Monks Sell Mantras With Hip-Hop and Booze
In an effort to draw new converts, a group of Japanese monks has turned to an oddly un-Buddhist method: alcohol and rap. Calling the strategy “Buddhism 2010,” monk Kansho Tagai, who is content to be known by his new street name, Mr. Happiness, says that Japanese Buddhism is in crisis, and delivering sutras to a hip hop beat is the answer. “Getting the young people back to religion is the key to Buddhism’s survival,” Tagai tells CNN.
Tagai’s strategy, which includes hip hop shows at the temple, seems to be working: “Twice as many people, especially the young, are now visiting the temple,” he says. The monks have even opened a bar called, imaginatively enough,The Monk Bar, where young adults can relax, talk about their problems, and be soothed with Buddhist texts, along with the house special called “Heaven.”
Source: Newser
What a brilliant idea. Kansho Tagai might be thinking that Buddhism is in crisis but I think not. It is just that the young are not being given the opportunity to be “employed” with in Buddhism [Shintoism] like as they are employed in the secular field. Money dictates everything. Money is not being invested in Buddhism [Shintoism] like as it used to be. In past times Buddhist and Shintoist were given patronage [employment] by rich samurai lords who were of the belief that they would win battles if the Celestial Immortals were on their side. In this day the business bosses might like to give patronage in the same manner so as that the Celestial Immortals can in due course bless their business dealings. However the western [secular] influence in Japan has made the population believe that religion is no longer important. Perhaps that might be changing as the youth are rediscovering the importance of religion generally. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/shimono/id309926637 AVE RAEGINA CAELINA LA DEUS NOSTRA CAELI LA VERA DEUS ™ http://vampirefreaks.com/Caelenium