Message from mhagiwara

[Anonymous]

At lunch I had a short conversation with the Professor regarding a "newer" religion in Japan known as Tenri-kyo. When I first heard about it, no one was really able to explain to me the basics of the religion because, in Japan, it was regarded as a type of cult. Even though they had a city named after the religion in Nara Prefecture, there was no clear explanation of what the teachings were nor why it was looked down upon. When I brought this topic up with the Prof. Meeks, I asked whether or not this was a sect of Buddhism, and she answered that it was not. However she did say that it may have borrowed some of the core values about human beings from Buddhism. She mentioned that at the surface level, however, there was no clear relationship between the two groups. I am still very curious about Tenri-kyo and will continue to research this "new" religion through some of the suggested readings provided by Prof. Meeks.