"Contramodernist Buddhism" in a Global City-State
Shinnyo-en in Singapore
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4314164 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Keng Yung Phua (National University of Singapore, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 265 |
| Publication date | 2022-03-21 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel13030265 |
| OpenAlex | W4220900386 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 12 |
This article outlines the arrival and adaptation of Shinnyo-en as an example of contramodernist Buddhism in Singapore. Shinnyo-en's contramodernist spirituality focuses on its founding Itō family. The arrival of Shinnyo-en is situated within the larger contexts of the Singapore-Japan relationship. Social memories of the Japanese occupation lingered within the population amidst increasing Japanese Foreign Domestic Investments in Singapore. These transnational migration trends brought Shinnyo-en practitioners and Shinnyo-en itself to Singapore. Simultaneously, Singapore's government had been actively monitoring and regulating religious groups in order to maintain religious harmony, societal wellbeing, and ensure the separation of religion and politics in Singapore. This study explores the adaptations of Shinnyo-en's organisational structure, religious practices, and activities in Singapore from 1983 to 2021. It argues that Shinnyo-en has actively adapted to the Singapore context and has actively courted the state for its political survival, adjusting its activities to gain social recognition from Singapore society as a Buddhist organisation. Despite these adaptations, Shinnyo-en Singapore retains its contramodernist Buddhist spirituality, focusing on its founding Itō family. This article highlights the integration of Shinnyo-en's contramodernist beliefs within Shinnyo-en's activities and how this contramodernist spirituality mobilises support for selected social causes through its practitioners
Buddhism · Economic growth · Geography · Political science · Politics · Population · Sociology · Spirituality · Asian Studies and History · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Gender Studies · Law · Socioeconomic Development in Asia
Socially Engaged Buddhism
Proselytizing and the Limits of Religious Pluralism in Contemporary Asia
Religious Diversity in Singapore
War Memory and the Making of Modern Malaysia and Singapore
Karayuki‐san and the Japanese economic advance into British Malaya, 1870–1920
Embarrassing Superstition, Doctrine, and the Study of New Religious Movements
Recentering Globalization
Teaching Dharma, Grooming Sangha
Buddha-izing a Global City-State
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |