
Curing with Kaji
Document en anglais
Source: Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 32/1: 107–130 – 2005 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture
Auteure: Pamela D. Winfield
The Shingon practice of kaji is generally understood to be a mutual empowerment of self and Buddha that occurs in esoteric interpenetration visualizations. This doctrinal definition however, neglects the important role that kaji has historically played as a hands-on healing technique. This paper examines some of the theoretical, practical, and historical dimensions of kaji, while also considering some of the modern-day claims of kaji practitioners and patients in contemporary Japan. Such an investigation not only expands our understanding of Japan’s religio-medical history, but also prompts our re-evaluation of the dominant discourses related to Chinese kanpō, Neo-Confucian, and Western European medicine.