Friday, October 15, 2021

The Little Ice Age comes to Japan


An extremely interesting article on Japan. During the period we would call "Late Middle Ages", Japan was rocked by popular rebellions, political fragmentation and militant new religions which emphasized salvation by faith alone. Eventually, during the Early Modern Period, this was replaced by a strongly centralized and absolutist system. 

Sounds familiar?

Yes, it´s eerily similar to events in Europe at exactly the same time. And perhaps other areas of the world, as well? 

One thing that struck me when reading the article (published at an "elitist" site called Palladium), is that the exposition on True Pure Land Buddhism and its revolutionary role in 15th century Japan might be about something else entirely. The author is clearly opposed to the Ikko-Ikki rebels and their call for a holy war against the infidel enemy, and I can´t help wondering if he is *really* discussing the present political situation. He explicitly mentions Afghanistan and the Middle East, but his musings can surely be applied even to the United States. Or at least the US in ten or twenty years, if the present crisis and fragmentation continues... 

Under the rule of Amida Buddha

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