K. M. University, India Christianity in the Land of Santhals: a study of Resistance and Acceptance in Historical Perspective(03U)

Nakazato, Satoshi

Toyo University, Japan

Traces of Norse Mythology in the Old Wooden Stave Churches in Norway(12F)

Twenty-nine old wooden churches, which were built from the 12th to the 15th century, still remain in Norway. These churches are called Stave Churches, and have preserved traces and sources of many different local religious elements in Northern Europe. The remnants of earlier churches and others are often found when the existing stave churches are repaired. These churches help us to study the earliest Christian churches and also pagan temples that existed before Christianity arrived in Northern Europe. I have done field research at twenty-one stave churches in Norway for seven years (1998-2004). The important elements of stave churches, which are clearly connected to local religious customs and Norse mythology, are as follows: the mask on the column, the iconography of the wall, local oral tradition, and the natural environment.

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Namai, Chisho

Koyasan University, Japan

On Ethics of Life from the View Point of Buddhism(02J)

Bioethics deals with issues related to modern technologies especially concerned with life-science. However, we should not treat these issues only from the scientific view-point in constructing static law code to implement new technologies into modern society, but be concerned with other perspective of life, in which dynamic ethics can be activated more positively. I would like to discuss some characteristic issues from a Buddhist point of view in constructing new ethics of life. By explaining the Buddhist concept of life first, I would like to propose a more important attitude toward life in order to recover the original healthy state of spirituality.

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Nandadeva, Bilinda Devage

University in Kelaniya, Srilanka

Buddist Art of Colonial Ceylon: Adaptation and Survival Strategy of a Marginalized Religious Majority(13B)

The objective of this paper is to examine the enigmatic presence of Western and Christian elements of architectural and pictorial decoration in Buddhist monastic art in the southern and western maritime regions of Sri Lanka during the Dutch and the British colonial periods. Set against the backdrop of the strong animosities prevailed between the local Buddhist population who were marginalized as a religious community, colonial rulers, and the Christian missionary establishment, the use of such elements at Buddhist places of worship poses a paradox. This paper discusses the socio-political factors that influenced the artists to make such choices. The author examines the hypothesis that the inclusion of such elements was a result of a symbiotic relationship linking; the Buddhist natives, the comprador class of natives with elevated socio-economic status due to their conversion to Christianity, and the colonial rulers of the Dutch and the British governments.

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Nandy, Ashis

Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, India

The Emergence of 'Proper' Religions in Decadent and Savage East: The Case of India(01F)

In the domains of public affairs, urban popular culture and the media, there is little awareness that the experiences associated with the ideas of sacredness are poorly covered by the familiar concept of religion in the modern world. Religion, in public discourse, has come to mean a set of beliefs that distinguishes a person having one faith from an adherent of another faith. This difference may be manifest in both beliefs and in practices, but it hinges on an over-riding set of beliefs. Yet, in many Afro-Asian religious traditions, religion has been primarily a matter of doing, not believing. As a result, even when beliefs differentiate between communities and individuals, practices connect them. This study examines how authoritative texts were used in mid-nineteenth century colonial India to underscore the differences between faiths on the basis of beliefs.

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Nara, Yasuaki

Komazawa University, Japan

(06D)

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Narayanan, Vasudha

University of Florida, USA

Life and Religion: Bio-ethics viewed from Oriental Perspectives(02J)

*respondent

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Narayanan, Vasudha

University of Florida, USA

Performative Commentaries on Srivaishnava Texts: The "Vernacularization" of Brahmanical Culture(04L)

While the textual commentaries on Hindu sacred texts are well known, what is less obvious to someone unfamiliar with Hindu communities is that much of the transmission of the texts is done through the performing arts. Music, dance, and dramatic presentations of the narrative and texts are significant ways in which a text is expounded. The Tamil Nalayira Divya Prabandham or the "Sacred Collection of Four Thousand Verses" of the Alvars, composed between the 8th and 10th centuries CE is known as the "Tamil Veda" and has been interpreted through dance in temples for about a thousand years. I will also show that while we think of Brahminization as a short hand way of referring to the process of "high culture" influencing or trickling down to popular culture, many texts which were interpreted and performed by women and the so-called "low castes" through the performing arts have been adopted by Brahminical society, and so percolate "upward."

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Nasim, Anwar

Organization of Islamic Conference Standing on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), Pakistan

Science and Economic Development: The Islamic Perspective(05A)

Science and Technology has a crucial role in the socio-economic development of any society because today only knowledge based economy can be effective. For Muslims there are two basic sources of guidance first the Holy Qur'an (holy book revealed by God to Muhammad PBUH) and the Hadith (traditions of the holy prophet Muhammad PBUH) Islam is one of the major religions with more than one billion followers which are 26% of the total population on the planet. There are plenty of references to knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge in the Qur'an. The general feeling they leave the reader with is that the possessor of knowledge or wisdom has been given a very powerful gift, and that the pursuit of knowledge is something which should be done actively by everyone. Islam is a knowledge friendly religion. There is no conflict between Islam and science. The concept of enlightened moderation will be discussed as a possible future approach towards achieving greater harmony and understanding among global communities.

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Näsström, Britt Mari

Göteborg University, Sweden

Who Were the Berserks?(12F)

Berserks are described in different ways in the Icelandic literature. They were connected with the god OT inn and known for their ferry called berserker gang. The paper will consider the questions: who were these warriors, and what was their relation to the Old Norse society?

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Neu, Rainer

University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany

Case Studies in Conflict Resolution(15E)

*chairperson

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Neu, Rainer

University of Duisburg, Germany

The Peace Pact System and the Peace Pact Holder in Kalinga Society (Philippines)(15E)

The problem of conflict and peace has found a unique response in Kalinga society in the Philippines. The peace pact bodong appears to be a specifically Kalinga development. This system is (still) employed to deal with intraregional, intra-family problems. A peace pact is initiated by two individuals from different regions and each one of the individuals holds the peace pact for his particular kinship group, although its provisions are binding on the whole region. Peace-pact holders mangdon si bodong are considered to be brothers. Each of them has a dual office: 1. He is spokesman of his own region in its relations with another. 2. He is the agent of that other town in its dealings with his own and the righter, sometimes even the avenger, of wrongs against it. The office of pact-holder is inherited (by sons or daughters) and allotted in much the same way that property is.

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Neumann, Hanns-Peter

Free University of Berlin, Germany

Between Heresy and Orthodoxy: Alchemy and Piety in Late 16th Century Germany(10G)

In late 16th century Germany, Paracelsian alchemists like Bodenstein, Heinrich and Conrad Khunrath and others intended to lay the foundations of natural philosophy on the Wisdom of God which they thought to be the hidden power in the res creata. Since this power only reveals its secrets to pious hearts, the contemplation of nature went hand in hand with a strong mystical inclination towards spiritual purging. Feeling also the need to reform the Lutheran church from within, they created a new practical and mystical theology. In my paper I will describe three aspects of this development: 1. The relation between natural theology and criticism of the Church; 2. The contradiction between the intention to reform the Lutheran church from within and the kind of spiritual piety which feels itself by no means bound to an established church; 3. The role of alchemy and hermeticism in the early period of Pietism.

Symposium, English
Nihei, Koji

Japan

The Cosmology of the Garkand Sutra in 80 Fascicles and the Universe of Galaxies in Modern Astronomy(17R)

The Pure Land of Vairocana Buddha: A Magnificent World Ocean Stored In A Lotus Flower symbolizing his long-term discipline leading to Enlightenment has many world-species. Consisting of numerous worlds like our solar system, they have diversified shapes such as a circle of light, a swirl, an embryo in the womb, a river, a wheel or clouds, etc. These shapes are apparently determined by the mutual arrangement among the elementary worlds, and are comparable to those of galaxies in astronomy ; e.g., a circle full of light as in the elliptical galaxy NGC4486, a swirl like the typical spiral NGC4321, an embryo like the spiral NGC3627, a river like the barred spiral NGC1097, clouds similar to the large or small Magellanic clouds, etc. Thus we can confirm the valid anticipation of the modern universe of galaxies by the Buddhist descriptions of the vast world-like ocean in the seventh century A.D.

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Nishimoto, Teruma

Musashino University, Japan

The Three Levels Movement's Response to the Latter Days of the Law(03M)

The San-chieh (Three Levels) movement, which was founded by Hsin-hsing (540-594), was one of the popular and influential Chinese Buddhist movements during the Sui and T'ang periods. The Three Levels are based on categories of time, place, and capacity of people. Among these categories, the capacity of people is the most fundamental for determining the level. Hsin-hsing himself thought he was living in the third level, in another words, the worst condition. He struggled to find a way for those in the worst level of living in the worst time to achieve supreme enlightenment. The practice of the third level is named the "Buddha-dharma of the third level," the essential practice that consists of "universal veneration for others" and "the recognition of one's own evil." Here we can see the unique response of the Three Levels movement to the thought of the Latter Days of the Law .

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Nishio, Hidenari

Kinki University, Japan

Religion and Practice(09G)

In this paper, I will approach the issue of organ transplants from the brain dead, which in my opinion greatly contradict traditional Japanese conceptions of life and death, from the standpoint of bioethics as well as the standpoint of interdependence. There are several reasons for my disapproval of organ transplantation. First, the cost of the operation is extremely high. Secondly, recipients of transplants on average survive for less than five years only. Lastly, the recipients are likely to suffer painful reactions from their immune system. Therefore, based on the concept of human dignity, I argue against conducting organ transplants. In addition to above negative effects, transplants give the recipients unwarranted expectations of a long life. The acceptance of death by each individual, on the other hand, would lead to a more mature society. The technology of organ transplantation will continue to exist based on scientific curiosity, and I do not wish to deny the general merits of this scientific curiosity. However, we ought to decide whether to utilize this modern technology only after carefully reflecting on the meaning of life and our views on life and death.

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Nishitani, Kosuke

Tohokugakuin University, Japan

On "Nipponism" – The Fundamental Religious Dimension of the Japanese(14P)

The reason for the existence of a huge number of studies trying to define the essence of Japanese identity lies in my opinion in the fact that – compared to other nations – the Japanese have so far not been able to grasp the core of what they are. My concern for this field of study comes from my twin desire to grasp the exact nature of this nation from a Christian missionary standpoint and also my wish to provide a solution to the enduring problems inhibiting Japan's political realm. My discussion starts with the concept of "Nipponism" developed by Shichihei Yamamoto. The critical stance with which most Japanese perceive the issue of organ transplantation led me to revisit this concept. The ideas of Arimasa Mori and Takeo Doi about the Japanese are also closely related to this discussion. In the 1970's, these three Christian thinkers produced remarkable theories about the Japanese and their society. Shunpei Ueyama proposed a highly interesting historical theory about the Japanese state of his time, which will also be considered in my presentation.

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Nishiwaki, Ryo

Nanzan University, Japan

Religious Development in Japanese Children from a Viewpoint of Religious Environment(05L)

In order to study children's religious development from the viewpoint of religious environment, a preliminary investigation was conducted with college students using a retrospective questionnaire. They were asked to write down what kind of religious environment they had been raised under since childhood. To encourage their writing, the following examples were presented: whether a Buddhist altar and/or a Shinto altar were found in their house, how they learned religion or about religion in school, and so on. The obtained data was analyzed from the following viewpoints: (a) various aspects of the religious environment in family, school, community, and culture; (b) evaluation by the students of these religious environments. Based on the analysis, factors that affect children's religious development were arranged and classified.

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Nishiyama, Shigeru

Toyo University, Japan

A Hundred Years of Study of New Religions and the Sociology of Religion in Japan: Focusing on the Results and Issues of Empirical Research(02A)

This paper will introduce and analyze the originality of the results in the study of new religions and sociology of religion during the past hundred years in Japan, focusing on those results that have emerged from the empirical study of Japanese religious traditions. The study new religions from other fields will also be introduced, not just from the sociology of religion. On the sociology of religion, representative researches other than those on new religions will be introduced. This paper will not take up the researches on Japanese religions by foreign scholars or the study of Japanese religions in foreign countries by Japanese scholars. The conclusion of this paper is that the study of new religions and the sociology of religion in Japan, which has produced remarkable results, is not simply dependent on theories or researches of the West, but is research that has developed its own concepts, typologies, and theories based on the empirical research and theoretical perception of religious phenomena in Japan. The author believes that these results have the potential to contribute towards the understanding of religious phenomenon in other parts of the world that have similarities with religious phenomena in Japan.

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Nitta, Hitoshi

Kougakkan University, Japan

Rethinking "State Shinto"(08P)

My presentation aims to provide a systematic classification of representative theories that have understood modern Shinto under the rubric of "State Shinto." In this classification, I adopt the concept of State Shinto in both "broad" and "narrow" senses. State Shinto in the narrow sense is used to refer to the state management of Shinto shrines. In contrast, State Shinto, in the broad sense, is used to refer to the wider national religious system which also encompassed religions other than Shrine Shinto.

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Niwa, Izumi

Tokyo Universty of Foreign Studies, Japan

Reconsidering the Concept "Secularization" and Nationalism from the Aspect of the Sociology of Religion(17J)

The process of building a nation state after the modern period accompanies something with the nature of "sacredness" along the borders. The concept of the "nation" that was developed after the modern period, as a representation of the collective attached with something sacred, represents all involved as a homogeneous entity, and at the same time, has power to break the "sacredness" which has supported the layered social order. If seen from a different viewpoint, it can be said that the "sacredness" was transferred to a communal presentation such as a nation or ethnicity. The process of "secularization" in modern society might be discussed from the viewpoint of a conflict of "sacredness."

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Nobuhara, Tokiyuki

Keiwa College, Japan

Ignorance--Christian and Buddhist: Reinterpreting Anselm's Proslogion in the Light of D. T. Suzuki's Zen Thought(13Q)

In my recent essay "A 'Buddhistic' Reinterpretation of Karl Barth's Argument for the Existence of God in Anselm: Fides Quaerens Intellectum" I demonstrate that Anselm's Name of God, aliquid quo "nihil" maius cogitari possit, can be reinterpreted Buddhistically in terms of Nagarjuna's notion of "Emptiness" in reference to the Proslogion II and III. The former, which Barth, Hartshorne, and Malcolm call Anselm I, can be critiqued, as by Kant. The latter or Anselm II is nevertheless tenable. For Anselm's Deity is "loyal" to Emptiness emptying itself, thereby paradoxically coming out to "be" the only one in the universe who can call forth loyalty in us. This essay will now deal with the problem of insipiens in the Proslogion IV (which Barth designates "The Possibility of Denying the Existence of God") in the light of Suzuki's Zen thought: "Ignorance is the negation of Enlightenment and not the reverse."

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Nobuhara, Tokiyuki

Keiwa College, Japan

Reflections on the Study of Zen Buddhism(13Q)

*chairperson

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Noda, Takao

Kacho Junior College, Japan

Japanese Buddhist Activities and Social Welfare after the War(07P)

*roundtable

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Noguchi, Ikuya

University of Tokyo, Japan

Transnational Pentecostalism in East Asia: Korean Mission toward Japan(03W)

Korean Christianity, especially in its Pentecostal and Charismatic form, has a significant global dimension. It is now a transnational movement that has trained and sent out numerous missionaries to various countries. In the developed countries, Korean churches often function as ethnic communities for many Korean newcomers such as immigrants, workers, and students. Korean churches in Japan are not exception; however, they have been making efforts to transcend ethnic boundaries and appeal to the local Japanese. It is a particularly significant in the light of the complicated relations between Korea and Japan since Korea was colonized by Japan from 1910 to 1945. My presentation considers the position taken and the strategy adopted by Korean churches with regard to their mission toward Japan and reports observations of preliminary field research conducted in Korean churches located in Korea and Japan.

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Noguchi, Makoto

Ibaraki Christian University, Japan

The Role of Election and Predestination in the Pauline Thought of Salvation in Romans 8:28-30(01W)

In Paul, God's election and predestination are not ends in themselves but means to an end. The election (foreknowledge) is the act of choice whereby God picks individuals out of a larger company. The predestination is the act of destining the foreknown (elect) to the good as a goal. The good means the final consummation of their salvation, namely, that His chosen should bear the same image as Christ and share His glory (Rom. 8:29; cf.v.17; 2 Thes. 2:14). This makes Pauline predestination quite different from that of Qumran theology. God makes everything work together to lead them to the goal in the whole series from foreknowledge and predestination through calling and justification to everlasting glory. The election and predestination as God's pretemporal and unilateral act means that the Christological salvation as their goal is sovereign, gracious, and immutable.

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Nomoto, Shin

Keio University, Japan

The Role of the Soul as a Hypostasis according to the Theory of Prophecy of the Isma'ili-Shi'I Neoplatonist School(15N)

In Neoplatonist tradition, the Soul as a hypostasis, the Universal Soul, is placed above nature. When Neoplatonist cosmology was introduced into the Isma'ili-Shi'I doctrinal system in the 10th century C.E., the Soul was given the role of the intermediary between the intelligible and sensible worlds, I.e., the spiritual and natural: As a Divine Being She is occasionally given the role to encounter the prophets. This doctrinal development can be found in the exegetical passages on the Qur'anic history of the prophets in the works of al-Nasafi (d. 942), al-Razi (d. 933-34?), and Abu Ya'qub al-Sijistani (fl. 10th c.), etc. By analyzing the above-mentioned exegetical passages, this paper considers how early Isma'ilis sought to incorporate Neoplatonist cosmology into their theory of prophecy. While doing so, we will also elucidate how they utilized those cosmological elements to theorize humankind's relation to Transcendental God.

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Noritake, Kaigen

Rissho University, Japan

The Change of the Buddhistm Culture, and the People, Peace(08V)

The original virtue of Buddhism has been to behold a peace that is never in discord, to guarantee absolute refuge. Instances of heresy and violent exclusivism, aside from a few cases of political strife, have been limited, and have been contained within the Buddhist order. Conflicts with other religions are also rare. Rather, Buddhism has been tolerant of other religions, in its amalgamation and coexistance. Spread over a large area from India to venues along the silk road, Tibet, and China, Buddhism has established a unique culture by blending with various ethnicities, religions, and cultures. For this, it is viable to examine the acceptance of Buddhism among the various ethnicities from a cultural perspective, to study the remaining wall paintings and Buddhist sculptures to grasp the various ethnic interpretations of peace, and to explore man's basic need for stability and Buddhism's original role, as such.

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