The Way to Gyō: Priestly Asceticism on the Shikoku Henro
The Shikoku henro is arguably the most literary pilgrimage of the contemporary world. An unprecedented publication boom during the Heisei Era (1989-present) is centered especially on personal accounts of walking the 1,200 kilometer journey. A major theme among the more than 140 henro diaries that ha...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Nanzan Institute
2016
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| In: |
Japanese journal of religious studies
Year: 2016, Volume: 43, Issue: 2, Pages: 275-305 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Shikoku hachijū hakkasho
/ Pilgrimage account
/ Asceticism
/ Hiking
/ Spirituality
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| IxTheo Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism AG Religious life; material religion BL Buddhism KBM Asia KCD Hagiography; saints NCB Personal ethics |
| Further subjects: | B
Terminology
B Zen Buddhism B Narratives B Enlightenment B Religious Studies B Pilgrimages B Priests B Asceticism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The Shikoku henro is arguably the most literary pilgrimage of the contemporary world. An unprecedented publication boom during the Heisei Era (1989-present) is centered especially on personal accounts of walking the 1,200 kilometer journey. A major theme among the more than 140 henro diaries that have been published in this era, and especially those of pilgrim priests, is that of asceticism. In this analysis I consider the narratives of several Buddhist clergy to highlight various interpretations of pilgrimage austerities. I use this data to analyze theoretical assertions concerning Japanese asceticism. I argue that asceticism is best viewed as a family grouping of phenomena that exists across a wide spectrum. As such, the concept is poorly served by a bounded definition contingent on some universal essence or formulaic set of rules. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.43.2.2016.275–305 |