Session 10 - Religion in Japan, 4/22 afternoon

[Anonymous]

I've always been careful of teaching religion to my students because there is a fear that I don't fully understand the practice. However, after this lesson I feel more confident in the understandings of Buddhism. As the principal religion in Japan, I learned that at the peak of Dharma Buddhism, there is a space for meditation. I found this interesting because I meditate almost every night. Lastly, I read Women and Japanese Buddhism and I really enjoyed reading about Japanese women who found solace and led peaceful lives by following the Buddhist religion.

[Anonymous]

The assigned reading characterizes the native Japanese deities (kami) as having an unpredictable, sometimes capricious nature. According to Religions of Japan, "The kami — and humans by extension —are neither good nor bad but, depending on the situation, a mixture of both." Lucky for us there is a wealth of material to teach our students about kami and the Shinto religion they populate in the form of Japanese horror and other, more benign films. For example, The Grudge is about vengeful kami spirit known as a Yurei. In the Shinto religion a person who dies must receive proper funerary rites or their spirit might come back to haunt the living. Another example is the animated film Spirited Away in which the protagonist, Chihiro, and her parents, become trapped in a realm of kami. The setting is a bath house, which represents the Shinto focus on purity.

[Anonymous]

I think it would be an interesting lesson to have students find parallels to this division of cultural labor in religions to American society. Who do we look to for our traditions? Does it all come from the same place? Why do some traditions remain while others fade? After providing background on the Japanese context, I think having students do a socratic seminar on these questions (and some of their own) would be an interesting activity.

[Anonymous]

I took an Eastern Religions class in college where I became fascinated with the Japanese Buddhist practice concerning a bodhisattva (kind of a Buddhist saint) known as Jizo. Women in Japan who have had abortions sometimes visit Jizo shrines in Buddhist temples to grieve the loss of their unborn child. The Jizo Shrines contain small statuary called Jizo Dolls that worshippers can personalize with clothing and such. Teaching about Jizo in the classroom could be a way to approach a highly charged topic from a different point of view. Abortion is not as controversial in Japan as it is in the United States, but that doesn't mean it doesn't leave an emotional impact on the women who choose to have one. Jizo worship allows Japanese women to atone for something that many feel was evil, but necessary to do.

[Anonymous]

The hypothetical rituals students would like to have is a great idea. I wonder if we were to open up the "timeline" to the events between birth, marriage, and death... I wonder what the students would include in between. This seems like a good goal making activity. What do you want to accomplish between each major milestone? What traditions are established for these events (such as graduation)? Which major events do not have traditions associated with them? What should they be?

[Anonymous]

Japan Religion
The readings this week focused on religions: Shinto, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Particularly how Shinto and Buddhism coexist together and that many Japanese people practice both. Shinto has to do with rituals and ceremonies and deities, kami played an important role.
edited by ahuynh on 6/18/2017

[Anonymous]

Professor Meeks
Professor Meeks' lecture about the religions of Japan was thought provoking. I thought that when she said that a lot of Japanese were born Shinto, marry Christian, and die Buddhist is a reflection of the change of times. Could it be that these Japanese are influenced by other cultures? Growing up in America, I would like to say that these ideas are not that rare among later generations because of other influences and our upbringing. I really like this cliche and would have my students explore it further. They might do interviews about particular families and use that data in their writing.

[Anonymous]

I thought this lecture was really interesting. One of the things I found most intriguing in the lecture, as well as in the reading on Japan's Religions, was that even tho the Japanese people have a strong spiritual/religious life, most people claim to be "without religion" in surveys. I wonder if that's because they see the rituals and beliefs they have as more culture than religion, and see "doctrine" as religion, which many don't ascribe to. I have a friend who went to Japan to work and study and is now married to a Japanese woman, and her family is fairly traditional, so it was interesting that they had a Christian ceremony (the groom, my friend, is fairly Christian) but even in this Christian ceremony there was a "siblings dance" that his brother and sister had to do with the brother and sister of the bride. It was very traditional and, as it says in the reading Japan's Religions, any deviation from what is expected to be performed is very frowned upon. I am curious to see what other kinds of Japanese traditions mixing with western traditions will happen as my friend goes through life with this person now.

[Anonymous]

A topic that I think would lend itself well to using in the classroom, and a way to approach religion without too much of the baggage, would be to compare and contrast some of the ideas of Japanese Buddhism with Christianity. One thing that struck me was the similarities of Pure Land Buddhism, and the people that went around describing it with it's rivers of fire and hell and heaven, to the idea of heaven and hell in the early Christian depictions of Christianity. Students would be able to learn about both with a little separation from weather they are "right" or not.

Another idea is to compare Japanese Shinto, with it's many gods, to the ideas of Greek and Indian gods, how there are offers made to them, and they each represent some fundamental aspect of humanity, or some aspect of the world, or a sense of place. I think that would be a really interesting take and a way for students to become familiar with the ideas of Shinto.

[Anonymous]

"Born a Shinto, married a Christian, and died a Buddhist" is a very thought provoking quote and I really found that idea interesting. I did not know that the Japanese had those different ideals throughout their life. It just shows the spread of cultures into Japan and how people's values change over time. The fact that "Christian" ideals now have a strong influence in Japan shows that globalization and the meshing of cultures is very prevalent.

[Anonymous]

*Session 10: Japanese Religion
The quote “Born Shinto, Marry Christian, die Buddhist” is interesting because it shows the different influences on Japanese culture, and how they are very open to other ideas and cultures. It’s something that I can personally relate to having grown up in a household with two different religions. Therefor, I can totally relate to the saying “Mu-shukyo” meaning ‘without religion’. When you grow up with all these different ways of life and religion it really makes you an open-minded person- open to all ideas, and more of a spiritual being instead of claiming any one religion. Although I don’t follow any one religion, I still hold some of the core beliefs from the religious teachings that I grew up learning. And I believe that’s exactly what “Mu-shukyo” and “born Shinto, marry Christian, die Buddhist” stems from.

[Anonymous]

*Session 10 Reading
The saying “Mu-shukyo” meaning ‘without religion’ makes more sense now after reading “Religions of Asia”. The article states that when Japan adopted different religions “it welcomed Chinese ideas- Confucianism, and Buddhism, and later western technology and culture--it never adopted any in it’s entirety” All these influences lived alongside indigenous Japanese elements (Shinto) which explains why many Japanese consider themselves “Mu-Shukyo”. It also explains the “born Shinto, marry Christian, die Buddhist” quote.

[Anonymous]

The religion/philosophy chart idea is a good one - maybe an "anchor" chart? One that could be updated throughout the year for students to reflect on, or use a comparison either all or part as the year progresses.
edited by canderson on 6/21/2017

[Anonymous]

The "born Shinto, marry Christian, die Buddhist" quote really struck me. It made me think about how thought and religion can be sort of fluid. It also reminded me a lot of my upbringing in Ohio. There are many families that identify as Christian and are active in their church. Others will sort of identify and only go to church at Easter and Christmas. I have found that many of us who were raised in the Easter/Christmas tradition don't have strong religious ties as we get older. However, I have noticed that some of my friends who would not identify as religious, express interest in having a church wedding or wanting their children to go to church. While in this case it is all the same religion (different from the quote), it still shows a fluidity.

[Anonymous]

When I taught 7th grade World did simply cover the concepts that alligned with the standards caping off the lesson with a The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. IT was my first year teaching and was trying to find my way. Professor Miyake's lecture introduced the depth and breadth of Japanese religion/culture that will illuminate all aspects of my teaching. Truly inspirational.

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