Japanese Religion and the Supernatural

MTC 211 • 2nd Floor • 1:00 PM

Japanese Religion and the Supernatural

Talk by Dr. Sarah Aptilon

In this presentation we will delve into supernatural beliefs in Japanese culture and their connection to Shinto and Buddhism.

In Japan, religion and the supernatural are deeply intertwined and omnipresent in daily life, even as mainstream Japanese culture is ever more avowedly secular and non-religious. Awe-inspiring deities called kami are venerated as a living presence in the Japanese islands, as are buddhas and other powerful beings that belong to the Buddhist tradition that arrived in Japan in the sixth century C.E. What are the connections among kami, buddhas, ghosts, and the fanciful, fearsome, venerable beings called yōkai? In this worldview the here and now is a place of mystery and power, and otherworldly phenomena always lurk just beneath the surface.

About Dr. Sarah Aptilon

A Kansas City area native, Sarah lived and practiced at a Buddhist monastery in Kyoto for seven years, where she studied and taught meditation and led workshops and retreats. She offers meditation classes at Turning Point, a subsidiary of the University of Kansas Health System, and teaches a weekly meditation class for the JCCC Student Wellness Program. She also serves as a senior consultant for Japan Intercultural Consulting, leading multicultural team-building and cross-cultural communication seminars throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Sarah is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Johnson County Community College, where she teaches courses on world religions, Asian religions, and Japanese culture. She earned a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Stanford University and a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Yale University.