This article tries to give a mathematical expression and analysis of world religions such as Christianity and Buddhism. Religions-the same as ontology or metaphysics as a philosophical expression of religions-can-not have verifiability in the same sense as science. However, one can insist on logical consistency. Mathematics also cannot have verifiability but must have logical consistency. There is a possibility to give a mathematical expression and analysis of religions, which are expressed philosophically by ontology. Section 1 offers an ontology which will be able to give a philosophical expression of world religions such as Christianity and Buddhism. Section 2 expresses Christianity and Buddhism philosophically in terms of ontology. Section 3 summarizes important results of set theory through which it will be possible to express religions mathematically. Section 4 tries to give a mathematical expression and analysis of religions by means of the set theory.

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During the last three decades, Asian theology shifted its focus from issues of social justice to those of cultural identity. Its underlying assumptions on the marginality of contextual theology also changed in accordance with the rise of postmodern cultural theories. After identifying these changes, this article examines Mark Mullins' recent study on Christianity Made in Japan from the perspective of this redefined contextual theology. His sociological approach toward the indigenous forms of Japanese Christianity is found to focus on inadequate research objects : the groups under investigation are too small and short-lived to constitute the basis for evaluating what is genuinely Japanese about today's Japanese Christianity. More alarming is the fact that Japanese intellectual readers fail to notice this obvious mismatch and anachronism in the study. One suspects the presence of inverted Orientalism setting up an artificial image of the "exotic" East. Any effort to "give voice" to the allegedly silenced marginal subgroups today should also be careful not to invite postcolonial criticisms. In the last section, this article tries to sketch the nature and task of Asian theology as "ablative theology". It is not an attempt to make theology Asian, nor does it make Asia its primary subject matter. It is an attempt to re-examine theology by asking questions that arise from the unique historical settings of Asian Christianity.

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The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate two points. The first is that the rational choice theory of religion is not a new theory. The rational choice theory of religion is expected to replace secularization theories, especially P. Berger's early works. The theoretical descriptions of religious markets that the rational choice theory of religion brings, however, are not so different from Berger's descriptions in the 1960's and 70's. The second point is that the rational choice theory of religion rests on dubious premises. The rational choice theory of religion describes the market model that pluralistic competition will stimulate religious markets, forcing suppliers to efficiently produce a wide range of alternative faiths well adapted to the specific needs of consumers. The rational choice theory of religion presents the premise that the market adjusts the balance of supply and consumption, and brings religious pluralism. But do religious markets always succeed in this way? A problem with this premise is that the market tends to bring about a monopoly rather than pluralistic competition. In conclusion I argue that religious markets are not always compatible with religious pluralism.

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This paper targets Mircea Eliade's history of religions in an attempt to rethink the study of religion. This is in part a question of "What is the study of religion?" Since Eliade especially places "the sacred" as the key concept in his studies, I will try to shed light on this perspective. By an analysis of Eliade's work, it becomes possible to perceive his awareness of the critical necessity of saving the modern West. In his history of religions, whether by means of his theory of hierophany or of the concept of homo religiosus, if it is carried through to its conclusion, the positive possibility of resolving the problems of the modern West will be revealed. That is, Eliade's history of religions emphasizes the cultural role served in the desacralized world, in accordance with the indication of the dimension of meaning, and where the principles of objectivism and empiricism are unexpectedly defeated.

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This paper analyzes the importance of sex in Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's mystical thought, and especially clarifies the connection between his mystical cosmology and the discussion of sexual matters. It starts with al-Ghazali's asceticism, and discusses the comparison of appetite with sexual desire. Further, it examines the originality of al-Ghazali's discussion of sexual matters in the history of Sufi thought, comparing it with that of Abu Talib al-Makki and Ibn al-'Arabi. At first, al-Makki's mystical cosmology is fragmentary, and he recommends restraining sexual desire. On the other hand, al-Ghazali systematizes al-Makki's cosmology and discusses the ascension of the human soul in his cosmology, and further he admits the positive power of sex. As a result of the connection of his views of sex and his mystical cosmology, he establishes the thought that sexual desire can be an inducement to the worship of God, especially mystical practices. Ibn al-'Arabi, who advocates the theory of the unity of being, emphasizes the sexual union of man and woman, which overlaps the unity of God and the world. It is concluded that al-Ghazali appropriates the positive power of sex in his thought, and develops the theory of mystical practices which accords with his own mystical cosmology.

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In Chinese Buddhism from Sui隋to Tang唐, the view of buddha-kaya (buddha's body) and buddha-ksetra (buddha's land) was one of the main themes. It was especially important whether Amitabha should be interpreted as either sambhoga-kaya報身or nirmana-kaya化身. This interpretation was closely related to the problem of whether or not ordinary people (prthag-jana凡夫) would be able to go to the pure land of Amitabha. The interpretation of the Buddha-kaya and buddha-ksetra of Amitabha by Ji基who is the founder of the Chinese Hosso school of Buddhism, is found in the chapter on Buddha's land (Fo-tu-zhang仏土章) in Da-cheng-fa-yuan-yi-lin-zhang大乗法苑義林章. This has attracted much attention. In this chapter, it is written that Amitabha's pure land combines the land of sambhoga-kaya and nirmana-kaya. However, in the chapter of buddha-kaya, San-shen-yi-lin三身義林, there is a description which emphasizes that Amitabha is sambhoga-kaya, and this opinion is based on two or more sastras. The contents overlap with Mi-le-shang-sheng-jing-zan弥勒上生経賛, and we can guess that his faith to Maitreya is deeply related to his interpretation of the Buddha-kaya of Amitabha. I wish to point out in this paper that Ji's central opinion is that Amitabha is sambhoga-kaya, and he advocated this opinion from the different viewpoint than that of Pure Land Buddhism (Jing-tu-jiao浄土教).

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The follower of the Srikula sect in Hindu tantrism performs the cakrapuja, the worship of the wheel-shaped diagram, as the core part of nityapuja daily ritual. Through the procedure of this cakrapuja, Tripurasundari is invited to the seat of the Sricakra as the main deity, and offered religious services such as japas and mudras, by the practitioner. In this paper I will first present several ancient practices prescribed in the Nityasodasikarnava. This ancient scripture contains a number of practices utilizing Sricakra. Originally, these practices were rather magical and secular, pursuing worldly desires, bhukti. Second, I will show that these mundane practices were integrated into cakrapuja after the time of the Nityasodasikarnava. This integration was involved with a new paradigm stated in theological scriptures, such as Yoginihrdaya. In those texts, we can perceive the idea that Sricakra is a matrix of the world, while cakrapuja brings about liberation, because this ritual procedure represents the movement from the material world to the absolute principle, Tripurasundari. It is a typical manner of reorganizing ancient and esoteric bhukti-oriented rituals into more moderate, mock-orthodox rituals.

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