initiation
nishio.iconWhat is initiation?
nishio.iconMaybe it is negatively perceived due to the lack of a Christian baptismal ritual in Buddhism, a major religion in Japan, and the controversy related to Aum Shinrikyo?
gpt.iconCertainly, Buddhist rites equivalent to "initiation" such as baptism in Christianity are not very common in Japan. In Japanese Buddhism, certain rituals may be performed at the time of initiation or practice, but they are often not mandatory for the average layperson. Therefore, it is difficult to say that the concept of "initiation," like baptism, is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. It is also possible that when the Aum Shinrikyou religious group became a social problem, its radical initiation and initiation rituals attracted attention, and the word "initiation" came to be perceived negatively by the general public. In particular, rituals performed by cult-like groups and religions are often associated with brainwashing and are often viewed with caution in Japan. ---
This page is auto-translated from /nishio/イニシエーション using DeepL. If you looks something interesting but the auto-translated English is not good enough to understand it, feel free to let me know at @nishio_en. I'm very happy to spread my thought to non-Japanese readers.