The Pilgrim’s Transaction
Japanese Buddhist Pilgrimage - Michael Pye
Michael Pye [+ ]
Marburg University, (Emeritus) and Otani University
Michael Pye is Professor (emeritus) at Marburg University and a visiting Research Associate of Ōtani University in Kyōto. His writings have ranged widely over problems in the study of religions, studies in Buddhist thought and many aspects of contemporary Japanese religion. His major publications include Skilful Means and Emerging from Meditation.
Description
This chapter looks at the pilgrim’s transaction- the rites performed at each shrine. The three vital phases of each visit comprise the pilgrim depositing evidence of the visit, performing a devotional act and acquiring evidence of the visit. The chapter ends in discussing the lasting proof of pilgrimage – the large scroll on which all the temple seals and calligraphy have been mounted.