and perhaps the effort could start with visits to the schools of young children to show them interesting things not associated with death.

This day and age has created a lot of stressed-out, unhappy people who are working most of their life for people they hate, only for the purpose of buying more “stuff.” Buddhism can help to relieve stress and depression, and bring people to a state of peace that they cannot otherwise attain. I would try to appeal to that as well, and offer relaxation services. Even gardening tips could be popular with certain people, but starting with children would be a great way to get the word out that Buddhism is not all about death.

I am not sure if this will help, but I do hope that Buddhism will not die out in Japan.

The Internet: Where the men are boys, the women are men and the little girls are the FBI.


Aug 15, 2010

That’s sad

by: Ogun


Dear author,

I was informed (and surprised-not happily)about the relationship Japanese have to Buddhism in Japan. I just wanted to say thank you…


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