Recent Trends Concerning the Issue of ‘Buddhism and Practice’ in Contemporary Japan

When discussing Buddhism in practice, we should first note that the word practice has a multilayered meaning in Buddhism. For the purposes of this paper, I would like to simplify things considerably, and divide those multiple meanings into two groups. The first involves the training of one’s mind and body. By engaging in such training, the practitioner is said to draw closer to Buddhist enlightenment. This practice takes various forms depending on the time and place, such as observing the precepts or engaging in meditation, and is referred to as ‘benefiting the self’ (jiri 自利). Second, there is the practice that consists of Buddhists’ activities vis-à-vis society. Even Buddhists, whose fundamental orientation is towards leaving the secular world (shusseken 出世間), have engaged in activities in society that have taken a variety of forms. There are records of Śākyamuni having given various pieces of advice to rulers during ancient times. We also find many records of later Buddhists engaging in missionary and charitable activities. This is referred to as ‘benefiting others’ (rita 利他). In particular, Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the inseparability of ‘benefiting the self’ and ‘benefiting others.’ Although Buddhist practice is traditionally divided into two categories: self-interest and altruism, it would not be true to say, in fact, that "benefiting others" has always been as much of a primary concern as "benefiting the self." Rather, it can be said that concern for others has always been a weakness of Buddhism, overshadowed by concerns with ‘benefiting the self.’ Thus, Mahayana Buddhism's emphasis on the importance of benefiting others, on the contrary, could be said to imply that this was a weakness of the Buddhism at the time of the Mahayana arose. My paper focuses on recent developments surrounding Buddhism and its practice in contemporary Japan, particularly the element of ‘benefiting others.’ The question of how Buddhists should contribute to society has continually and repeatedly appeared from the origins of Mahayana Buddhism to the present. Against this backdrop, an event occurred in Japan in recent years that marked a major turning point in the issue of Buddhist contributions to society. That event is the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. In this paper, I consider the issue of ‘benefiting others’ in Buddhism in light of the effects of the tragic earthquake disaster.