Education of Lay Followers by Buddhist Organizations in the Taishō Period: Research on the Bukkyōgakkai of the Ōtani Sect of Shin Buddhism

Abstract

This paper aims to identify the purpose of forming the Bukkyōgakkai 仏教学会, which was established as an auxiliary organization of the Ōtani Sect of Shin Buddhism, as well as to look at the structure of the lecture notes, and to examine the efforts to educate monks and lay followers. As a result, the following three points became clear.

Firstly, the creation of the Bukkyōgakkai was officially announced in a bulletin published by the Ōtani Sect. In that announcement, various regulations were listed, and the Bukkyōgakkai was defined as an auxiliary educational organization of the Ōtani sect. In addition, lecture notes for distance learning were also released.

Secondly, the structure of these lecture notes differs between the first year of the program and its second year. Courses were not only taught by scholar-monks of the Ōtani Sect, but in some cases they relied on scholars and experts of other sects.

Lastly, the lectures notes published by the Bukkyōgakkai were highly influential and were praised as having more influence than building a new school. The publication of a new magazine called Fukyōkai 布教界 was also announced.

From the above, we can gather that in addition to publishing lecture notes, the fact that the Bukkyōgakkai also encouraged lay practitioners to become members aided the organization in its education of lay followers.