[Buddha-l] Jinapanjaram

[Jackhat1 at aol.com]

Recently a friend of mine who is a Catholic Deacon returned from a trip to  
Japan. I give talks around the Midwest US on Buddhism which he has 
attended.  Last week, he (very nicely) asked why what I taught was contrary to the 
real  Buddhism found in Japan. What he saw at Japanese Buddhist temples was  
priest-like monks giving blessings to his congregation by sprinkling water 
on  their heads with a long feather.. My friend said from a distance the 
Buddhist  service looked exactly like the Catholic services he led back in the 
States. His  guide told him that the Japanese were a very religious people 
and were usually  both Buddhist and Shintoists. He was told they used 
Shintoism to live their  lives and Buddhism for after they died.
 
Luckily, my friend is going to attend a Vesak ceremony next week where I am 
 talking and leading guided meditations in the morning and a Sri Lankan 
monk is  doing the same in the afternoon. Surrounded by monks in robes, 
chanting and  religious symbols, I will probably be given the stamp of official  
approval that my friend needs from me.
 
 
 
jack