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Magical Medicine? - Japanese Buddhist Medical Knowledge and Ritual Instruction for Healing the Physical Body |
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Author |
Triplett, Katja
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Source |
Japanese Religions=日本の諸宗教
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Volume | v.37 n.1&2 |
Date | 2012.01 |
Pages | 63 - 92 |
Publisher | NCC Center for the Study of Japanese Religions=NCC宗教研究所 |
Publisher Url |
https://ncc-j.org/
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Location | 京都, 日本 [Kyoto, Japan] |
Content type | 期刊論文=Journal Article |
Language | 英文=English |
Keyword | Japanese Buddhism; medicine; ritual; Ishinpō; Daigo-ji; knowledge |
Abstract | This article surveys textual sources that pertain to ‘medicine’ as a set of ideas produced and maintained as a social and cultural system of knowledge in early and medieval Japanese Buddhism. Terminological problems faced in working on this material such as ‘religious’ or ‘magical healing’ as opposed to ‘secular, scientific and evidence-based medicine,’ are assessed. Th e sources under investigation in this article treat both ritual and medical knowledge in a combined way: Japanese medical works that are usually thought to be secular such as the court physician’s Ishinpō actually quote numerous Buddhist sources. Buddhist monastics and powerful lay patrons actively engaged in obtaining medico-religious knowledge as shown in the case of the materia medica compiled by the Shingon monk Ken’i in the 12th century. In addition to aristocratic members of the elite, semi-ordained “miracle working” healers seem to have had a signifi cant impact on the production of knowledge as well. Th e article concludes with a reconsideration of basic categories derived from the “Western” intellectual tradition and suggests focusing more on the syncretistic and pluralistic nature of the Japanese healing system as encountered in the primary sources. |
Table of contents | 1. Early Sources for the Study of Buddhist Medicine in East Asia 65 2. Th e study of Japanese Buddhist medicine 69 3. Quotations from Buddhist sources in the Ishin-pō 70 4. Medico-ritual Knowledge in the Early and Medieval Buddhist World 73 5. Witnessing the Cure: Early Records of Buddhist Miracle Healers 75 6. Medical Knowledge in Aristocratic Buddhist Circles: Ken’i’s Compendia on Various Substances 77 7. Decline of Magic – Decline of Buddhist Medicine? 86
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ISSN | 04488954 (P) |
Hits | 372 |
Created date | 2015.11.12 |
Modified date | 2020.03.05 |
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