Text: Extract from “Young Japan priests try to breathe life into fading Buddhism.” Religious News Service.
“TOKYO (AP) — Buddhism suffers from a gloomy image in Japan. It is so closely linked to death — funerals, graves and memorial rituals in which priests chant sutras based on Chinese rendering of Sanskrit texts that no one else understands — that people refer to it as “funeral Buddhism.”
The powerful forces of secularization and population decline have caused the religion to steadily wane in Japanese society, with disinterest in Buddhism — and faith in general — particularly pronounced among the young…
Since most people don’t have much opportunity to interact with Buddhist priests, 43-year-old Yoshinobu Fujioka spends evenings in downtown Tokyo at his Vowz Bar, a play on “bouzu,” Japanese for monk…
Unlike Buddhist priests elsewhere, those in Japan can marry, drink alcohol and eat meat, thanks to an 1872 imperial edict. Sharing cocktails in a cozy atmosphere encourages people to open up about their struggles, Fujioka said.” https://religionnews.com/2020/06/12/young-japan-priests-try-to-breathe-life-into-fading-buddhism/
The focus of May 2021 TOK essay Prescribed Title #1 is a lookout whether or not trust is always necessary when accepting knowledge claims. This RLE and Buddhism in general have a number of connections to trust:
- The degree to which different generations of Japanese have trust in Buddhism / religion
- How the setting of bar affects trust between monks and patrons compared to the setting of a temple
- Trust in the authenticity of Japan Buddhism given that Buddhist monks in Japan often follow a far less strict lifestyle compared to monks in other countries
- The level of trust Japanese have in therapy / counselling