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The Future of Buddhism in Japan When thinking about where Japanese Buddhism will be twenty or more years from now, it is important to recall that in whatever context it is found, “Buddhism ” is anything but a singular institution, religion, or philosophical system. We can, of course, find evidence within Japan’s Buddhist denominations for a basic set of religious ideas about spiritual awakening, salvation, and causality (to name a few major themes). But as a number of scholars have observed, these concepts are made manifest and multiplied through the prism of 157 denominations , sects, subsects, and branches. By and large, Japan’s major Buddhist schools privilege the teachings of their founders and remain committed to the continuation of that knowledge through institutional means. It is relevant then to ask, just whose and what kind of “Japanese Buddhism” are we referring to when we think about the future? A wide range of individuals representing different denominations and motivated by varied and sometimes conflicting interests create multiple versions of “Buddhism.” Priests, nuns, and lay participants quickly come to mind as the most visible actors on an institutional stage. But we should also include a variety of supporting roles that infrequently (if ever) appear in the spotlight: administrators and bureaucrats at the headquarters of major denominations, advertisers and purveyors of Buddhistrelated products and services, local business owners dependent on temple visitors and pilgrims, NPO or NGO administrators collaborating with temples and priests, consumers of literature about Buddhism as well as the writers and scholars (some employed at research centers specific to each denomination) producing those works,1 employees at funeral and ceremonial companies, stonemasons, museum curators, and so forth. Some of these individuals are committed to only one type of doctrine and practice, while others regard the various denominations as a marketplace, client base, or field for research and other kinds of collaboration. All of these actors will influence how Buddhism develops over the next several decades, and all have been mentioned in this book. One must also consider impersonal global forces and general social trends that will further impact local economies, environments, policies, and networking opportunities. As emphasized in Chapter 1, large-scale networks of communications, finances, culture, The Future of Buddhism in Japan • 189 and law (among others) now encompass local communities and can no longer be relegated to the background when assessing religious activities and organizations . The interdependent nature of online and networked communities can, as seen in Chapter 3, produce encouraging results for projects such as suicide prevention or charity concerts. But interdependence also allows for “interpenetration .”2 Because of increasingly interconnected worlds, transnational networks that have been established as favorable to a person’s or institution’s goals may also bring information and contacts that are neither welcome nor wanted. For example, individuals who become interested in the teachings or practices of a particular religion may at first be enthralled by what they consider to be profound insights into the nature of reality, the afterlife, or human consciousness . The honeymoon is on! But as they delve deeper into the tradition and its key figures, they may encounter histories or attitudes that undermine the initial infatuation . Since most of Japan’s Buddhist denominations actively supported the militaristic imperialism of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, an aspiring devotee has little choice but to reconcile disconcerting historical facts (“The teacher of my teacher said what about Buddhism and killing enemy soldiers?”) with an otherwise favorable impression of the contemporary institution.3 Religion has frequently provided solace and meaning to people in confused and troubled times. Through their worldviews and rituals, religious leaders, teachings, and rituals address feelings of unease and then prescribe solutions for whatever predicament is at hand. Whether faith based or predicated on empirical information, religious answers may nonetheless provide comfort, community, and a feeling of control where formerly there was disorder, even chaos. There is no doubt that people throughout the centuries have often benefited in positive ways from religiously inspired explanations, although it must also be said that religious leaders have often capitalized on moments of crisis as a way to ensure an authoritative role for themselves. The explosive growth of Christianity in Russia following the end of communism or Japan’s “rush hour of the gods” in the postwar period are only two examples of this worldwide phenomenon. Yet contemporary Japan seems to buck the trend of people seeking solace in religion when times are hard. Although the nation has weathered over fifteen years...

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