Reconstructing Pure Land Buddhist Architecture in Ancient East Asia

Pure land comes from the Indian term “sukha,” which means welfare and happiness. However, in East Asia, Buddhism has been associated with the theological concepts of the immortal realm in the bond of death and afterlife. This study reviews detailed conception of Pure Land architecture in Sanskrit literature, as well as Buddhist sutras. The thesis notes that the conceptual explanation of Pure Land architecture, which describes the real world, becomes more concrete over time. Such detailed expression is revealed through the depiction of the transformation tableau. Hence, through Pure Land architecture situated on Earth, this research shows that Buddhist monks and laypeople hope for their own happy and wealthy settlement in the Pure Land. The building’s expression of transformation tableaux influences the layout and shape of Buddhist temples built in the mundane real world at that time. Moreover, this study notes that Bulguksa Monastery is a cumulative product of U-shaped central-axis arrangements with courtyards, terraced platforms, high-rise pavilions, and lotus ponds, plus an integrated synthesis of religious behaviors by votaries as a system of rituals. Further, it merges pre-Buddhist practices and other Buddhist subdivisions’ notions with Hwaeom thought, in comparison with Hojoji and Byodoin Temples that follow the Pure Land tradition.

A Case Study on the Effect of Spirituality on Reducing Stress and Grief Caused by COVID-19

Introduction: At the beginning of 2020, the Corona Virus created a major pandemic in the world that was associated with death in all countries. In addition to the many crises caused by this pandemic, a variety of mental disorders also emerged. One of the most common disorders in the acute phase of the disease was Stress and Depression in patients as well as the general population. During this time, many protocols have been proposed for managing stress and depression. In this study, the effect of Spirituality and Religious Behavior on reducing depression caused by grief and stress has been studied. Presentation Case: Our case is a 45-year-old Iranian Muslim woman who witnessed the death of her husband at the beginning of the Corona pandemic, and she herself suffered from Covid 19. She has been quarantined and under treatment for three months. During this time, she was alone and could not even attend his wife's funeral and mourning. Due to quarantine, others did not contact him and only contacted him by phone. This person is a believer, has high spirituality and performs religious behaviors carefully, and believes that deep belief in God, spirituality, and performing religious behaviors can make suffering easier. Conclusion: Through an in-depth and semi-structured interview with a phenomenological approach, it was found that she was able to overcome the stress caused by the Corona pandemic and Covid 19 and also the depression caused by mourning her husband by relying on deep religious beliefs. And keep yourself consistent in life. It was also concluded that if there were no religious beliefs and spirituality in this person, he could not overcome the stress of illness and grief of her husband divine worldview can increase spirituality and the power of compromise in the face of suffering.

An Interest-Based Theory of Religion and Support for Democracy

This chapter presents a new theory of religion, sectarian interests, and regime preferences. Religious behaviors shape regime preferences, and do so through a sectarian lens. Communal religious practice heightens the intensity of sectarian identity, and in doing so, frames regime politics as a group issue. Depending on the interests of the group with respect to democracy (namely, the rights and privileges that a group would gain or lose in the event of democratization), communal prayer may have pro- or anti-democratic effects. A number of potential benefits and threats may accompany democracy; certain groups may gain or lose political voice, while others may benefit or suffer due to economic redistribution. In either case, group interests help to predict when religion will enhance support for democracy---and when it will do just the opposite.

Towards a Progressive Fatwa: MUI's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examines the Fatwās issued by the Indonesian Ulama Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia/MUI) on Indonesian Muslim attitudes and practical procedures towards their religious behaviors and public demands on the government appreciation and recognition. The fatwās present logical reasoning which has attracted the government’s attention to adopting them and issue legal products based on them. With a normative legal research approach, this study is considered as qualitative research which using critical legal theory to analyze the important points in the Fatwās. As a result, this study finds four important cases in the fatwā on religious attitudes and behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: first, the fatwa on COVID-19 has logical reasoning which is in line with paramedical advice; second, the fatwa on COVID-19 is consistent with the government political interests concerning physical and social restrictions; third, the fatwa on COVID-19 ends the negative stigma on the political role of religious actors; and fourth, the fatwa shows the increasing role of Kiai (religious figures) from cultural brokers to actors of Islamic legal scientism. AbstrakPenelitian ini menguji fatwā hukum yang dikeluarkan oleh Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) tentang sikap dan prosedur praktis umat Islam Indonesia dalam beragama serta tuntutan publik atas penghargaan dan pengakuan pemerintah. Fatwā tersebut menghadirkan nalar logis sehingga menarik perhatian pemerintah untuk mengadopsi dan mengeluarkan produk hukum yang didasarkan pada fatwā tersebut. Dengan pendekatan penelitian hukum normatif, penelitian kualitatif ini menggunakan teori hukum kritis untuk menganalisis poin-poin penting dalam fatwā. Hasilnya, studi ini menemukan empat kasus penting dalam fatwā tentang sikap dan perilaku beragama selama pandemi COVID-19. Pertama, fatwā hukum tentang COVID-19 memiliki penalaran logis yang sejalan dengan nasihat paramedis; kedua, fatwā hukum tentang COVID-19 sejalan dengan kepentingan politik pemerintah mengenai pembatasan fisik dan sosial; ketiga, fatwā hukum tentang COVID-19 mengakhiri stigma negatif terhadap peran politik aktor agama; dan keempat, fatwā hukum menunjukkan semakin meningkatnya peran kiai dari calo budaya menjadi pelaku ilmu hukum Islam.

The Moderating Impact of Attending Services on the Effect of Older Adults’ Discrimination Experiences on Loneliness

Research has shown that perceived discriminations impact physical and mental health in later life. Discrimination experiences could make older adults consider themselves as a social misfit and decrease their social interactions, which finally increases their loneliness. Religious behaviors has been reported as a key factor of a lower sense of isolation. Considering that religious behaviors provide opportunities to engage in more extensive social networks and have supportive social ties with community members, attending religious services might decrease the impact of older adults’ perceived discrimination on loneliness. The current research aims to examine the moderating role of religious services attendance in the association between older adults’ perceived discrimination and loneliness. We used data of 4,488 adults aged 50 to 80 (M=66.27, SD=10.15) from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) collected in 2012 and 2014. Linear regression analysis was performed to investigate whether older adults’ religious service attendance might decrease the impact of their perceived discriminations in daily life on the level of loneliness. The results indicated that more perceived discriminations older adults face on a daily basis were significantly associated with higher levels of loneliness. However, participants who frequently attended religious services showed a lower impact of perceived discriminations on their loneliness. These findings highlight the positive effects of engaging in religious activities on discriminated older adults’ social well-being. These findings also emphasize the role of the religious community as a social resource for socially marginalized older adults.

McLaughlin et al. (2020) - PRS - Who are the Religious Dones?

Identifying as nonreligious is increasingly more common in the United States. However, up until recently the field has been slow to understand differences in experience among those who have never been religious and those who have deidentified from religion. In addressing this gap, we sought to first identify differing motivations for deidentifying from religion (pilot study, n ? 153). In our primary study, we sought to explore whether there are different types of religious dones in a cross-cultural sample (United States n = 206; Netherlands n = 288; Hong Kong n = 149) and whether there are meaningful differences in behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes among these different types. Results revealed two distinct profiles of religious dones based on their experience of religious beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and affiliation: discontinuing religious dones, and still practicing religious dones. This research addressed gaps in understanding nuanced differences among those who formerly but no longer identify as religious, and also offered additional evidence to support the religious residue effect hypothesis in that many religious dones continued to demonstrate religious beliefs and behaviors (Van Tongeren, DeWall, Chen, Sibley, & Bulbulia, 2020). The discontinuing group endorsed less religious behaviors and practices as well as more neutral attitudes toward religion and religious individuals, while the still practicing engaged in more religious and spiritual behaviors and also held more positive attitudes toward religion and religious individuals. Additionally, the still practicing reported more mental health concerns related to affect, anxiety, and depression than did the discontinuing.

McLaughlin et al. (2020) - PRS - Who are the Religious Dones?

Identifying as nonreligious is increasingly more common in the United States. However, up until recently the field has been slow to understand differences in experience among those who have never been religious and those who have deidentified from religion. In addressing this gap, we sought to first identify differing motivations for deidentifying from religion (pilot study, n ? 153). In our primary study, we sought to explore whether there are different types of religious dones in a cross-cultural sample (United States n = 206; Netherlands n = 288; Hong Kong n = 149) and whether there are meaningful differences in behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes among these different types. Results revealed two distinct profiles of religious dones based on their experience of religious beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and affiliation: discontinuing religious dones, and still practicing religious dones. This research addressed gaps in understanding nuanced differences among those who formerly but no longer identify as religious, and also offered additional evidence to support the religious residue effect hypothesis in that many religious dones continued to demonstrate religious beliefs and behaviors (Van Tongeren, DeWall, Chen, Sibley, & Bulbulia, 2020). The discontinuing group endorsed less religious behaviors and practices as well as more neutral attitudes toward religion and religious individuals, while the still practicing engaged in more religious and spiritual behaviors and also held more positive attitudes toward religion and religious individuals. Additionally, the still practicing reported more mental health concerns related to affect, anxiety, and depression than did the discontinuing.