Buddhism comes in many forms; but in Japan it stands apart from all the rest in one most striking way―the monks get married. In Neither Monk nor Layman; the most comprehensive study of this topic in any language; Richard Jaffe addresses the emergence of an openly married clergy as a momentous change in the history of modern Japanese Buddhism. He demonstrates; in clear and engaging prose; that this shift was not an easy one for Japanese Buddhists. Yet the transformation that began in the early Meiji period (1868–1912)―when monks were ordered by government authorities to marry; to have children; and to eat meat―today extends to all the country’s Buddhist denominations.Jaffe traces the gradual acceptance of clerical marriage by Japanese Buddhists from the premodern emergence of the "clerical marriage problem" in the Edo period to its widespread practice by the start of World War II. In doing so he considers related issues such as the dissolution of clerical status and the growing domestication of Japanese temple life. This book reveals the deep contradictions between sectarian teachings that continue to idealize renunciation and a clergy whose lives closely resemble those of their parishioners in modern Japanese society. It will attract not only scholars of religion and of Japanese history; but all those interested in the encounter-conflict between regimes of modernization and religious institutions and the fate of celibate religious practices in the twentieth century.
#1423486 in Books Mark R Mullins 1998-10-01 1998-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .66 x 5.98l; .85 #File Name: 0824821327288 pagesChristianity Made in Japan A Study of Indigenous Movements
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. very informativeBy Ken MatThis deals with a topic that has not been studied very well;or at least I was not well aware of it. In that sense; it was very informative.20 of 24 people found the following review helpful. Excellent study based on original research.By A CustomerA good book; in my view; is one that provides new information about a worthy theme. A fine book is one that provides a new perspective from which to understand a significant body of information. A superb book is one that provides both new information about a worthy theme and a new; thought-provoking perspective from which to understand a significant body of information. This is a superb book. Mark Mullins; professor of sociology of religion and Christian studies at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo; has devoted years of research to pursuing an answer to the question of "what happens to a world religion when it is transplanted from one culture to another." More specifically; he focuses on "made in Japan" forms of Protestant Christianity-not its mainline forms but its indigenous movements. "My primary concern;" he says; "has been to understand what Japanese Christians have done with Christianity; independent of the authority and control of the mission churches." ... And let it be said at once: he has done a magnificent job. -- David Reid; Former editor of the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies
