Abstract
Today, it is not rare that the elderly often go to a temple, even though it is said that "Japanese don't like religion." However, it is difficult to find studies accounting for the intimacy between the elderly and Buddhism (or religion in general). Most of the past studies about the elderly and religion have laid emphasis on a propensity for the sacred among the elderly. Why do the elderly go to a temple? What is the attraction for the elderly? In this essay the author will focus on the close relationship between Buddhism in life and elderly women by doing fieldwork in one temple near Fukuoka City which belongs to the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. One possibility to be considered with regard to longevity is that it involves experiences that no one experiences in a previous age. It means that the elderly face more difficulties in their lives, for example, about living, dying, and being enshrined (after death). Praying in the temple allows the elderly women an opportunity to pray for their family, which relates deeply to the formation of their own happiness. Finally, we discover that Buddha's power is needed to be able to solve problems in our life.
