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Buddhism in Japan - Religion or business?

deadhippo

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One day I was on my way to work and this large Mercede Benz (I guess they are all large) stopped at the side of the road. A monk got out and walked over to the Takarakuji shop and bought some lottery/lotto tickets.
I was shocked. I was wondering why a man of the cloth would be buying lottery tickets and moreover why he was driving such a fancy car.
For a while I asked many questions about these monks.
One of my friends told me her high school friend became a monk and took over his fathers temple. He cried when he had to shave his hair and he dresses hip-hop style on the weekends. (Apparently being a monk is a Monday to Friday job for some people).
Another friend told me she went to the temple when she got a new car, new house etc. to have the priest say a prayer of protection. She chose the cheapest prayer which cost ﾂ??000. I thought to myself those priests must make a lot of money for their church but no. They make a lot of money for themselves and they don't pay tax on it either.
I'm not a religious person but I don't think religion should be used for finacial gain. I'm not so naive as to think this is the only place/religion it is happening in but it is so open.
Why do people think thay can get protection/forgiveness from their God/ancestors by giving money to a monk? A man who is clearly more interested in money than in God for if he were really a good person he would say his prayers for free.
I was reading a column in the Japan Times the other day when I was stirre into anger. The article was about a young monk who has set up a shrine to pray for the souls of aborted fetuses.
He said

To tell you the truth, my initial purpose in starting this temple was to make money. I'm a high school dropout. I was in the car business. Then I started a school for helicopter pilots. What was I? A playboy.
Click to expand...
 
Buddhism in Japan is notoriously corrupt in many ways.

From the payment for blessings, to the giving of Buddhist names for funerals (the longer the more expensive -- but the more Buddhist!), to a slew of other 'scams' of sorts, Buddhist monks/priests in Japan rake in the money. I'm not saying that all priests are bad folk, and I'm not saying that there are folks who genuinely believe in, and practice, the eightfold path. I'm just saying I've never met them.

My first experience with a Japanese monk was about 4 months after I got here. I was sitting in my local bar where I practiced Japanese, and knew nobody, so I started chatting up the couple next to me (as I still had the 'FOB' interesting-foreigner scent on me, rather than the 'piss-off' vibe I apparently give off now). I asked the man what his job was, and he said, 'bou-san' which I didn't understand. So I asked him what that meant, and he explained that he worked in the next town at the temple. So I exclaimed, 'bo-san?!' and he told me to shuttup, seeing as how he was sitting next to a girl, in a bar, drinking liquor, and smoking.

I have since met priests who have had to quit liquor due to their livers being about ready to give out, priests who used their monk-status to go to the US to give lectures (and make good money doing it), as well as a slew of other monks who used their job to allow them to live the easy-life.

Though in all fairness, I think I should share a Buddhist Koan that is semi on-topic...

I have to paraphrase, unfortunately, because I can't find where I snagged it from...

A Buddhist monk hired some men to dig a new outhouse for the temple, as the old one had to be filled in because of the smell. Upon digging out a new hole behind the temple, the men hired to dig it found some fish bones. Regretting having to tell the head monk that there were priests eating bones in the temple, they came heads hung low to tell him, "Sir, we're sorry to tell you this, but while digging a new hole, we found fish bones buried -- it appears that one of your priests has been eating fish!"

The head monk turns to him and says, "That's horrible! In my day, we ate the bones too!"

The point being that no monk is perfect. It's part of the Mahayana 'can't get enlightened in this lifetime' drawbacks. The question is just whether or not the current generation of monks have taken it too far (I'd argue yes).
 
From: An American Buddhist priest living in Japan

Hello dear friends,

I see what you both have written and feel that I must offer my personal experience in this matter. I'm certain that everything you both have mentioned is true. I have been a student of Buddhism for over two decades now, and of Japanese Buddhism for 12 of those 20 years. I am a minister of Jodo Shu Buddhism and presently studying the language and religion in Tokyo.

The only thing I want to say is that stereotyping any group of individuals as "all" being either one way or the other is inaccurate, and this also goes for Buddhist priests in Japan. The thing is, there are those individuals who have received ordination as priests in Japan who simply do not live in accord with Buddhist ethics. Yet there are also many very sincere and dedicated priests who request humble fees for their funeral and memorial services, and do not horde money. When those few bad apples act reprehensibly, true, it does reflect poorly on Buddhist priests in Japan. However a few bad apples don't spoil the whole bunch.

I am not opposed to priests drinking, smoking and eating meat. Some traditions of Japanese Buddhism (including my own) do not force precepts on their laity or their priests like "Karma Police." Buddhists priests are not monks, for the most part. They can marry, have children and live normal lives as lay-ministers; kind of like Christian ministers in the West. We are all ignorant and deluded bonbu after all. However there must be a moderate approach to any vices.

In Gassho,
Rev. Hoyu
 
Hoyu said:
act reprehensibly, true, it does reflect poorly on Buddhist priests in Japan. However a few bad apples don't spoil the whole bunch.
In Gassho,
Rev. Hoyu
Click to expand...

@Pierrot le Fou - thanks for your reply and your story

@Rev. Hoyu - thanks for the info and I think we know that not all buddhist priests are the same but do you really think that ist a few bad apples that are spoiling to bunch
perhaps there are justa few good apples struggling to survive
and which are you? what was the purpose in becoming a buddhist priest


We are all ignorant and deluded bonbu after all. However there must be a moderate approach to any vices.
Click to expand...
just because you say and/believe we are doesn't mean we really are. Why do religious people of many faiths seem give off such a superior attitude?
Being a religious person, maybe you can answer that one.

Sorry if it sounds antagonistic but they are simply questions that you may or may not be in a position to answer.
 
I feel your anger dear friend. Some of your questions appear to be rhetorical in nature. In regard to myself, I am what is known as a Socially Engaged Buddhist. This means that before I came to Japan to study my religion, I worked in social welfare. And as everyone knows, it's hard to make ends meet in non-profit work, so I live humbly. Now I am on a scholarship, and live in a dormitory.

The reason I became a Buddhist priest is because I had an experience that proved to me the existence of Amida Buddha. I will not go into that on a public forum, but suffice it to say, priests in America live below the poverty level and actually have to collect food stamps to make ends meet.

In Gassho,
Rev. Hoyu
 
"It's part of the Mahayana 'can't get enlightened in this lifetime' drawbacks."

Um, .... what?
Yes, you can get enlightened in this lifetime. Maybe a pure-land buddhist would disagree, but mahayana buddhism does not, as far as I know, teach that you can't get enlightened in this lifetime. In any case, please do not blame the dharma for the discrepancies of the sangha. The Dalai Lama lives by pretty much the same dharma, and you don't see him driving around in a sports car.
 
I was going to start a thread on this, but...

I was staying in the Ueno section of Japan last month near the Inaricho Station. Near the station, I saw these shops. I am guessing these are home Buddhist shrines? Can anyone tell me what is behind these shops? Below is a photo of one shop. They all looked about the same. Some were more pricey than others.

 
I suppose you are taking about butsudan. They are boxes that contain a Buddha, and perhaps pieces of wood with names of family mambers that have passed away.
 
Buntaro said:
I suppose you are taking about butsudan. They are boxes that contain a Buddha, and perhaps pieces of wood with names of family mambers that have passed away.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I was wondering what these were for. Some seemed simple and inexpensive, while others were very high priced.
 
ArmandV,

Yes, butsudan can be expensive. I got my butsudan used. It was hand-made (quite unusual). I know a couple of places in Los Angeles where you can buy butsudan. They run about $600.
 
Yes, I wanted to chime in there with Buntaro sama,Hi there Buntaro !! (I will get back with you on that other thread. . . please give me some more time, please)

Everything I can see in that photo relates to the butsudan; and the large ones are not cheap !! There's a big one taking up some space in the back room at my house which I kind of wish were someplace else, but, you can't just put them out at a local swap-meet--they' never sell.
 
Mars Man,

"I will get back with you on that other thread. . . please give me some more time, please>"

--> (Buntaro moves closer to the computer screen, fascinated....)

" ... the large ones are not cheap!"

--> There is a Honganji store in Los Angeles. They have a big butsudan, like four feet tall. The thing is worth thousands of dollars, and is not for sale.

"There's a big one taking up some space in the back room at my house which I kind of wish were someplace else...."

--> Can you donate it to the local temple? As a matter of fact, I picked mine up at a temple in Los Angeles, used, sitting in the back room. It had been donated to the temple by the family of a member who had passed away. For a small donation, it was mine. Perhaps such a custom is unheard of in Japan?
 
There are several of these shops in the Shitamachi area of Tokyo where I currently reside in training. I cycle by them often, but never stop. I know that the people who own and run these shops have bills to pay, families they must support, children they wish to send to University, and retirement funds they need to build, etc., etc.; not to mention the artisans who fine craft these items in order to support themselves and their families; and that in this fast paced society it would be hard for the average Japanese person to find time to ever attempt to hand craft a Butsudan from scratch by them themselves.

However, to any of my Dharma friends on the web reading this post, I would highly suggest that they at least consider trying to do it themselves. Any Butsudan built with your own two hands (no matter how imperfect), with the image scroll of the Buddha (penned in your own hand) enshrined within, would be much more meaningful for you and your family than if you were to buy it from a vender.

For the schematics and setup of a homemade Butsudan, don't hesitate to PM me here at J-Ref and I will do my best to assist you.

In Gassho,
Rev. Hoyu

EDIT: I also like Buntaro's idea of recycling Butsudans via your local Japanese temple.
 
Although everyone knows that I am a Jodo Shu lay-minister, I had spent many years upon the Jiriki (self-power) Path. One story that comes to mind is of a Ch'an (Zen) Master that had two temples. This is my own personal rendition of the story, as I do not have the original text before me, so please take it for what it's worth. One of the Master's temples was up upon the mountain above and the other in the city below. As the Master had become very old and could no longer stand the Winter months in the mountain temple, he sent his chief disciple up to the mountain temple as Winter was approaching. Yet when the snow began to fall upon the mountains above, the Master suddenly felt as if something was wrong. Meanwhile, his disciple had exhausted all the wood at the mountain temple, and was devoutly reciting the Buddha's Name as he was slowly freezing to death within the main shrine of the mountain temple.

The Master decided to make the trek through the snow up to his mountain temple on his own, much to the protest and dismay of his other disciples in the city temple below. When the Master reached the mountain temple, he found his chief disciple blue and shivering as he knelt in homage before the massive wooden Buddha statue in the main shrine. The Master then hauled down the ancient Buddha statue from the alter, reciting "Namo-Amituo-Fo" all the while. The Master then very quickly (yet with great reverence) took an ax to the wooden statue and transformed the Buddha's image into pure compassion, as he lit the wood of the Buddha statue on fire in the temple furnace.

The near-dead, half-frozen chief disciple gazed in awe, yet moved towards the warmth of the flames. The next day the Master explained to his chief disciple that the Buddha's image is not an idol, it is merely a reminder for us to do our very best to walk in his footsteps. And when the Master had first entered into the main shrine of his mountain temple on that frigid night, seeing first the enormous wooden statue, and then the suffering disciple below, the Master did not act on his own accord, but acted completely in accord with the Prajna (wisdom) instilled in him from decades of receiving the Buddha's teachings on Karuna (Compassion).

In Gassho,
Rev. Hoyu
 
Is it true that buddhism permits homosexuality? I've heard it from a japanese friend, but I'm not sure if she was being serious or not.
 
I wonder too about Japanese religion. Nowadays, I read a book on Japanese history.

I visited many shrines there but not got any idea.
 
I feel that this issue is one of the major issues concerning religious practice in contemporary societies. The feelings expressed in this thread's initial posts concerning a certain hesitancy in paying for religious services. We live in societies where we pay for almost everything that is necessary for our survival and satisfaction.

Our money is our time and effort-- our life-- made into a substance that is easily converted into any number of things or experiences. The fact that we use money to support and maintain that which is important is the reality of our current situation. This reality does nothing to devalue the Buddhist Dharma and, in fact, if we give or time and effort in ways that are inspired by Right Action, Right Thought and Right Intention, we discover new and powerful ways to create and establish the truths and inform and enrich our lives. If Japanese feel that it is worth the money they pay for the experience they receive, I don't think that we can say that it is non-sense to have one's car blessed. On a similar note, I described to some Japanese that Christians talk in their head and they believe that they are talking to God and he is listening and that this is what prayer is to a typical Christian. (Forgive the broad strokes of this statement. Of course, I explained it in more detail.) My Japanese listeners responded by saying, "that's crazy!" We all have different religious sensibilities.

Getting back to my main point, we interact with religious in ways that or forefathers never did but that should not stop us from enjoying just how authentic these experiences really are or just how vital they are to us. This is way we pay for them. Let's not pretend that what is most valuable to us with not have a price of some sort to pay but this isn't a price tag... it is an investment.
 
My apologies in advance to those who might get offended by this post...

So.... I would like to ask the priests/monks among us to answer the OP's question. Is Buddhism a business?

I don't really understand why religious organizations receive tax breaks. From what I have read on this thread, monks/preasts/temples provide services that enrich the lives of people for which they get paid for. How is that different from services provided by a manicurist or an entertainer?

I understand that in the olden days, religions were regarded as something vital to the people, and the priests and monks were given a special status as they devoted their lives to their religion. Now, the times have changed and they say they should be able to afford the "normal" lifestyle with all the conveniences that come with it. They want to drink/smoke/drive fancy cars and get chummy with the ladies. Why not!? I like doing all those things and I know there are many many others who do.

While I have no problem whatsoever with them charging for their services and asking for donations on the street/on TV/on the internet "to continue on doing Good work" as long as there are customers who are willing to pay. I don't quite understand why they should continue to receive special treatments.

I am not saying Buddhism being a business is a bad thing nor Buddhism is not a religion. I just think saying it isn't a business is a bit hypocritical.
 
Buddhism in not a business but it is supported like all other institutions in society and that involves resources. I think that monks/priests still devote their lives to something very unique and vital to all human beings.

As far as taxes are concerned, the image is SUBSTANTIALLY more complicated than Ashikaga has painted it. The fact is that monks/priests do pay taxes on most things. The Japanese government does in fact charge taxes on things that are not religious services. For example, the cost of the ritual performed at a funernal services are not taxed but income made off the temple parking lot is. Additionally, that fancy car, those cigarettes, those drinks with the girls... all taxed. Although hardly a fair or realistic image of a monk/priest, I might add. In fact, most temples are like small businesses in the fact that they are jurdical persons under the law-- i.e. they have certain priviledges and responsibilities. Religious jurdical persons, like their secular counterparts, do receive tax breaks in some areas (religious services) but not in most and this is actually quite a lot like most small businesses. However, I do not feel that this makes it a business. It makes it an institution in society that has certain responsibilities under the law. This isn't hypocracy, it is reality.

In closing, the reason I think that Buddhism is not a business is a matter of goals. What is the goal of a business? To make money. What is the goal of Buddhism? To enrich our lives, cultivate our ethical standards, to lead us to the peace that is Enlightenment.
 
Monk in the Making said:
I think that monks/priests still devote their lives to something very unique and vital to all human beings.
Click to expand...

Not to me.


So, if Britney Spears says she is not in it for the money but to enrich our lives(which she does, for me), cultivate our ethical standards (that is debatable), to lead us to the peace that is Enlightenment(who knows? maybe), she is not a business person? Just because someone SAYS what her/his goal is, that does not make it so, now, does it?
Therefore, I don't buy that.
 
It is clear that monks/priests don't hold any particular value for certain individuals and that is a perfectly acceptable option. Regardless, monks/priests do preserve knowledge and develop practices that are relevant for millions of people. Without religious ideas, human societies would be without everything from swear words to temples/churches. Religion is here to stay and so are its specialists who come up with and maintain most of its content (hard and soft)... because they are "in demand" (thought I'd use an economic term just for kicks).

Despite an apparent and overzealous need on the behalf of some individuals to label religion a business (and for what end?), the fact remains that there are people and groups that operate for the betterment of society and, although they have a financial aspect, they are not businesses. A good example would be charities.

Furthermore, I also believe that by comparing the motivations and behavior of Britney Spears with Buddhist priests and monks (or any religious professional for that matter) only makes the distinction between business/entertainment and religious professionals more apparent. It seems almost laughable to compare Britney Spears and Mother Theresa and then conclude that they are both just in it for the money. Sure, Mother Theresa may have been a liar that managed to make the people she fed feel like she wasn't just out to make some green but I think that we can also judge her by not only what she SAID but what she DID. Moreover, it is really funny to think that I spent years learning Japanese and practicing Buddhism just have someone imply that I am really a businessman despite my own motivations.

Sorry, Ashikaga, you're skepticism sounds pretty entrenched but, fortunately, I am living proof that you are incorrect.
 
Religion has expences in todays world.

After getting involved in our churches finances, I found a church has to be business like to survive. I did not relize how expensive it is to run a church. The minister and staff need to be paid. Building and grounds cost a fortune to maintain. Heating and cooling a building is expensive. Having to maintain a large parking lot and plowing it in the winter is a big expence. Before I saw how expensive it is to run a church or religion, I used to get angry when the church put pressure on us to give large offerings. To keep our church running right , each member has to give an average of $800 a year or we run in the red.Even with the member offerings, we still have to hold church fairs and suppers and other events to raise money. Our sister church has an large old stone building that is beautiful . A resent roof replacement cost $150,000 US. If religion did not run like a business and bring in money, it would soon cease to exist I think.

Uncle Frank

☝
 
Uncle Frank illustrates the reality of the situation. Men and women leading lives informed by and supported by what they feel is important in life costs money. But isn't this just another way of saying that it is more valuable than the money involved?
 
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