Aging in Medieval Japanese Buddhism
In medieval Japan (ca. 1185-1603), Buddhist practices and concepts contributed substantively to the ways in which old age was defined and understood. The widespread custom of lay ordination at the onset of old age rendered a large proportion of the elderly population Buddhist home-leavers (shukke)....
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[2015]
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| In: |
Religion compass
Year: 2015, Volume: 9, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-12 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Japan
/ Adult
/ Buddhism
/ Story
/ Vows
/ History 1185-1603
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| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy AG Religious life; material religion BL Buddhism KBM Asia KCA Monasticism; religious orders TE Middle Ages TJ Modern history |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | In medieval Japan (ca. 1185-1603), Buddhist practices and concepts contributed substantively to the ways in which old age was defined and understood. The widespread custom of lay ordination at the onset of old age rendered a large proportion of the elderly population Buddhist home-leavers (shukke). Many medieval literati adopted the persona of the aged Buddhist recluse when composing poetry or essays that touched on Buddhist themes. On the other hand, didactic texts and illustrations used the miseries incumbent on the aged body as a means of leading auditors and readers to an appreciation of Buddhist truth. Buddhist legends utilized the figure of the mysterious, enigmatic old man (okina) as a stand-in for local gods or as avatars of buddhas or bodhisattvas. The aged female body, however, was most often employed to represent demonic beings. |
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| ISSN: | 1749-8171 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion compass
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/rec3.12131 |