Practicing the Afterlife

Perspectives from Japan

edited by Susanne Formanek and William R LaFleur

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Extent: 536 pages

Publisher: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press

Subjects: Asian/Pacific Studies & Religions, Religious Studies

Series: Beitrage zur Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte Asiens

Series volume number: 42

Language: English

(Paperback) (Published)

(March 2004)

ISBN: 9783700132646

Price: $78.00

In stock

How do people in Japan conceive of life after death? Although many Japanese today claim that on their archipelago there has never been much interest in this topic, the evidence presented here shows otherwise. Documenting a rich range of historical as well as contemporary scenarios that present life as going on after death, these essays also show individuals and whole communities acting on the belief that the line between the living and the dead is porous and that it makes sense even now to practice the “life” one will have after becoming dead. They thus not only bring forward aspects of Japan obscured until now, but also can contribute to our own current discussions of life, dying, and death.

  • Edited by Susanne Formanek
  • Edited by William R LaFleur