Domesticating Buddha: Making a Place for Japanese Buddhist Altars (Butsudan) in Western Homes
This paper explores how white, Western followers of Japanese Buddhist schools (primarily Soka Gakkai) practice Buddhism through acts of purchasing, decorating, and positioning altars (butsudan) in the space of their homes. Drawing on a pilot ethnographic study of altar practice, I detail the oft-ove...
| Auteur principal: | |
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| Type de support: | Électronique Article |
| Langue: | Anglais |
| Vérifier la disponibilité: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | En cours de chargement...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Publié: |
Taylor & Francis
[2019]
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| Dans: |
Material religion
Année: 2019, Volume: 15, Numéro: 4, Pages: 488-510 |
| Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés: | B
Monde occidental
/ Japan
/ Culture populaire
/ Buddhisme
/ Autel domestique
/ Objet de piété
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| Sujets non-standardisés: | B
Buddhism
B Soka Gakkai B Material Religion B Japan B butsudan B Altars |
| Accès en ligne: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Résumé: | This paper explores how white, Western followers of Japanese Buddhist schools (primarily Soka Gakkai) practice Buddhism through acts of purchasing, decorating, and positioning altars (butsudan) in the space of their homes. Drawing on a pilot ethnographic study of altar practice, I detail the oft-overlooked dimension of becoming and being Buddhist that is material consumption. Western consumption of Buddhist popular culture is often critiqued as aesthetically driven and Orientalist. However, aesthetics, "Japanese-ness," and ease of use are often not the only or primary concerns when crafting an altar. Rather, altar-making can be a continuous process involving significant deliberation, DIY, and compromise. By directing attention to the domestic religious sphere and the concrete artifacts via which Buddhism has crossed oceans, I show how making a place in the home for butsudan is tied up in the process of making Buddhism "at home." |
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| ISSN: | 1751-8342 |
| Contient: | Enthalten in: Material religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/17432200.2019.1632107 |