http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:58:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21759/buddhism-japan http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21759/buddhism-japan#comments Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:09:33 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=21759 When it comes to funerals the Japanese have traditionally been inflexibly Buddhist - so much so that Buddhism in Japan is often called "funeral Buddhism," a reference to the religion's former near-monopoly on the elaborate, and lucrative, ceremonies surrounding deaths and memorial services.

But that expression also describes a religion that, by appearing to cater more to the needs of the dead than to those of the living, is losing its standing in Japanese society.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21759/buddhism-japan/feed 0