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/
May 2021 TOK essay Prescribed Title #5 is focused on looking whether AOKs are most effective on their own or in combination.
This RLE has the deepest links to religious knowledge systems, ethics, and the human sciences. Consider how useful each AOK is on its own and then compare that with the usefulness of different pairs of AOKs.