It strikes me there’s something thin and impoverished about a purely materialistic culture. If it’s possible to imbue meaning into the everyday then I think life shines more brightly.
It’s hard not to be impressed with how the Japanese people have coped with, and continue to cope with, the aftermath of the 11th March quake, tsunami and nuclear leaks. I’m certainly no expert in Japanese culture or people, but as I stroll around Kyoto this week, how could I fail to notice how much belief, and the symbols of belief are everywhere. The temple next door is having a 750th anniversary celebration and there are bus loads arriving every day. There isn’t a temple where there aren’t queues to say a short prayer, pull the bell rope, and ring the bell.
It’s not just impressive. It seeps in. I feel the better for just mingling…..
Heroes Not Zombies 
I envy you your holiday in Japan; I really must revisit that country soon.
The seeming omnipresence of temples, shrines or grottos in Japan is certainly notable. There does seem to be a greater willingness to accept some form of “spiritual connectivity” into life there. The cultural impact of this is of course deep, and varied, and not always uniformly positive, but the impact itself is undeniable.
I certainly felt a degree of it when I briefly studied/worked there; an open mind cannot avoid it “seeping in”, as you say. A powerful, yet calming, influence.
This is quietly healing post.Thanks Bob.Hope you enjoy your stay.
Doc, I’ve been struggling lately with the ideas of “belief” and, specifically, religion. I have found myself being more and more wary of religion because, it seems, I watch it do far more harm than good. That doesn’t take away from the beauty of what you’ve shared here, of course.
well, organised religion and me parted company over 30 years ago, but I do find a view of the universe which is wholly materialistic feels a little, I suppose, unsatisfying. Worse than that though, the rise of “scientism” often seems to lead to some de-humanisation which I dislike a lot!
So where am I with the whole “religion” thing? Don’t subscribe to any particular religion or belief, and I know what you mean about the harms done by those who claim to be religious (but there are many harms done by those who claim no religious belief too!), but I do think we lose something important about being human when we lose touch with the subjective and the inter-subjective……guess that’s not the same as “religious” but both the subjective and the inter-subjective do often seem to retain their place in religious experience……
Bob ,
The ’emptiness’ of materialism is something that resonates . Man still get solace from organised religion but it often seems that relgion and science are competing for the ‘truth’ rather than seeing things from different angles. I think Stephen Jay Gould talked about seperate magisteria –religion and science offering seperate accounts that serve mans needs for meaning and materialism. Dawkins according to Karen Armstrong said he was a Quisling!
There has been a fairly recent fundamentalism vs science (tism) debate, both are myopic when taken to extreme . I read somewhere how a literalistic world views actually influences visual perspective ( research with Dutch calvanists but could be any group I would guess) .
Karen Armstrong writes brilliantly about mythos and logos and how we are losing the sense and value that myth provides. Unfortunately I have not been able to talk to many church going people about this. I did have a great weekend with Richard Holloway who talked enthusiastically about myth,poetry and sprituality. As a former Bishop he was taken to task for his interpretation and is now in his eighties an agnostic I think. His book looking in the distance is a fantastic read —reviewed here if you are interested. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article463285.ece
The simplicity of the spiritual places you have photographed promote a sense of peacefulness particularly the groomed zen garden.