Negotiating with ‘Shūkyō’ in the Context of the ‘Religious Corporation’

Abstract

Buddhist temples are generally certified as ‘religious corporations’ (shūkyō hōjin), and their organisational activities are presumed to be ‘religious’ in their nature and purpose. There is a widely shared assumption that Buddhist priests have a duty to specialise in ‘religious activities’ (shūkyō katsudō) as ‘religious professionals’ (shūkyōka). The meaning of the term ‘religious’ in the discourse of ‘religious activities’ is highly ambiguous. Nevertheless, there seems to be a normative presumption that ‘religious activities’ must be coupled with ‘public benefit’ (kōeki).