Experimental Buddhism: Innovation and Activism in Contemporary Japan

Experimental Buddhism: Innovation and Activism in Contemporary Japan. By John K. Nelson. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2013, 292 pages, ISBN: 9780824838980 (paperback), $32.00. In Japan, is popularly perceived as an outdated tradition fixated on mortuary rites. This poor image, together with the post-war success of new religious movements, has resulted in contemporary Japanese being a much-understudied field. In recent years, however, we have witnessed a shift in Buddhist Studies' traditional inclination toward textual studies, as more scholars have turned their attention to studying traditional Japanese as a living religion (Covell, Borup, Rowe). John Nelson's study, reviewed here, is another important contribution to our understanding of the complex interactions between Buddhist tradition and contemporary Japanese society. Based on a great variety of sources, such as personal interviews, websites, news reports, and commercials, this study presents a rich and fascinating description of contemporary Japanese Buddhism. The strength of Nelson's publication lies in the depth of his descriptions, as well as in what he refers to as a flexible combination of different methodologies (xix). At the same time, the ethnography is presented in an easily comprehensible language, and in an appealing journalistic style that gives the reader a feeling of being where the action is. Nelson follows several other scholars in the study of contemporary religion who emphasize lived religion, which is religion as experienced, conceptualized, and even invented by the individual (McGuire). Accordingly, the book emphasizes the role played by individuals, rather than that of institutions, in constructing contemporary Buddhist reality in Japan. As its subtitle suggests, Experimental focuses on innovative attempts by members of the Buddhist clergy to revitalize their tradition, thereby making it relevant and influential in contemporary Japanese society. Chapter one opens with a story of a 400-year-old Pure Land temple located in the heart of Kyoto. The temple's alleged deliberate burning, and the attempts to reconstruct it, highlights various tensions that exist between long-established Buddhist institutes and rapid social, cultural, and economic changes. Nelson's basic thesis, presented in this chapter, is that the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries are characterized by unique historical and social circumstances that differ dramatically from anything has ever encountered (10). These include rapid social changes brought about by external forces, shifting religious beliefs, and new configurations of the self. Nelson especially emphasizes globalization and personal choice as unique features in what he defines as the modern era (27). Against the above backdrop, Nelson presents a gloomy picture of Buddhist institutions that largely fail to adjust themselves to the great economical, political, and conceptual challenges posed by late modernity. More specifically, he believes that Buddhism's future development lies in the hands of individual priests who are willing to risk experimenting with their traditional roles. Their Buddhism is presented as a pattern of thought and action that can be characterized by five major features: (1) global position; (2) individualism; (3) great creativity; (4) everyday life as the source of the Buddhist values; and (5) reciprocity with society (23). As can be seen, Nelson regards experimental as both a theoretical framework to examine recent developments in Japanese Buddhism, as well as a recommended course of action for Buddhists to follow. Chapter two provides a general background on contemporary Japanese Buddhism. The first section is perhaps one of the best, and it is definitely one of the shortest summaries of the history of in Japan. Students and readers who are new to this field will find this section most helpful. …