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Vimalakirti Vs Buddhism

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Despite sharing the common goal of living in a harmonious society based on mutual compassion, the religions of Japanese mythology and Mahayana Buddhism are profoundly different in their worship practices, goals, and terminology. One such terminological difference can be found in the Hollow Center and emptiness principles of each religion, respectively. The two ideas seem quite similar but analysis, based on Hayao Kawai’s Balancing the Gods and the Mahayana scripture The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti, shows they are near-opposites. According to Kawai in Balancing the Gods, The Hollow Center refers to the Japanese mythological concept of a powerless central moon god and is still present in the socio-political structure of Japan today. Kawai …show more content…

While the sun and storm deities vie for ultimate authority, “the god who does nothing is in the center,” creating balance (Kawai 86). The moon god’s position in between his siblings creates the need for cooperation between the sun goddess and storm god as opposed to the need for “victory and the acquisition of central power” (Kawai 87). On a religious level, this explains the need for balance and moderation in all aspects of life. If “the effort of all the gods is required to restore the balance of the universe,” it follows that the effort of all human beings is also required to do so (Kawai 88). It implies an inherent need for people to work together in order to achieve harmony in personal life and in communities, and also allows for a human version of the Hollow Center. Japan’s emperor is an example of the social and political implications behind the Hollow Center. While one might expect the emperor to be an all-powerful leader, there is “turmoil whenever an emperor …show more content…

The Hollow Center and emptiness both, on the surface, refer to space devoid of the presence of substance. Something that is hollow contains an empty space at its core. However, the difference in these two concepts arises in the religious and cultural implications of this lack of substance. While the Hollow Center of Japanese mythology is about balancing opposing ideas, the concept of emptiness in Mahayana Buddhism focuses on the oneness of all beings. Japanese mythology does not have a concept resembling a two-fold truth. There is only one truth, and that is the truth told through mythological stories of the gods. The sun goddess and the storm god are diametrically opposed to each other in ideology, leading to conflict. This conflict is resolved because the moon god, acting as the Hollow Center, occupies a space between the two sides and unites the opposing views. In contrast, unification is unnecessary in Mahayana Buddhism due to the highest truth of the non-duality of all beings. With a lack of distinctions, all beings are inherently united from the beginning, a fact understood by those who have become enlightened. There is no possibility for disagreement when there are no sides to take in the first place. While the Hollow Center model contains aspects of this idea of emptiness, the two concepts are strikingly

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