Through the eyes to the listening heart

[Pixabay]

Less theology, ideology, and doctrine?

I ran across this book while reading the introduction to a book on Shinto. It's from Joseph Campbell's book Myths to Live By regarding a Western man asking about Shinto. It would seem to have something to say about how people in the Western cultural traditions treat religion (including the more recently imported, the exotic, and the popular varieties):

"You know," he said, "I've now been to a good many ceremonies and have seen quite a number of shrines, but I don't get the ideology; I don't get the theology."

The Japanese (you may know) do not like to disappoint visitors, and this gentleman, polite, apparently respecting the foreign scholar's profound question, paused as though in deep thought, and then, biting his lips, slowly shook his head. "I don't think we have ideology," he said. "We don't have theology. We dance."

That, for me, was the lesson of the congress. What it told me was that in Japan, in the native Shinto religion of the land, where the rites are extremely stately, musical, and imposing, no attempt had been made to reduce their "affect images" to words. They have been left to speak for themselves -- as rites, as works of art -- through the eyes to the listening heart. And that, I would say, is what we, in our own religious rites, had best be doing too. Ask an artist what his picture "means", and you will not soon ask such questions again. Significant images render insights beyond speech, beyond the kinds of meaning speech defines.

Death or transformation for Japanese Buddhism?

An article in the New York Times this past summer was titled "In Japan, Buddhism May Be Dying Out". If you are familiar at all with the history of Japan or of Buddhism, you can imagine the influence Buddhism has had in the development of Japanese culture. According to the article this decline is happening at least in part because Buddhism has become more of a business than a path to spiritual awakening, and business is bad as it faces competitors offering fewer hassles and cheaper prices.

But does that really spell the end of Japanese Buddhism, or is it the end of a particular incarnation of Buddhism on that island nation and an opportunity for a new role for Buddhism to emerge?

From the article:

Across Japan, Buddhism faces a confluence of problems, some familiar to religions in other wealthy nations, others unique to the faith here.


The lack of successors to chief priests is jeopardizing family-run temples nationwide.


While interest in Buddhism is declining in urban areas, the religion’s rural strongholds are being depopulated, with older adherents dying and birthrates remaining low.


Perhaps most significantly, Buddhism is losing its grip on the funeral industry, as more and more Japanese are turning to funeral homes or choosing not to hold funerals at all.


Over the next generation, many temples in the countryside are expected to close, taking centuries of local history with them and adding to the demographic upheaval under way in rural Japan.

The article notes that many Buddhist temples in Japan have been able to maintain and sustain themselves from funeral fees. But what about spiritual guidance and direction? The Times piece cites a Japanese anthropologist who studies Buddhism, Noriyuki Ueda, who suggests that Buddhism in his nation had lost credibility because of the role many priests took in aligning themselves with the military agenda during the Second World War.

Is that it? Is that all Japanese Buddhism has to offer it's own society? Will it continue to be displaced by foreign faiths and the "new" religions that sprang up after the War? And how does the popularity of many forms of Japanese Buddhism among Western converts play into all of this?

I don't have concrete answers to all of these questions, but ask yourself this: What happened to Buddhism in its native country of India? It all but vanished, even as it was flourishing and spreading like wildfire across East Asia. What about Christianity? In Western Europe, where it matured and blossomed, Christianity has been in consistent decline for many decades, even as Christian evangelism thrives in Africa, South America, and some parts of Asia. And as mentioned, even while for many Japanese Buddhism is a "funeral religion", enthusiasts in the West are flocking to the Zen and Shin and Nichiren traditions. I don't know if Buddhism will make a revival in Japan, but the rumors of the death of Japanese-born Buddhism may be a bit premature.

Jizos for peace

"Until the Hells are empty;
I vow not to become a Buddha;
Only after all livingbeings are saved,
will I myself attain Bodhi."
--The Great Vow of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (a.k.a. Jizo)

I made a panel for this project and it sent it in months ago. I am considering doing another, as they are still in need of more panels. Read all about it...

Jizos for Peace A project to promote peace in the world through art, Jizos for Peace invites people from all walks of life to make a contribution to peace. The mission of Jizos for Peace is to support people in cultivating and expressing peace in their lives. Our hope is that by participating in the project, people will uncover the qualities of Jizo within themselves, and then manifest those qualities in the world around them. Project August 6 and 9, 2005 will be the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Japan. In memory of the nearly 270,000 people who died during and soon after the bombing, members of Great Vow Zen Monastery will to take 270,000 images of Jizo to Hiroshima and Nagasaki – one Jizo for every man, woman, and child who died as a result of the atomic bombs. Art panels, banners, origami, ceramic statues, and quilts with Jizo images, each fashioned from the heart of one person, will touch the heart of another. Jizo Usually depicted or shown in the form of a wise and kindly spiritual protector, Jizo is considered the guardian of those who have died. He watches over travelers and is the protector of women and children. Jizo also aids those who are ill. The qualities of Jizo are compassion, optimism, and courage. As each Jizo is drawn or created, the artist sends a thought of peace into the world. Our hope is that the lingering effects of compassion and peace will uplift not only the artist, but each person he or she meets. Link to further information on the project

It's cheap, it's easy, and it's rewarding.