Teaching Japanese Buddhism

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Teaching Japanese Buddhism
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Why teach an unfamiliar religion?

• Globalization?
• Co-existence?
• Religions role in the world/societies of today?
• Put ones own religion in perspective?
• Learn about different cultures?
• Fascination?
• Choose whats the purpose of the course?

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Approach?

• Different or same approach as when we teach about
  Christianity?
• Choose to look for the exotic or for similarities?

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Introduction to an unfamiliar religion

• How to make the students interested?
• Pictures
• Sounds
• Tastes
• Artefacts

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Why use pictures?

• What can we use pictures for?
• What can we extract about Buddhism from these
  pictures?
• What can we extract about how our society
  view/use Buddhism from the pictures?
• How does the media use Buddhism?
• Which Buddhist do we know?

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Branding Buddhism
Photo by Jørn Borup
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Photo by Jørn Borup
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Photo by Jørn Borup
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Photo by Jørn Borup
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Buddhism in Art
Photo by Jørn Borup
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Photo by Jørn Borup
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Mr Buddhism?
Photo by Jørn Borup
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Living Buddhism
Photo by Jørn Borup
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Photo by Jørn Borup
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Photo by Jørn Borup
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Photo by Jørn Borup
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Photo by Jørn Borup
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Photo by Jørn Borup
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How to construct a course in Japenese Buddhism
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Main subjects

• Introduction
• Central concepts in Buddhism
• Mahayana-Buddhism changes from the earliest
  Buddhism
• Japanese Buddhism
• Zen-Buddhism
• Shin-Buddhism

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Shin-Buddhism
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Saved by the inconceivable working of Amidas
Vow. I shall realize birth in the Pure Land The
moment you entrust yourself thus to the Vow, so
that the mind set upon saying the nembutsu arises
within you, you are immediately brought the share
in the benefit of being grasped by Amida never to
be abandoned.
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Main subjects

• Amida Buddha
• The Pure Land
• Nembutsu
• Shinjin
• Tariki Other Power
• Jiriki Self Power
• Rituals