Buddhism In Japan Essay

Words: 738
Pages: 3
Open Document
Buddhism in Japan can be thought of a religion built up over the years in Japan from China. Buddhism was started by the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama who passed away 460 C.E. From as early as 500 C.E Japanese monks traveled to the Chinese mainland slowly building the religion taking back buddhist teachings from China with them. However the official story of arrival of buddhism to japan was from Korean missionaries in 538 C.E. These missionaries brought with them many buddhist religious objects such as large bronze statues of the buddha, sutras (a rule or aphorism in Sanskrit literature, or a set of these on a technical subject), some religious objects and a letter praising the Dharma. A temple was later built to house the objects that would later convert most of Japan to Buddhism. However when an epidemic ravaged the land …show more content…
The zen like religion focused on simplicity and minimalism which is why Japan seems to be such a simplistic based culture. This Buddhism is still present today in modern Japan however not as much as it used to be. Buddhism is becoming more unpopular in Japan because it caters more to the dead than to the living which makes it more unpopular. If Japan doesn’t do something to fix it the whole religion will die out and Buddhist temples will close. The lack of successors to the priests is jeopardizing the family owned temples. Unfortunately Buddhism is also decreasing in popularity for funerals as most Japanese will use a funeral home or they won’t have a funeral at all. From 2000-2006 almost 600 buddhist temples had closed and were still closing. Also memberships at most all of the Buddhist temples were declining fast leaving many family temple owners in need for other jobs to keep them financially stable. Although Japan statistically is mostly buddhist (around 6/7 of the population) the religion has little to no moral value or meaning to the people
Show More

Related Documents: Buddhism In Japan Essay

Civilization: China and East Asia Essay

The Civilization of East Asia Final Essay II Shusheng Li Philip Brown 2012-12-06 In this course, we have studied China, Korea, and Japan as the civilization of East Asia. After a whole semester of studying, personally I believe that pre-modern China, Korea, and Japan do share sufficiently in political, social, intellectual, and cultural traditions. Therefore, we could classify these countries together as parts of a same civilization. To be more specific, the similarity reflected in many…

Words 770 - Pages 4

Middle Ages and Magna Carta Essay

2.10 Essay "To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay right or justice." This famous quote came from a famous document signed by King John. The Magna Carta was created to give equal rights which show the religious aspect of medieval Europe and Japan. Other ways religion and economics influenced Medieval Europe and Japan were the pastor’s influence on society, how the merchants during the middle ages helped the economy and the way trade lead to Buddhism. To begin, The Magna Carta…

Words 474 - Pages 2

POPULAR RELIGION IN CHANGING JAPAN Notes Past Midterm Essay

POPULAR RELIGION IN CHANGING JAPAN – Class Notes October 15, 2013 Presentations – Bonds of the Dead, Ch. 1 Buddhism about death is not real Buddhism; it is a corruption of real Buddhism Buddhism – adapting to landscape of Japan Shift in the way death was looked at Real Buddhism vs. Mortuary View Buddhism Struggle in duality is not just external, but also internal Internal: Buddhist Mortuary practices becoming too lavish and commercialized. Some questions about how we conceptualize the dead Where…

Words 2833 - Pages 12

Cont Change Essays

Frank Longueira May 3, 2009 A.P. World History Post-Classical Essay Period 7 Change Over Time Post-Classical Era (500-1450) The Post-Classical Era was an era filled with change, continuity, and development. East Asia was a very prominent part of the world during this era. East Asia illustrated many major political, social, economic, and religious changes and displayed consistent continuity along with many interactions with other lands during 500 C.E. – 1450 C.E. Between 500 C.E. – 1450 C.E.…

Words 8464 - Pages 34

AP World Review Assignment Chapters 11 15 Essay

continued Confucian ideas and exam systems. 10. *Emperor Wuzong ­ the Emperor of Tang Dynasty after Empress Wu (who tried to elevate Buddhism to state religion). Along with the Confucians and Daoists, Wuzong opposed Buddhism and he destroyed their shrines and monasteries 11. Taika reforms­ Aimed to completely revamp the imperial administration along Chinese lines, new chinese characters in language (written), in Japan 12. bushi­ (Warrior leaders) administered law, supervised public works projects, and collected revenue from peasants [Mainly for themselves]…

Words 1483 - Pages 6

Midterm Exam Preview 300 142 Essay

worth 100 points. It will contain two sections: an essay section and a short answer section. The essays will worth fifty points each, and the short answer section is worth a total of fifty points. You have two different choices about how you will complete the exam: 1. You may complete one essay question and all fifty of the short answer questions. 2. You can choose to answer both essay questions, and leave out the short answer questions. Essay Questions: (1 or 2 questions/50 pts. each) From the…

Words 1064 - Pages 5

Essay on Discuss the Similarities and Differences Between Any Two Societies. in Your Answer, Make Reference to the Role of Cultures, Norms, Values and Inequality in Social Organization.

organization. There are many similarities and differences between the cultures of Japan and Britain, this essay will look at some of these including religion, education, norms, values and inequalities in their social organizations. According to Google’s public data there are 127, 817, 277 people living in Japan compared to 62, 641, 000 living in Britain. (Google, 2011) There are two main religions in Japan, Shinto and Buddhism. These religions do not play a big part in everyday life, although the Japanese…

Words 1179 - Pages 5

Sengoku Unifiers

reunification of the country in around 1603 when the Tokugawa shogunate took control. This period in Japanese history is important because it signifies the coming together of an entire nation. It was an anarchic era of civil war, in which the feudal lords of Japan fought each other for land and power. During this time, although the Emperor was the official ruler of the land, he was really only a figurehead who delegated power to the Shogun. The Sengoku period finally came to an end with the help of three men…

Words 735 - Pages 3

Shintoism is the term for the local religious beliefs and practices of Japan Essay

Shintoism is the term for the local religious beliefs and practices of Japan. The Shinto religion has no founder, no official sacred writing, and no fixed creeds, but its sealed its main beliefs and rituals throughout the ages. The word Shinto, which comes from the Chinese shin tao, meaning "the way of kami", came into use to tell apart native Japanese beliefs from Buddhism, which had been introduced into Japan in the 6th century. Shintoism centers upon the relationship between artistic people and…

Words 694 - Pages 3

Essay on Midterm Optional Sg

Midterm Study Guide – 35 Points – Optional AoL This would be for the THURSDAY part of the test and would be great prep for both the MC questions – which will be more general than normal unit MC questions – and the C&C essay. 35 MC Questions – two points each 1 C&C Essay – you will have two choices Units 1 & 2: Neolithic Revolution through the Classical Era; to 600 CE 1. Neolithic revolution; significance of hunter-gatherer lifestyle and the switch to sedentary agriculture; how did…

Words 8143 - Pages 33