In message <36D2F60C.6BFE@c-realm.com>, KMO <kmo@c-realm.com> writes
>Bryan Wheelock wrote:
>
>> My question is how does Budhism spread?
>
>Buddhists do evangelize...
This was really interesting, and I agree that some Buddhists do evangelise -- the fastest growing sect in Britain, which evangelises, though not door-to-door, is also one of the most superstitious, ie in my terms "impure", and I don't think that's a coincidence.
The picture of Buddhism and the New Religions in Japan was great, except I missed any mention of the other traditional Japanese religions, Shinto and Confucianism (Japan has never been a religious monoculture). Also, though what you say about the lay attitude to Buddhism is doubtless very true, it remains the case that the monastic tradition has in the past been very strong, and to a great extent remains so. Probably the most important cultural contribution of Japan to the modern world is Zen, developed almost entirely within Japanese monasteries.
-- Robin