Diesseits des Jenseits: Transformationen buddhistischer Bestattungs- und Trauerkultur im gegenwärtigen Japan

How is the reception and construction of Buddhist practices, family images and social orders shaped against the background of the professionalization of dealing with death in contemporary Japan? What are the consequences of spatial, logistical and material redistributions in the context of burial for the scope of action of Buddhist institutions? These and other questions about the dynamics of socio-religious processes are the focus of this article on the current transformations of Buddhist burial and mourning culture. Initial observations show that the main task and main source of income of the vast majority of all Buddhist temples in Japan has been the performance of funeral and ancestor memorial rituals for centuries. Modern funeral homes, changed family structures, However, local mobility and ongoing urbanization present the Buddhist priests with major challenges. Using the example of Soto-Zen Buddhism, recent developments are presented, including the religious practice of different groups of actors in their respective socio-historical contexts. The article aims to contribute to understanding the transformations of Buddhism as well as to understanding the socially constitutive relevance of dealing with death in postmodern societies.