Guardians of the Buddha's Home: Domestic Religion in Contemporary Jodo Shinshu

Jessica Starling's book Guardians of the Buddha's Home explores Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land) temple life with temple wives (bomori) at its center, focusing on domestic religion and the formation of religious dispositions. She argues that attaining Buddhist faith is just as likely to occur through acts of hospitality, community, or aesthetic affinity with the temple space as it is through formal liturgies or scripted sermons.

Format: Hardback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 30 December 2018
Publisher: University of Hawai'i Press

In Guardians of the Buddha's Home, Jessica Starling delves into nearly three years of ethnographic research to offer a comprehensive portrayal of Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land) temple life, with a central focus on temple wives, known as bomori or temple guardians. Throughout, she delves into the realm of domestic religion, a mode of religious practice that revolves around more informal expressions, which has received limited scholarly attention. The movement of temple wives between the main hall and the back stage of the kitchen and family residence underscores the notion that religious meaning cannot be limited to canonical texts or the designated areas of the temple for formal worship. Starling contends that attaining Buddhist faith (shinjin) can occur as a result of simple acts of hospitality, a sense of community experienced during informal temple gatherings, or an aesthetic affinity with the meticulously maintained temple space by the bomori. Similarly, the spiritual practice of button hosha, which involves repaying the debt owed to the Buddha for one's salvation, finds expression through the conscientious stewardship of temple donations, the care of the Buddha's home, the welcoming of lay followers, the nurturing of temple children, and the propagation of teachings within the domestic sphere. By engaging with what religious scholars refer to as the turn to affect, Starling's work delves into the personal experiences of individual practitioners, revealing the intricate ways in which religious dispositions are shaped. The findings, perhaps not surprisingly, encompass a blend of intimate relationships, daily practices, and formal liturgies or scripted sermons.

Weight: 430g
Dimension: 161 x 236 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780824866921