Images Old and New: Buddhist Painting Preservation and the Transmission of Tradition in Premodern Japan

The overwhelming focus on textual or dharma studies in Buddhism, to the relative neglect of artistic production, has led to a bias in understanding the close and intricate relationships between Buddhist art (usually comprising sculptures, mural paintings, architectural facades and ornamental elements, illuminated paintings, cloth banners, and drawings in manuscripts), rituals, and the written word. The constant dialogue between material, visual, and ritual cultures should be approached in tandem. Visual culture is a significant part of Buddhism and must be treated as part of the same social, historical, and geographical contexts as texts and practices. Buddhist visual culture, including art media, graphic aids, and physical objects or monuments associated with Buddhist practices, does not merely serve to illustrate sacred texts, legends, and doctrines. In addition, the textual tradition does not always have to explain or justify the presence—or absence—of a material object such as a Buddha icon or a Buddhist painting. While visual culture studies have become increasingly important in various academic fields over the years, a critical and complete overview of the precise relationship between art, ritual, and text in the study of south and southeast Asian Buddhism has yet to be written.

Preaching from Pictures: A Japanese Mandala Produced and directed by David W. Plath

Art is a powerful medium for communicating with the divine, expressing the inexpressible, and enhancing religious rituals. Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the 6th century, profoundly enriching this connection and fostering a vibrant, transformative relationship between art and spirituality. The influence of women in Japanese art can be traced back to the introduction of Buddhism in Japan. In the context of Japanese Buddhist art, women were primarily recognized for their patronage and contributions through donations, rather than for creating art themselves. They played a pivotal role in preserving the religious and cultural heritage of the period, contributing to the construction and maintenance of temples and pagodas, as well as fostering the development and dissemination of Buddhist art within these sacred spaces. During the Nara period, the Amida worship placed great emphasis on prayers and religious rituals to ensure the deceased could attain rebirth in the Pure Land. This belief inspired individuals to engage in acts of devotion, such as commissioning Buddhist statues and copying sutras. Women also played a significant role in these religious practices, actively contributing to the pursuit of salvation. During the Nara period, women were deeply involved in various aspects of Japanese Buddhism, particularly in the arts. Centering on Amida worship in Japan, this article explores how women contributed to Buddhist religious practices through art, utilizing historical records from Horyuji Temple as a primary source to examine their roles in commissioning and disseminating sacred artistic traditions.

Employing a narrative comprehension task procedure, this study tests the hypothesis that engagement in Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava religious practices, which are aimed at cultivating a personal relationship with the Hindu deity Kṛṣṇa, predict increased implicit attribution of anthropomorphic properties to him. Contrary to our hypothesis, multiple regression analyses of data from 184 native Krishna devotees in West Bengal, India, indicated that increased engagement in these practices loaded as a tertiary predictor after education and age, such that increased practice predicted a decrease in implicit anthropomorphic reasoning about Kṛṣṇa (ß = 0.16, p < 0.03). Based on these and additional analyses of the data, we theorize that these results may be due to the tradition’s emphasis on presenting Kṛṣṇa’s non-anthropomorphic dimensions to neophyte practitioners and the non-Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava public. One implication of these results is that religious cultures and engagement in religious practices have the potential to significantly affect a human cognitive tendency to implicitly attribute anthropomorphic properties to divine beings. This may result from developing alternative knowledge from which to reason about a deity by engaging in religious practices and beliefs shaped by particular theological, historical, and cultural factors.

Enhancing Christian Life: How Extended Cognition Augments Religious Community

Reviewed by: Women, Rites, and Ritual Objects in Premodern Japan ed. by Karen M. Gerhart Heather Blair (bio) Women, Rites, and Ritual Objects in Premodern Japan. Edited by Karen M. Gerhart. Brill, Leiden, 2018. xxiv, 411 pages. €132.00. This collection of ten chapters written by a mix of established and emerging scholars stems from a 2016 conference held at the University of Pittsburgh. The studies range widely in terms of source material and period; nevertheless, the volume's clear thematic focus yields a greater degree of cohesion than one often sees in an edited volume. In fact, reading the essays together, as one would a monograph, produces a powerful effect: the chapters reflect and refract each other in subtly provocative ways, such that the entire book enacts a kind of historicist scintillation. Let me explain. In keeping with the general investments of both the field (premodern Japan studies) and the publisher (Brill), the individual chapters are powerfully documentary. These studies reconstruct the historical practice of specific rites, describe the cultural context of particular objects, and make arguments about what actually happened—and what did not. Theoretical [End Page 459] interventions are minimal, and methodological reflections, though certainly present, tend to play an ancillary role. As readers, then, we are not presented so much with radical construals or alternative modes of analysis but rather with interpretations that qualify as distinctive by virtue of their focus on real and represented women. At the same time, the organization of the volume juxtaposes topics such as childbirth rites, popular devotion, and the literal warp and weft of women's Dharma robes. As a consequence, the chapters collectively highlight the complexity of women's history and the horizons of possibility afforded, and also foreclosed, by extant sources, both textual and visual. Clearly, the imperative to write women's history drives the volume; just as clearly, that history is polyform, uneven, sometimes over- but also sometimes underdetermined. This matters, much more than our habituation into the state of Japan studies might lull us into thinking. The closest comparandum for Women, Rites, and Ritual Objects, namely Barbara Ruch's edited volume Engendering Faith: Women and Buddhism in Premodern Japan (University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies, 2001), was published nearly two decades ago. Since then English-language scholarship on women's participation in visual and religious culture prior to the Meiji period has grown through a steady trickle of monographs by scholars in religious studies and art history. Here we can point to the work of Barbara Ambros, Gina Cogan, Karen Gerhart, Caitlin Griffiths, Patricia Fister, Christina Laffin, and Lori Meeks, not to mention the interventions of historians such as Hitomi Tonomura and Anne Walthall. Nevertheless, with the exception of Heian literary studies, where women's writing has long been accorded pride of place, Anglophone scholarship on premodern Japan continues to distribute our collective attention in ways that are separate and unequal when it comes to gender. Moreover, as the list of contributors for this volume shows, women's history itself is acutely gendered as a field of inquiry: only one of the contributors to Women, Rites, and Ritual Objects is a man. We will have arrived at a more significant degree of historical equity when women's history is no longer seen as a women's issue about which only—or predominantly—women write. Karen Gerhart, the editor of Women, Rites, and Ritual Objects, has divided the volume into four sections, each comprised of two or three articles. Although this rubric is thematic, it also involves an implicit periodization, such that the chapters on household life and childbirth in part 1 constellate around the Heian period, whereas part 4, which focuses on patronage, includes one piece on a fourteenth-century handscroll and another on a seventeenth-century painting. Historical segregation of this sort is unfortunate. After all, Nara-period women acted as patrons and Muromachi-period women gave birth. Given the constraints of scale and scholarly specialization, however, it was likely difficult, if not impossible, to avoid this sort of uneven historical distribution. [End Page 460] As its title indicates, part 1, "Rituals Related to the Household and Childbirth," centers on the ritualization of social...

The article covers some of the most prominent cultural landmarks of central Japan. Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, and their suburbs and nearest region were the foundation and all the fundamental principles of Japanese architecture and art, in particular the art of calligraphy, ceramics, red lacquer painting, and the famous Japanese weaponry. Nara became Japan’s first permanent capital in 710 (by the order of Empress Gemmei), a 72-year period in Japanese history known as the “Nara Age.” It is noted that Buddhism, and later Zen Buddhism, first came to this territory from China. For twelve centuries, Buddhist art was considered a “Japanese classic.” On the territory of the Nara temple complex, one can observe the organic coexistence of ancient Shintoism and Buddhism adapted to the consciousness of the Japanese. In the central region, a revered archaeological site is the underground structure of Isi-Butai, which dates to the ancient Asuka period (538–645). Despite many years of research of this attraction, the so-called “stone stage”, the water pipe laid in the dungeon, other details remain mysterious (about their origin) and are of keen interest to archaeologists. The paper also provides information about the Horyuji architectural ensemble (607–623). The focus is on the personality and educational role of Prince Shyotoku, who succeeded Empress Hashihito no Anahobe, the prince’s mother. The Chugudi temple (Ikaruga’s old palace) was dedicated by Shōtoku to his mother’s memory. Now there are only a few stones from this temple. Information is provided about the sculptural masterpiece of the Asuka era—the statue (national treasure) Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu, which is one of the most poetic sculptures in Japanese plastic. Special attention is paid to the embroidered sacred banner Tenjukoku Shūchō Mandala depicting the “Land of Heavenly Longevity.” The fabric is considered the oldest embroidery in Japan.

RESUMOEsse trabalho tem como objetivo realizar uma breve reflexão sobre a produção e divulgação de conhecimento na enfermagem e na saúde. Assim destaca-se o papel da EEAAC na produção do conhecimento inerente a enfermagem e a suas interfaces no contexto da pandemia. Preconiza-se uma produção de conhecimento integrado ao contexto social diante dos avanços da ciência. O OBJN tem uma função primordial na difusão de conhecimentos científicos de enfermagem e áreas afins. A atual gestão almeja avançar para que a revista tenha impacto significativo e acesso aberto.

The relationship between religion and health tends to be framed positively. Religion has been found to act as a coping mechanism and source of support in times of ill health. In this paper, we focus on the disruptive effect of chronic illness on religious practice and cultural engagement. Drawing on interviews with ethnic minority adults with end-stage kidney disease, who also identify as religious, we introduce the concept 'cultural disruption'. While religious practice and belief was found to provide strength and comfort we also found that chronic illness had a disruptive impact on religious and cultural practice that participants attempted to manage. To highlight the potential disruptive effect of chronic illness on religious faith and cultural engagement we identify three elements of cultural disruption-disruption to religious practice, disruption to sense of self and identity and disruption to wellbeing. We conclude by suggesting that understanding and accounting for the potential of cultural disruption when diagnosing, treating and supporting people with chronic illness offers an alternative entry point to the life-worlds of patients who identify as religious and the things that are important to them.

The relationship between contemporary mindfulness practice and its Buddhist roots has generated debate as popularity in secular clinical contexts increases. Researchers, clinicians, and practitioners question the ethics of secularizing these practices, as well the potential barriers of offering mindfulness programs in the context of Buddhism, especially for individuals who practice or identify with non-Buddhist religions. However, to date, there has been little empirical exploration of these associations. Using a sample from a previous study of 173 inmates in a minimum-security correctional facility, the study compared individuals who voluntarily participated in an intensive Buddhist Vipassana mediation course (n = 57) with those who chose not to participate (n = 116). The associations between religious affiliation, participation in an intensive meditation course, and post-course changes in engagement in non-Buddhist religious practices were assessed. Results show that participation in the Vipassana course was not significantly associated with religious identification or level of engagement prior to taking the course or with engagement in religious practices 3 months following their release from jail. These results suggest that mindfulness meditation, even when taught in a traditional Buddhist context, may be attractive and acceptable to those of other religious faiths, and involvement in such practices does not threaten engagement in non-Buddhist religious practices.

This research investigates the influence of religious beliefs and practices on social cohesion in modern Indonesian societies through a quantitative analysis. A sample of 175 respondents representing diverse religious communities participated in the study. The survey instrument utilized Likert scales to measure religious beliefs, practices, and various dimensions of social cohesion. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis was employed to analyze the data. The results revealed significant positive relationships between religious beliefs, practices, and social cohesion. Specifically, stronger religious beliefs were associated with higher levels of social cohesion, while active engagement in religious practices contributed to increased social cohesion. The findings highlight the integral role of religion in fostering community resilience and well-being. These insights have implications for policymakers, community leaders, and scholars seeking to promote social cohesion and interfaith harmony in diverse societies.

Hablar de la enseñanza de la metodología de la investigación científica en la formación profesional es hablar de la formación en y para la producción y difusión de conocimiento científico, a través de la investigación científica y la interacción social universitaria. Asumiendo que esta es la misión de la Universidad, desde la denominada sociedad del conocimiento, en Bolivia se nos remite al modelo educativo que se ha propuesto encarar como política estatal denominado Socio Comunitario Productivo (MEC, 2009) 
 Lo dicho no resulta novedoso, puesto que el Sistema de la Universidad Boliviana, en su VIII Congreso Nacional (CEUB, 1995) resuelve asumir el paradigma productivo, como respuesta a una de las mayores preocupaciones de la sociedad con referencia a la calidad de la Educación Superior cual es la producción del conocimiento desde la investigación, manifestando con ello que es su responsabilidad crear las bases de un nuevo poder, que es el conocimiento y la racionalidad científica. Si bien esta resolución empieza a concretarse con la creación de Institutos de Investigación, la inclusión de la asignatura de Metodología de la Investigación en los Planes Curriculares de todas las Carreras y la implementación de modalidades de titulación que impliquen tanto la investigación cuanto la interacción social, no se ha avanzado en la difusión de trabajos de investigación realizados por los estudiantes durante su formación profesional. Esto quiere decir que tampoco se han desarrollado procesos de enseñanza aprendizaje orientados a la formación de competencias para la producción y difusión de conocimiento científico.

The focus of this dissertation is on the organisation and management of scientific research aiming to produce knowledge. The main research question answered in this thesis is ‘What conditions regarding research and the organisation of research do serve the researcher in the production of knowledge?’ This question is answered by analysing the production of knowledge by the researcher from the angle of the strategic positioning of this researcher in the environment. To this end, we developed a model analysing this strategic positioning in the relationship of the researcher. The positioning model contains two dimensions to characterise the relationship: the organisational autonomy and the strategic interdependence of each of the partners in the relationship. The model leads to a continuum of modes in which we can distinguish four typical modes of strategic positioning: the well-known mode1 and mode2, and the newly introduced mode0 and mode3. Mode3 is called the research entrepreneur. Each mode is a specific combination of a low or high necessity for interdependence and organisational. Mode3 – the research entrepreneur is shown to be highly autonomous and at the same time highly interdependent researcher. This means that he sets research goals and directs research being at the same time intertwined with his environment. The model was tested in interviews of 43 researchers active in hard and social sciences. The study confirmed feasibility of the model in creating observables and predicting the production of knowledge. In this thesis we also discuss business models for scientific publishing. We state that any business model for scientific publishing should serve researchers by providing wide availability of scientific information and the basic services of availability and peer review and should offer optional added value services further enhancing the power of selection of researchers. It should serve researchers in attaining their strategic goals. Therefore, it has to fulfil the basic premise that scientific information is to be shared and used in the production of knowledge. On the basis of the diagnosis of the production of knowledge under different conditions as delivered in this thesis we conclude that the positioning model may be of relevance for researchers, research strategists, research managers and policy makers alike. The model can well serve as a tool in setting research programmes and can be used for strategy development of researchers as it shows how to position researchers in their research environment to enhance the productivity in line with the goals of the group or institute.

We live in a knowledge economy. The production and dissemination of knowledge will be central to solving the problems of climate change and environmental sustainability, reducing global poverty and addressing other global problems. This article asks: do intellectual property rights – with their increasingly global reach –further or hinder the production and dissemination of knowledge? Experience with genetically modified organisms shows that a model markedly different from the current one is more likely to bring wider social benefits, both in the short and the long run. Indeed, the current system may impede both innovation and dissemination. There are reforms in the intellectual property regime, and more broadly in the way we finance, organize and incentivize innovation, that would increase the pace of innovation and its utilization. The spread of the current dysfunctional system owes much to the evolution of intellectual property rights in the US – and the influence of particular special interests there.Policy Implications A well‐functioning patent system requires careful attention to a number of details, including: (1) what can be patented; (2) the breadth of a patent; and (3) the standards of novelty that determine whether an innovation is eligible for a patent. Corporate interests have resulted in a patent system which answers each of these questions in a way that may impede not only the utilization of knowledge, but even innovation. Among the details that matter is the process by which patents are granted. The current system grants too many ‘bad’ patents. Opening the process of examination of patent candidates to all parties that reveal themselves as having private information relevant to a thorough examination (in a process called opposition) should reduce the number of ‘bad’ patents. The patent system is only one part of a society’s innovation system, through which the production of knowledge is financed, incentivized and organized. Too much attention has been focused on IPR (intellectual property rights), and too little on alternatives, e.g. open source systems, publicly financed innovation and prizes. Providing more scope for compulsory licenses – making it easier for countries to issue them – would reduce some of the inefficiencies associated with the current patent system.

This essay discusses the benefits to student learning when we integrate the study of Japanese literature and Japanese history through the curricular model of "linked courses." The essay begins by examining the process of linking an introductory Japanese literature course and introductory Japanese history course, and continues by explaining its pedagogical advantages. Specifically, the collaboration of literary and historical study provides students greater access to the material and, subsequently, the opportunity for deeper analysis. Students can better understand how historical context informs the literature and how literary representation enhances historical knowledge. But in addition, this teaching model provokes broader questions about the production of knowledge itself: the disciplinary integration creates a learning environment in which we can ask how we know what we know, or in this case, how we come to understand both the "story" and the "history" of Japan.