Rethinking the Interdependence of Buddhism and the State in Late Edo and Meiji Japan

This article asks how the Buddhist paradigm of the interdependence between the Buddha’s law and the ruler's law was modified over the centuries and reinterpreted by nineteenth-century authors in the face of rapid political, social, and epistemic changes. An analysis of relevant texts reveals co...

Description complète

Enregistré dans:  
Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Kleine, Christoph 1962- (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
Vérifier la disponibilité: HBZ Gateway
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publié: Nanzan Institute 2022
Dans: Japanese journal of religious studies
Année: 2022, Volume: 49, Numéro: 1, Pages: 89-113
Sujets non-standardisés:B Secularity
B late Edo period
B religion and poltics
B ōbō buppō
B Apologetics
Accès en ligne: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Résumé:This article asks how the Buddhist paradigm of the interdependence between the Buddha’s law and the ruler's law was modified over the centuries and reinterpreted by nineteenth-century authors in the face of rapid political, social, and epistemic changes. An analysis of relevant texts reveals continuities as well as discontinuities. While the paradigm's basic function of guaranteeing autonomy and protection to Buddhist institutions remained largely unchanged, remarkable transformations in the argumentation are evident. Despite, or because of, the precarious position of Buddhism in the early Meiji period, Buddhist authors from this era choose an apologetic strategy. With some slight differences, they emphasize almost exclusively the intramundane benefits of Buddhism and thus defend themselves against the accusation that Buddhism is solely relevant to otherworldly matters. The most radical innovation, however, is the assertion that all secular norms and rules of governance are ultimately Buddhist in origin.
Contient:Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.89-113