The website Buddhist Door reported, around 36 percent of Japan’s population identify as Buddhist, but few regularly visit Buddhist temples, except during traditional ceremonies, such as funeral rites or new year celebrations. As a result, 27,000 of the country’s 77,000 temples are expected to close within the next 25 years.
The issue is that Japanese Buddhism has largely become a religion of ritual, largely performing funeral rituals. In any religion, when ritual becomes primary, the spirit of it becomes secondary. People seek out and want meaning in life. Seldom can ritual and recitation fill that void.
The issue is that Japanese Buddhism has largely become a religion of ritual, largely performing funeral rituals. In any religion, when ritual becomes primary, the spirit of it becomes secondary. People seek out and want meaning in life. Seldom can ritual and recitation fill that void.
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