JAPANESE RELIGIONS
Spring 1998

Essay 1

Discuss the ideas of purity and pollution and the practices associated with them in Shinto and Japanese folk religion. How are they reflected in Japanese creation myths? In what senses can we call them religious? How do they relate to ideas and practices concerning sacred space?

Length: 2-3 pages (typed, double-spaced)
Due: Monday, Jan. 26


Essay 2

Ian Reader, in Religion in Contemporary Japan (p. 77), refers to the "dual dynamic" of Buddhism in Japan, or the distinction between what we are calling "social Buddhism" and "enlightenment Buddhism." Briefly explain what he means by this terminology. To what extent can they be reconciled? How can "social Buddhism" be explained as part of the same tradition as "enlightenment Buddhism"? Bear in mind that the Buddhist sangha from its inception in India included laypeople as well as monks and nuns. Are there any philosophical theories in Mahayana Buddhism that could be used to link the two strands we see in Japan?

Length: 3-5 pages
Due: Monday, Feb. 23


Essay 3

Write a 2-3 page essay (typed, double-spaced) on either one of the following topics (due Monday, April 6).

  1. Discuss the meanings and value of ascetic practices (shugyo) in Japan. How are they related to concepts of individual and group identity?

  2. In his article, "The Revitalization of Japanese Civil Religion," K. Peter Takayama says:
    When Japan surrendered to the Allied Powers in 1945, it was forced to abandon its civil religion that had been molded during the nationalistic and ultranationalistic periods. In the process the Japanese lost something much deeper: the ancient worldview that formed the source of their identity and sense of destiny... In the brief period since 1945, Japan has attempted to formulate a secular substitute for its traditional religious values and identity, but reactions to the effect have already set in (Mullins/Shimazono/Swanson, p. 118-19).

    Explain what Takayama means by these statements.


Essay 4

Discuss some distinctive features of Japanese attitudes and behavior regarding abortion, including the conceptual and religious assumptions underlying them. Briefly describe how these differ from typical American ways of dealing with abortion. Do you think that the controversy over abortion in this country might be less extreme and divisive if Americans learned more about how the Japanese deal with it?

Length: 3-5 pages
Due: Friday, May 1

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