社会活動における宗教的価値の相反と克服：浄土宗僧侶によるホームレス支援を事例として

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  • Dilemma between Doctrine and Secular Values : Why Buddhist Priests Support Homeless People
  • シャカイ カツドウ ニ オケル シュウキョウテキ カチ ノ ソウ ハン ト コクフク : ジョウドシュウ ソウリョ ニ ヨル ホームレス シエン オ ジレイ ト シテ

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It has become common in recent years to see religious groups participate more in activities that benefit society in Japan. Religious doctrine, however, is not always in accord with secular values. For instance, Pure Land Buddhism is based on a series of beliefs that no one can achieve awakening through one’s own efforts in the present world and people cannot break away from reincarnation (saṃsāra) unless devoted to attaining Birth in the Pure Land (Ōjō). In its doctrine, reciting the Nenbutsu, a prayer that repeats of the sacred name of Amit?bha Buddha, is the only practice needed to achieve Birth in the Pure Land. Those who wish to attain this Birth, are not required to perform any other religious practices, let alone do any social contribution activities at all. If it is the most important task for religious leaders such as Buddhist priests and monks to disseminate religious values, how do they deal with the gap between their sacred and secular values? In this article, resolving the dilemma between religious practice and undertaking social activities through an example of Buddhist priests in the J?do-sh? denomination of Pure Land Buddhism in Japan who are involved in supporting the homeless, will be discussed. In particular, some findings that were discovered were that although Buddhist priests historically tended to consider doing social activities as deriving from altruism in Mahayana Buddhism, which is the broader concept of their religious denomination’s values, priests have tended to start supporting the homeless for no specific religious reason in contemporary society. Many of them, however, consider such volunteer work as something from which they can receive knowledge and learn, and not necessarily as an activity in which they only give of themselves. Such priests tend to deepen their faith through volunteer work. In that sense, volunteering can be an important chance to learn more about their own religious doctrine firsthand.

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