Japanese Buddhism has been mocked by Buddhist communities around the world as "funeral Buddhism." While monks recite sutras and perform Buddhist ceremonies at funerals and memorial services, they fail to adhere to the original Buddhist teachings of conveying "universal truths that never change" in response to the question of "how to live a happy life." This term refers to the ・・・

Thai Buddhism, to be precise, is different from Japanese Buddhism. It's called "Theravada Buddhism" and is said to be closest to the form originally taught by the Buddha. Japanese Buddhism is called "Mahayana Buddhism," which spread northward via China, Korea, and Vietnam. Thai Buddhism is called "Theravada Buddhism," which spread southward via Sri Lanka, Burma,・・・

What exactly does a "grave" mean in Buddhism? The concepts of "treating graves" and "treating remains with care" can be seen in ancient Egyptian and European ruins, dating back to before the introduction of Buddhism. This "remains worship" concept seems to exist worldwide. Some Buddhist sects continue to argue over whether their temples have stupas (reliquary towers) ・・・

With the recent rise in perpetual memorial services and the closing of graves, I looked into how Buddhism views the closure of ancestral graves. What happens if the remains are not treated with care? Will treating them carelessly bring about retribution? The bottom line is that how the remains are treated is completely irrelevant. Whether memorial services are held or sutras・・・

The question of "What happens after death" has differing views across religions. I would like to explore the perspectives of Christianity, Islam, Japanese Shinto, materialism, and Buddhism. Christianity believes that each and every one of us was born by God's will. The Bible states that all people were created by God's will. In the Christian worldview, we are born, live, and eventually die. ・・・

Did you know that when Buddhism first emerged, there were no statues of Buddha? It is also known that Buddha himself forbade the worship of idols. This was because he believed that humans have a tendency to become attached to visible things. In Buddhist thought, attachment = worldly desires, and shedding attachment is the path to enlightenment. He feared that if an idol of Buddha・・・

I'd like to briefly touch on the Buddha's past life. Many Buddhist scriptures contain stories about animals such as cows, elephants, birds, and insects. Among these, the Jataka tales, is one about a cow. Once upon a time, an old woman lived in a village near Varanasi, the capital of the Kashi kingdom in central India. One day, a traveler stayed overnight at the old woman's house, but he ・・・

While Obon in Japan is known as a Buddhist festival marking the return of the dead, the idea that the dead return is quite rare worldwide. Buddhist countries have a ritual called "Uan-go-aki" (End of Rainy Days). However, this ritual does not refer to the day the dead return. Theravada Buddhist doctrine also does not include stories of ancestral spirits returning. Japan's Obon festival was influenced by・・・

Although Japan is considered to have a high proportion of non-religious people, a survey conducted in Japan's Religious Views found that 94% of people respect their ancestors, indicating that many people cherish them. We all know that without our ancestors, we wouldn't exist. It's an undeniable fact that deceased ancestors influence their living descendants. This type of ancestor・・・

The term animism was first coined by British cultural anthropologist Edward Tylor (1832-1917). He used the term in his book "Primitive Cultures" in the late 19th century to describe the characteristics of "primitive religion." Animism is a "spiritual culture" that holds that all natural objects possess souls. It posits that gods reside in everything that exists in the world, from the sun, moon, ・・・

In Shinto, it is believed that gods reside in all things, and that gods exist in every phenomenon. As the phrase "eight million gods" suggests, it is believed that gods reside in all natural phenomena. Mountains and other natural features are also objects of worship, and disasters are sometimes deified. There are many cases in which powerful figures or those who died with grudges are ・・・

How often do you think about death in your daily life? Humans are mortal. We usually live without being conscious of this. We are all destined to die, but when we're healthy and busy with our daily lives, we sometimes fail to acknowledge this fact. It's understandable that we don't want to think about it until we're faced with an imminent situation. However, isn't this an escape from the "truth"・・・

What is the purpose of a funeral? One theory is that funerals have the important role of informing the soul of the deceased that they have passed away. When a person dies suddenly, it seems that sometimes they don't realize they've passed away. In such cases, they may watch their own funeral and wonder, "Oh, am I dead?" before realizing their death. Since death is necessary to ・・・

The idea that rituals such as funerals and annual memorial services bring happiness to the dead seems to be common knowledge. There's a passage in which a disciple of Buddha asked him, "Is it true that chanting sacred sutras around a deceased person will result in the person being reborn in a good place?" Shakyamuni silently picked up a pebble, threw it into a pond, and pointed to ・・・

"Building a grave to bury a deceased person" is not a Buddhist teaching. Buddhism has never obligated people to build a grave. This has never been the case. Many people may be mistaken. The culture of building graves and offering memorial services is merely a syncretism of Buddhism and ancestor worship, a longstanding tradition in Japan. It wasn't until the mid-Edo period, when the shogunate・・・

If you are going against the trend of modern society toward nuclear families and want to continue your family line, protect your home, and develop your clan, then maintaining the current style of grave is preferable. If you are thinking about developing your own clan and not caring about other clans, then you should build a grave that is more magnificent than any other clan's. Graves are symbols ・・・

It seems that voices calling for "monks are unnecessary!" are growing louder. In Japan, monks have long been derided as "all-profit monks" or "smelly monks." However, especially in recent years, this sentiment seems to have grown stronger than ever. Buddhism was originally intended to spread its teachings and free people from suffering. However, the Edo Shogunate's policy of establishing・・・

The Koyasan Shingon sect offers a two-day, one-night training course. Not including the robes, the cost is 350,000 yen. Other temples offer half-day training for 150,000 yen. It seems like it's pretty easy to become a monk... Furthermore, the cost of 100 days of training to obtain a teaching qualification is 400,000 yen (as of 2024). Apparently, having a teaching qualification allows you to ・・・

Feeling close to the deceased, sharing your thoughts, and praying together is what makes home memorials so appealing to surviving family members. Home memorials are available in a variety of styles, including a "remains pendant" that can be worn to hold the ashes, a "mini urn" that allows you to keep a portion of the ashes close at hand, and a "mini Buddhist altar" that allows you to create・・・

Regardless of the debate over what the afterlife is like, the existence of an afterlife is something that all religions and sects agree on. All religions, including Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Shinto, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, all share the belief that there is an afterlife. Those who believe there is no afterlife are called "materialists." Materialism holds ・・・

The concept of enlightenment is unique to Buddhism. It refers to "the disappearance of earthly desires and the attainment of enlightenment." Enlightenment means becoming a Buddha with no regrets. It is said that those who attain enlightenment are reborn in a peaceful place, while those who do not will continue to wander the earth. In Buddhism, the concept of reincarnation allows ・・・

Reincarnation is the process by which a person is born and dies repeatedly, and is then reborn into a new life. Buddhism believes in reincarnation. The concept of reincarnation appears in Buddhist scriptures. It is mentioned in both the Pali scriptures and Mahayana Buddhist scriptures. The belief in reincarnation has existed since ancient times and was central to the teachings of pre-Buddhist ・・・

The 49th day after death is called "shijukunichi" (49 days). However, the concept of 49 days of mourning is unique to Mahayana Buddhism. This concept does not exist in Southern Buddhism (Theravada Buddhism). In Mahayana Buddhism, it is believed that when a deceased person enters the afterlife, they are judged for their actions every seven days, starting from the seventh day after ・・・

The Sanzu River is the river that the dead cross on their way to the afterlife. The existence of such a river is not unique to Buddhism. It is also found in Jinism and Hinduism, and Catholicism has a concept similar to the Sanzu River called purgatory. In many Buddhist sects, it is believed that a person crosses the Sanzu River seven days after death. The Sanzu River is the boundary between・・・

In Buddhism, death is understood as a return to the tranquil world of our origins, like waves washed up on the shore returning to the deep, vast, and boundless ocean. Sects such as Tendai and Nichiren sects have the concept of the "Six Realms of Reincarnation." The six realms—Hell, Hungry Ghosts, Animals, Asuras, Humans, and Heaven—are considered to be the six realms in which ・・・

Christianity's view of death differs from other religions. Death is called "calling to heaven," meaning being called to the Lord (God), undergoing the Final Judgment, and spending time in heaven until resurrection. Nearly all Christians believe that the soul is the immortal essence of humankind and that it will be rewarded or punished after death. This reward or punishment depends on good deeds・・・

In Shinto, it is believed that spirits, like gods, remain eternal. The Association of Shinto Shrines states that "the existence of spirits has been believed due to their function, but they are not something that can be perceived as tangible." The Kojiki, Nihon Shoki, and Manyoshu all contain descriptions of the afterlife, and the Association of Shinto Shrines does not deny these descriptions. ・・・