Expert Case Activity 5 - The Curator's Other Problem_Miranda Rafael

First, a key term in understanding religion in Japan is honji-suijaku , which refers to the fact that religions in Japan are independent and distinct from each other. In other words, historically one religion does not influence or mix with another. Second, although Buddhism is the key to understanding nearly all varieties of Japanese religious expression, Theravada Buddhism had a greater influence on religion in Japan than Mahayana . Third, among the different forms of Buddhism in Japan are Pure Land and Zen , with Pure Land being the least popular today because it is based primarily on strenuous self-effort. Fourth, in addition to Buddhism, Shinto already existed in Japan in a unified, institutional form prior to the presence of Buddhism. Fifth, the Japanese term for the one god in Shinto is called kami who exists apart from the natural world. 1) First, a key term in understanding religion in Japan is honji-suijaku, which refers to the fact that religions in Japan are merged with each other. In other words, historically each religion influence and mixes with another a. Honji-suijaki distinctly mean the merging of native religions with another (8-1). To state otherwise, its grossly negligent at worst and highly uninformed at best. 2) Second, although Buddhism is the key to understanding the religious history and culture of Japan. Mahayana Buddhism had a greater influence on religion in Japan than Theravada . a. Mahayana Buddhism was much more adaptable and flexible than Theravada Buddhism (8-4), which made it much more appealing and easier to merge with Shinto as it had already made use of various Hindu deities (8-5) hence, honji-suijaku. 3) Third, among the different forms of Buddhism in Japan are Pure Land and Zen, with Pure Land being more popular today because asking for salvation was much easier than hours of meditation. a. The popularity of Pure Land Buddhism stems from the ease of salvation (8-10) rather than the strenuous tasks of hours of meditations and austere lifestyle. Zen was still practiced though in much less numbers as Zen Buddhism held that enlightenment was achievable by not just men, but women as well (8-11). 4) Fourth, Religious practices in Japan were varied based on locality. There is no historic evidence that the term Shinto existed prior to the presence of Buddhism. a. The religious practices and deities of Japen prior to the sixth century where largely incoherent and restricted to local areas. It wasn’t until Buddhism gained prominence in the country that the old deities and religious practices became standardized (8-3). 5) Fifth, in Japan there is no one supreme god, in Shinto the term for supernatural entities such as spirits, gods and deities, are called kami . The term kami extents to more specifically to anything that stood out above the rest in any particular category, being better than the rest. a. Kami in ancient Japan was one of the few common religious practices (8-11). The term was generally used for any thing that stood out as