TOKYO (majirox news) — In January this year, the Japanese Cabinet Office began a survey of Japanese aged 20 years old or over, and this month announced the shocking results. One in four of those surveyed reported that they had seriously contemplated killing themselves – an increase of between 4 and 5 percent since...
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TOKYO (majirox news) — Renjo Miura, a Buddhist priest of the Nichiren sect, made a 600-kilometer pilgrimage on foot, starting on June 18 last year, and finishing on August 1. His purpose was to comfort the souls of those who died in last year’s earthquake and tsunami, where nearly 16,000 people perished, and more...
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TOKYO (majirox news) — The Japan Buddhist Federation requested that Japan move toward reducing its dependence on nuclear power. “Nuclear power threatens life. We aim to establish a society based on sustainable energy that does not rely on nuclear energy,” they wrote in a Dec. 1 statement. The federation described the reality of life...
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TOKYO (majirox news) — The day a condemned man took his last breath, Buddhist Chaplain Fuso Watanabe was quietly standing by him. He put his hands together, chanted the Namu Amida Butsu, and wished for his rebirth in the Pure Land. The 80-year-old priest, who just retired as the 30th abbot of the Tokoji...
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TOKYO (majirox news) — Attractive Buddhist monk Yoshinobu Fujioka knows more about women’s secrets than their spouses, boyfriends or best friends do. He manages a monk’s bar called Vowzin Tokyo. From the time of its opening in 2005, Buddhism has gained in popularity throughout the country, especially among young Japanese, according to the 34-year-old...
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TOKYO (majirox news) — According to A.T. Ariyaratne, unless the leaders and ordinary people of the world learn Buddhist teachings, humanity cannot survive in our highly developed economic and technological world. Ariyaratne is the founder and CEO of Sarvodaya, the largest non-profit organization (NPO) in Asia, which engage in education, medical and rural development....
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TOKYO (majirox news) — Keisuke Matsumoto, a Buddhist priest, is the mastermind behind Japan’s first online Buddhist temple called Higanji Temple. If you’re looking for a building with Buddhist alters in Tokyo, you won’t find it at Higanji’s Temple’s Web site. The temple is connected to today’s world and social media sites such as...
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TOYKO (majirox news) — Akari Miura is using her unique position as head priest of a temple and a professional singer-songwriter to try and draw people back to Buddhism. The 28-year-old diva of the dharma is the head priest at the Komyoji Temple in Nara. She released her debut single, Arigato, two months ago...
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TOKYO (majirox news) — Despite earthquake, tsunami, nuclear crisis, slumping economy and more recently a deadly typhoon, people need to smile and laugh to help get through the current turmoil, according to Alubomulle Sumanasara, the well-respected head of the Japan Theravada Buddhist Association. “Life is full of funny things,” he said. “One can laugh...
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TOKYO (majirox news) — The disasters of March 11 and the ongoing Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis “could present a wonderful opportunity for Japan to change,” according to Sulak Sivaraksa, the Alternative Nobel Prize winner who has been described by Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as one of the most influential thinkers in...
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