The emergence of Buddhist chaplaincy in Japan after the 3.11 tsunami and nuclear disaster highlights the need for spiritual care and training for priests and volunteers to provide support and assistance to survivors.
The use of light in Shingon practice and cosmology, including visualizations and meditations involving light, symbolizes awakening and purification and plays a significant role in healing rituals.
Deep dives
The Emergence of Buddhist Chaplaincy in Japan
The podcast episode discusses the emergence of Buddhist chaplaincy in Japan, particularly after the three eleven tsunami and nuclear disaster. It explores how the disaster prompted the need for spiritual care and training for Buddhist priests and volunteers to provide support and assistance to survivors. The episode highlights the role of chaplaincy in offering deep listening, presence, and spiritual care to individuals in various contexts, including hospital settings, hospices, and community crisis care. It also touches on the adaptation of Shingon rituals and traditions within the chaplaincy movement, such as meditation therapy and the use of music and chanting. Overall, the episode emphasizes the creativity, playfulness, and innovation in contemporary Japanese Buddhism as it responds to societal challenges and engages in crisis care.
The Role of Light in Xingon Buddhism
The podcast episode features a conversation with Reverend Nathan Gishin Mishan, a postdoctoral fellow and an ordained priest in the Xingon Buddhist tradition. The discussion explores the significance of light in Xingon practice and cosmology. It delves into the use of visualizations and meditations that involve light, such as Ajikan and Gachirin Khan. The episode also highlights the incorporation of light in healing rituals and the role of light in symbolizing awakening and purification. Additionally, Reverend Mishan shares insights on the playful and innovative aspects of modern Japanese Buddhism and the growth of chaplaincy, particularly after the 311 disaster. The conversation provides a deep dive into the intersections of Buddhism, healing, and spirituality in the Xingon tradition.
Diverse Buddhist Healing Rituals
The podcast episode focuses on diverse Buddhist healing rituals discussed in the conversation with Reverend Nathan Gishin Mishan. It explores the different types of healing ceremonies, such as those for physical ailments, spiritual issues, and interactions with other beings. The episode highlights the use of rituals, chants, and mantras in the shingon tradition for healing purposes. It also mentions the adaptation of rituals for dying individuals, including visualizations and the use of Buddha statues and mantras. Furthermore, the episode touches on the practice of goma, the fire ceremony, which combines fire and visualization to promote healing and purification. The conversation emphasizes the rich diversity of Buddhist healing rituals and their applications in various contexts.
Japanese Buddhist Chaplaincy Programs and Innovations
The podcast episode discusses Japanese Buddhist chaplaincy programs and their innovative approaches to crisis care. It explores the history and development of chaplaincy in Japan, particularly after the three eleven tsunami and nuclear disaster. The episode highlights the creation of both short-term and long-term training programs to provide spiritual care to individuals in need. The episode mentions the involvement of various Buddhist traditions, including Shingon, in chaplaincy training and volunteer work. It also touches on the adaptation of Shingon rituals and practices for chaplaincy, such as chanting therapy and meditation therapy. Additionally, the episode emphasizes the creative adaptations and local innovations in contemporary Japanese Buddhism to address societal challenges and provide crisis care.
Dr Pierce Salguero talks with Rev. Nathan Jishin Michon, a postdoctoral fellow at Ryukoku University and an ordained priest in the Shingon Buddhist tradition. Our conversation touches on diverse Buddhist healing rituals and the role of light in Shingon practice and cosmology. We discuss the playfulness and innovation in modern Japanese Buddhism, and the rise of chaplaincy after the 3.11 tsunami and nuclear disaster. We also talk about Nathan’s ethnographic work in Japan, as well as their experiences volunteering in a “listening cafe.”
Dr. Pierce Salguerois a transdisciplinary scholar of health humanities who is fascinated by historical and contemporary intersections between Buddhism, medicine, and crosscultural exchange. He has a Ph.D. in History of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2010), and teaches Asian history, medicine, and religion at Penn State University’s Abington College, located near Philadelphia.
