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

Baba, Norihisa

University of Tokyo, Japan

Some Features in Doctrinal Expressions as Found Between the Northern Agamas and the Pali Nikayas(05M)

The Northern four Agamas and the first four Pali Nikayas have commonly been regarded as some of the earliest sources for the philological study of Buddhism. Despite this tendency, these canons do not necessarily correspond to one another. For example, the Northern Agamas include passages that correspond to the Abhidhammas and Pali commentaries (Atthakathas), but not to those found in the Pali Nikayas. Since the Abhidhammas and Pali commentaries were composed later than the first four Nikayas, a comparative study of the Northern Agamas and these Pali texts is key to revealing new aspects of the history of early Buddhist canons. In this presentation, by focusing on the doctrinal terms, I will show that some expressions that occur in the Northern four Agamas correspond to statements which appear in the Abhidhammas and Pali commentaries rather than those in the first four Pali Nikayas.

Organized panel, English
Babkova, Maya

Moscow State University, Russia

The Doctrine of Equality of Keizan Zenji and its Importance for Modern Society(14Q)

Keizan Zenji (1268-1325) was the forth patriarch of Sotoshu, one of the most famous schools of Zen-Buddhism. His doctrine of the equality of men and women, as well as of ethnic groups and races was intended to save all human beings and discover their Buddha nature. Later, his disciples used this doctrine to deny of any kind of discrimination. As the problems of human rights, war and peace are very urgent in modern society, these ideas of Keizan are still important and can be used in the world movement for life without war. There are some organizations in Japan and Europe which try to find a solution to these problems. The first section of this paper examines the works of Keizan and other texts to learn his ideas in detail; the second section examines the activity of the organizations mentioned above in accordance with the doctrine of the Sotoshu patriarch.

Organized panel, English
Bachika, Reimon

Bukkyo University, Japan

Future Boundaries and Segregations in the Religious Sphere: Focusing on Symbolizations and Values(13R)

What are the cultural conditions that tend to determine segregation among religions? What would facilitate religions to eliminate mutual distrust and develop affinities in order to be more relevant to future societies? These are the main questions raised in this paper. They are discussed from the perspective of Future Studies while focusing on symbolizations and values, distinct core elements of culture. The paper argues that every religion may be encouraged to maintain a particular spirituality, its own symbolic universe and/or ritual community. These aspects of religions are often engendered by means of symbolizations that are mainly cognitive in nature. It is these elements that tend to generate difference and segregation. Contrarily, in order to foster commonality, a precondition for religions to be collectively relevant to future societies, religions could create a common outlook on values and the ethical aspects of life. These, though also having cognitive content, represent evaluation of meaning. The range of evaluation evidently is much narrower than that of cognition. This, by itself, narrows the extent to which religions are diverse. In sum, it is the cultural aspects of the religions that appear to be most suited to discuss mutually admissible segregations as well as common ground.

Organized panel, English
Baidhawy, Zakiyuddin

Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta, Indonesia

Building Harmony and Peace Through Multiculturalist Theology Based Religious Education: An Alternative for Contemporary Indonesia(03D)

Series of inter-ethnic and inter-religious conflicts and violence in the last decade of Indonesia, had awakened a new awareness of paradigm-shift in the framework of managing societal diversity. This awareness reaches over education sphere in which the paradigm of living together has to be implemented immediately in curricula including Religious Education. Since the New Order era, Religious Education had been misused by state in limiting the freedom of religions. In addition, it also presented itself an exclusive model. In this context, one has to introduce Religious Education that is more sensitive towards diversity and difference. For this sake, Religious Education must be based on a multicultural perspective which gains theological justification. This basis of theological argument is very important regarding that Indonesian Nation is religious where Muslims are majority. Based on this perspective, Religious Education for Peace and Harmony illustrates its characteristics below: implanting the fourth pillar of education – how to live together – in collective consciousness of religious diversity and difference; encouraging sincere inter-human relation by spirit of modesty and equality, trust, mutual understanding, and respect to similarities, differences, and uniqueness; presenting closed relationship and interdependence in a state of listening each other and tolerance towards different religious perspectives in one or other issues with open mind; creative in finding better way out to resolve inter-religious conflict, and creating reconciliation through forgiveness and non-violence actions.

Organized panel
Bailey, Edward

Center for the Study of Implicit Religion and Contemporary Spirituality, UK

The Study of Implicit Religion and Contemporary Spirituality and Its Practical Applications(16J)

As suggested, this contribution begins by defining the concept of Implicit Religion, describing why it began to be studied in 1968, and the present situation of its study. It continues by describing why 'contemporary spirituality' was paired with it in the 1990s, and what it means. It then considers the 'fit' of each expression within a tripartite model of the development of human consciousness. It concludes by re-visiting the original 'mission statement', indicating areas in which the relevance of the concept is now apparent, and other spheres in which its applicability still awaits recognition.

Organized panel, English
Baker, Donald

Universith of British Columba, Canada

Daesoon Sasang: A Quintessential Korean Philosophy(04D)

Though Daesoon Jinri-hoe is one of the newest religious organizations in Korea, the basic assumptions of Daesoon philosophy are the same basic beliefs and values which have guided Korean spirituality for centuries. Its ethical principles reflect the same selfless concern for others we find at the core of traditional Korean ethics. Its understanding of the relationship between the mind and the body, and between human beings and gods, reflect the traditional Korean assumption that those relationships are defined more by ontological commonality than by ontological differences. Finally, Daesoon philosophy addresses a religious question which has been at the core of Korean religious concern from the very beginning. It draws on traditional concepts to show Koreans how to reconcile their belief in human perfectibility with their recognition of human moral frailty. In other words, Daesoon sasang provides Korean answers to the religious questions Koreans ask.

Organized panel, English
Balasubramaniam, Arun

National University of Singapore, Singapore

The Dichotomy Thesis and the Scientific Study of Religion(13K)

Donald Wiebe argues that there is a dichotomy in the modes of inquiry within theology between an "insider" approach involving prior commitment to religious beliefs, often defended by appeal to faith and revelation, and an "outsider" scientific approach explaining religious phenomena by appeal to reason and evidence. Since these two modes of inquiry are incompatible theology is placed in the ironical position of explaining religion by deploying a mode of inquiry that rejects an appeal to the faith that generates the phenomena it studies. He recommends that we surmount this theological schizophrenia by adopting the scientific approach in academia, and confining the "insider" approach to seminaries. This paper argues that the "outsider" approach of science cannot ignore the "insider" approach that produces the phenomena it explains. Wiebe's dichotomy thesis actually points to a complementarity in the two approaches that has significant implications for any cognitive science of religion.

Organized panel, English
Balci, Bayram

IFEA-Institut Francais D'Etudes Anatoliennes D'Istanbul, Azerbaijan

Between Da'wa and Mission: Turkish Islamic Movements in the Turkic World (Central Asia and the Caucasus)(06H)

Since Turkic Republics in Central Asia and the Caucasus became independent, several Islamic movements originating from Turkey developed missionary activities in this area. Until the collapse of Soviet Union, they had only spread out of Turkey among the Turkish diasporas in Europe. The paper will begin by examining the specifics of these movements in the "motherland" and their charismatic leaders, Sait Nursi, Fethullah Gülen, Suleyman Tunahan and Osman Nuri Topbas. An investigation of their respective actions in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan will enable us to assess their comparative and relative successes, and analyse their implementation methods and strategies in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Our objective is to decode the nature of proselytism in each movement, and identify the type of Islam they bring in to new believers. Such interactions between Anatolian Islam and its Eurasian variants will contribute to a finer understanding of the contemporary Islamic situation in the entire Turkic world.

Symposium, English
Ballhatchet, Helen Julia

Keio University, Japan

Japan's First Protestant Leaders and the Role of Women in Japanese Society(04G)

The first Japanese visitors to America in 1860 were shocked by the deference shown to women. In the 1870s, however, the low status of Japanese women was a subject of concern for experts in Western learning, and in the 1880s the government allowed elite women a decorative place in public life in order to improve Japan's image abroad. Meanwhile, Protestant missionaries and Japan's early Protestant leaders emphasised respect for women as one of the factors which distinguished Christianity from traditional Confucian ideals. In fact, women's education and the promotion of the Christian view of marriage were important aspects of evangelistic activity. What references did these early leaders make to the position of women in their sermons and writings? Did they practice what they preached in their private lives? Did they take a 'Christian' position that was clearly different from that of non-Christian Japanese who were also influenced by Western ideas?

Organized panel, English
Bathgate, Michael R.

Saint Xavier University, USA

Pure Land Buddhism and Sacred Biography(15M)

The Pure Land movements within East Asian Buddhism present a rich tradition of sacred biography, narratives as diverse as they are fundamental to the doctrine, practice and experience of their adherents throughout history. Founded on the story of a bodhisattva's primordial vow, Pure Land Buddhism manifests a broad range of biographical traditions, from the hagiography of founders, saints and saviors to the tales of ordinary people who succeed in achieving rebirth in Amitabha's Land of Bliss. Addressing the vicissitudes of individual figures and the genres in which they appear, panelists will discuss the influence and implications of sacred biography in the Pure Land tradition. Their presentations will contribute to the scholarly investigation of these narratives, not simply as popular adjuncts to the doctrinal formulations of elites, but as a central arena for theoretical reflection and religious practice within the Pure Land tradition.

Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Bathgate, Michael R.

Saint Xavier University, USA

Telling Practices: The Narrative Implications of Other Power in Shin Buddhist Biography(15M)

Tales of rebirth in Amida's Pure Land provide an important resource for the study of Pure Land belief and practice. Narrating the life of faith not only provides models of Pure Land practice; it also constitutes a religious practice in its own right. By emphasizing not simply the content of these narratives but their characteristic function(s) as narrative, this study considers the historical relationship between birth legends and the development of Pure Land doctrine, especially within the Shin Buddhist tradition. Comparing the narrative functions of Edo-period myokoninden with earlier genres of birth legend reveals the continuities in the Pure Land biographical tradition, as well as the striking impact of Shin Buddhist visions of the role of faith and practice in Pure Land salvation.

Organized panel, English
Baudy, Dorothea

Zurich University, Switzerland

Forbidden Religion: On the Relationship between Religious History and Politics(11C)

Recent religiously motivated terrorist attacks have led to discussions in many countries about banning certain religious groups. Modern democracies have to solve a specific problem: The guaranteed freedom of religion is a substantial part of their constitutions. Nevertheless political decisions have to be made to protect the state. This paper explores the regulation of religious practice from the vantage point of religious history.

Organized panel, English
Baumann, Martin

University of Lucerne, Switzerland

New and Unfamiliar: Religious Pluralism in Scenic Lucerne (Switzerland)(03L)

Lucerne lies in the heart of Switzerland, forming the capital of the canton Lucerne with its 350,000 inhabitants. Religiously the canton has been dominated by Roman Catholicism since centuries, forming a strong bastion against Protestant cantons such like nearby Zurich. During the last two decades, however, processes of immigration, of conversion to non-Christian religions as well as the leaving of the Catholic Church have changed the religious landscape. In the shadow of impressive church towers, which dominate the view of the scenic city, a variety of non-Christian religions settled and founded new places of faith and veneration. A religious pluralism with various mosques, Buddhist centers, Hindu temples and further places of worship grew, hardly noticed by the general public. New and still unfamiliar, these "new" religions now take steps to get out into the public, striving for recognition and societal acceptance. The paper presents results of the research project "Geography of religions of the Canton Lucerne", describing and analyzing the religious pluralisation of the hitherto mono-religious canton.

Organized panel, English
Baumann, Martin

University of Lucerne, Switzerland

Rooting Religions Abroad: Case Studies on Sri Lankan Hinduism in Europe(10R)

Conflict in Sri Lanka caused the flight of 200,000 Tamil people during the 1980s and 1990s to Europe. The former asylum seekers initially became immigrants, and subsequently many of them citizens during their second and third decade of staying in a foreign country, opting to remain in their chosen town or city in Europe. The majority of the Tamil population is Hindu, venerating Murugan, Vinayakar, Shiva and a variety of goddesses. In order to preserve their Hindu identity and to nurture the future generations into keeping their Hindu practices and faith, this has led to numerous temples have been established in a short span of time. The panel will take-stock of this recent and ongoing case to root a religious tradition in a culturally alien environment, analysing processes of religious reconstruction and change, competition and negotiations, discourses of self-assurance and identify maintenance.

Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Baumann, Martin

University of Lucerne, Switzerland

Tamil Hindu Identity Abroad: Measuring the Impact of Social Structure and Religiousness on Processes of Incorporation in Germany(10R)

In recent years, increasing research on Tamil Hindus and their endeavours to maintain their religious identity in the European diasporic settings has emerged. Most of these studies are based on qualitative ethnographic approaches. This paper intends to complement these findings by presenting a quantitative survey study on Tamil people in Germany. The presentation will provide statistical data on the extent of religious orientation and practice of Hindu Tamils in Germany. Next, the paper will single out factors related to social structure and migration, and show how these social factors have an influence on religious orientation and practice. Based on this, the role and significance of religiousness concerning one's life in the diaspora will be scrutinised, raising the question of an integrative or disintegrative function of religion in processes of societal incorporation of immigrants.

Organized panel, English
Bauzon, Leslie

University of Tsukuba, Japan

The Impact of Spanish Colonialism on Filipino Indigenous Religion(01F)

Spain colonized the Philippines for 333 years from 1565 to 1898. Spanish influence on the Philippines and the Filipino inhabitants was immediately visible following the imposition of Castilian colonial sovereignty. The Spaniards transplanted their religious, cultural, social, economic and political institutions halfway across the world to the Philippine archipelago. In particular, aside from requiring the indigenous Filipinos to swear allegiance to the Spanish monarch where before they only had village chieftains called "datus," the Spaniards imposed the Roman Catholic Christian religion requiring the local people to worship a new God, where before they adhered to their primal indigenous religion which reflected their serious effort to relate to the greater power they believe to be in control of the natural phenomena happening around them. The imposition of the Roman Catholic faith upon the Filipino population permanently influenced the culture and society of the Philippines. This is due to the fact that the Spanish friars who undertook the immense task of evangelizing the Filipino natives looked at their missionary work and endeavor as involving more than simple conversion. By Christianizing the Filipinos, the Spanish Catholic missionaries were in effect remodelling Filipino culture and society according to the Hispanic standard. The Spanish authorities congregated the scattered population into clustered village settlements, paving the way for the emergence of the present system of politico-territorial organization of villages, towns, and provinces. At the same time, the compact villages permitted the process enabling the Church to play a central role in the lives of the people because it touched every aspect of their existence from birth to growth to marriage to adulthood to death. This paper will demonstrate how the Filipinos responded to the imposition of Christianity, leading to the appearance of religious millenarian movements

Organized panel, English
Bayani, Ali Asghar

Islamic Azad University, Iran

Does Islam Crave for War?(12O)

History of humanity has never been safe from war and its evil consequences. Sometimes these wars were formed under the name of religion. In recent years, the possibility of clashes among religions has been considered in some conferences and scientific meetings. The main questions which are addressed in this paper include: Are muslims offer conquering the world and attacking other nations? Is Islam a worldwide threat which endeavors to annihilate other religions? What is the attitude of Islam toward war?

Organized panel, English
Beard, John Marcus

Syracuse University, USA

Malevolent Destiny of the Captive Maid: Radegund Reflects on the Thuringian War(03C)

In this paper I will explore the role of war in the life of the sixth-century queen and saint Radegund of Poitiers. Radegund was a princess of Thuringia, kidnapped at a young age by Clothar, the warlike king of the Franks, carried to Gaul, and later forced to marry her captor. In a poem, Radegund reflects on the aftermath of this war and its repercussions in her life. I will examine how Radegund's own writings and her hagiography deal with the violence in her life - both external and within her own marriage - to show how she was able to establish her own power and to become one of the most influential women in Merovingian Gaul. Radegund thus shows how medieval women were able to achieve some degree of power despite the violence in which their lives were often enmeshed.

Organized panel, English
Beattie, Tina

Roehampton University, UK

Women on Top - The New Missionary Position?(04H)

This paper critically evaluates the relationship between religion and women's rights in human rights discourse, in the context of a rapidly changing global scenario. It considers the rhetoric and practice of both western campaigners and so-called 'third world' women with regard to questions of justice, women's rights and international relations in the context of the role and representation of religion as a significant aspect of many women's identities, particularly in non-western communities. It asks to what extent women's rights campaigners might be seen as western proselytisers whose methods and values mirror those of colonial missionary movements, or if, on the other hand, there is grassroots support for those who claim to represent the interests of women worldwide that justifies their methods and priorities, even although they frequently run into conflict with traditional religious values and cultural practices.

Symposium, English
Becker, Carl B.

Kyoto University, Japan

A Buddhist View of ES Technology(01J)

The traditional Buddhist world-view would oppose costly experimental genetic medicine (a) because it caters to cravings rather than being conducive to enlightenment; (b) because it is a bad use of limited resources which could relieve or avoid much greater suffering if devoted to other approaches; (c) because their use could increase unfair psychological and economic pressures upon potential donors, and create unrealistic hopes among its purchasers. Under the rubric of "helping" people, ES technology attempts to enrich its purveyors by preying upon the cravings of the public.

Organized panel, English
Becker, Carl B.

Kyoto University, Japan

Various Forms of Spirituality in the World (1)(04B)

*respondent

Symposium
Beckerlegge, Gwilym Trevelyan

The Open University, UK

Responding to Conflict: The Limits of Activism in the Neo-Vedanta Tradition?(11U)

Swami Vivekananda has been hailed as an architect of Neo-Hinduism. Although committed to internationalism and social activism rooted in Vivekananda's Neo-Vedantic ethic, the Ramakrishna Math and Mission founded by Vivekananda has also inherited his ruling that it should not involve itself in political activity. This paper will explore the tension this has created in the movement's responses to war, persecution and human rights since its creation to the present day. It will also examine a different use of Vivekananda's ideas by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which has adapted a Neo-Vedantic ethic of service to realise the aims of its Hindutva ideology. The controversial nature of Vivekananda's philosophy and achievements will be explored with reference to a range of scholarly perspectives in order to clarify the limits he imposed upon direct involvement in areas of conflict, and to test competing judgements upon the internal coherence of his ideas and legacy.

Organized panel, English