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Podcast: New Books in Buddhist Studies
Episode: Jessica Starling, "Guardians of the Buddhaâs Home: Domestic Religion in Contemporary JÅdo ShinshÅ«" (U Hawaii Press, 2019)
Description: In her recent ethnography, Guardians of the Buddhaâs Home: Domestic Religion in Contemporary JÅdo ShinshÅ« (University of Hawaii Press, 2019), Prof. Jessica Starling invites us into the daily lives of the bÅmori, the spouses of priests in the Japanese JÅdo ShinshÅ«, or True Pure Land, tradition. Focusing on domestic religion, Prof. Starling shows us how the bÅmori create community by cleaning the temple altar, how they express gratitude for their salvation by carefully managing temple donations, and how they inspire faith by serving a cup of tea. This is truly a rare and intimate glimpse into the...