Description
- Due Date: April 4th.
- Create your own Japanese Religion. Create it’s back story, rituals, worldview, and myths. It should be tied to at least 3 themes we encountered in class and should connect to in-class and/or outside readings. It should include an extended critical reflection on the question of religion in Japan. Critical reflection means thinking about the significance of discourses and about what they might tell us about Japanese religions and culture more generally. In other words, critical reflection asks, and attempts to answer, the “so-what question.”
- Students will be provided with more details and suggestions in tutorial.
- Papers must be typed and double spaced. They should be 1500 words.
FINAL PAPER RUBRIC:
Introduction (5)
- Is it written clearly and concisely?
- Does it set up the paper ?
- Does it lay out your main points?
Argument (15)
- Clear and concise overview of your religion – origin story, founder, texts, rituals, deities, worldview, etc.
- Clear and concise statement about how your religion relates to key themes in the course and what it says about Japanese religions/culture/modern history/contemporary societal issues.
- Offering specific and clear examples to support the case you made in the above point.
- Using your sources effectively
Engages in “so what” question rather than just descriptive (10)
- What are the broader themes in Japanese religions you are engaging?
- For example: the relationship between Buddhas and kami, the religion/tradition issue, mushūkyō, embodied religion, etc.
Grammar/proofreading/structure (7)
- no run on sentences
- proofreading mistakes capitalization
- proper citation style – pick one and be consistent
- no passive voice (hiding the actor of sentence)
- Logical structure that follows introduction
- Paragraphs make sense, individual paragraphs stick to one individual theme/point, flow naturally
- Include Title, name, student number
- Number all pages
- Do not provide a cover page
- Justify only to the left margin
21 mins ago
Explanation & Answer
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Running head: MY OWN JAPANESE RELIGION-FUNDAMENTAL
My Own Japanese Religion-Fundamental
Name: ZI MING DANG
Student ID: 400145372
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MY OWN JAPANESE RELIGION-FUNDAMENTAL
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My Own Japanese Religion-Fundamental
Fundamental is a religion that provides a spiritual path for transcending the suffering of
existence. There are three types of Fundamental religion evident in Japan. The earliest being
Vada Fundamental; this type emphasizes on salvation for individuals alone and the need for
obeying the Ten Commandments to achieve spiritual release (Clark, 1994). The next type of
Fundamental is called Mayana. The followers of this type believe that complying with Vada
pursued a channel that could not be followed by a significant number of ordinary individuals.
The last type of Fundamental is known as Vana. The members of this type of Fundamental trust
that every person can attain enlightenment in a single lifetime (Hane, 2016). Given the overview
of the Fundamental religion, this essay dives deep in its analysis while still arguing how
influential it will be in the next decades.
Fundamental religion integrates a vast range of rituals and practices. This practices and
rituals are aimed to help in the journey to enlightenment and blessings. However, mediation and
salvation are central to this religion, and it derives directly from both Christianity and Buddhism
teachings and experiences (Occhi, 2012). Considering Fundamental religion from a worldview
perspective, people embrace this religion arguing that it is God initiated and that God's prophets
belonged to it. However, people condemn it claiming that it is more focused on worldly life than
God's existence.
Currently, the Fundamental religion is the main religion practiced by more than fifty
percent of the Japanese. This religion is characterized by an interesting blend of influences,
drawn not only from each other but from other sources stemming from their historical roots.
Although such a big percentage of Japanese claim to be active members of Fundamental religion,
MY OWN JAPANESE RELIGION-FUNDAMENTAL
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more than half of them take part in traditional practices entailing praying to Kami or Shinto gods.
Some of them also visit temples as well as shrines, especially on special events (Ravitch, 2013).
Considering that this religion stemmed from both Buddhism and Christianity many decades ago,
they perform funeral services as per the ceremonial Buddhist tradition, and this happens even to
the families who are not active members of the Fundamental religion. This is a clear indication
of how Fundamental religion and its three types (Vana, Mayana and Vada) have continued to
influence Japanese demographics.
Comparing Fundamental religion with the Western world of religion, which seems to be
dominated by Christianity as a result of the spread of Roman Catholicism together with
Protestantism, this religion has managed to influence a significant portion of Japanese. It seems
more casual and culturally based type of phenomenon (Reader, 1991). Based on these reasons, a
significant number of Fundamental Japanese temples are located on the same areas as Shinto
shrines, an odd sight in case one is trying to differentiate the two distinct Japanese religions
(Buddhism and Fundamental). Note that as a result of distinguished applications of the concepts
of various religions, the chances of people calling themselves as "non-religion' is a common
phenomenon in Japan. However, these groups of individuals visit Shinto shrines where they
make offerings. They also see it easier to attend Fundamentalist ceremonies as this religion is
open to all people including new converts. Their coming does not in any way lead to a
contradictory lifestyle.
Another intriguing thing about Fundamental religion is the fact that a broad range of the
icons Fundamentalist take for granted as symbols of people's religion is not simply inherently
Japanese. For instance, at the entrance of Fundamental temples, there is a torii, which besides
being a source of beauty as it was meant to, symbolize the change from the profane to the sacred.
MY OWN JAPANESE RELIGION-FUNDAMENTAL
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This concept is not Japanese inherently but was imported from India, specifically from torana
(gateways) which are different in structural appearance but serve the same function. Another
symbol that Fundamental religion adopted is Daruma dolls (Thomas, 2007). This symbol was
imported from Buddhism religion, and Fundamentalist uses it as a symbol that signifies new
dawn or New Year. It is mostly seen during celebrations and at the beginning of a new year
situated at the entrance of the shrines. Again, Funda...