A STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF DHIKR AND NEMBUTSU
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AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that repetitive utterance of divine names or sacred formulas appears across many religious traditions and that, despite scholarly attention to their similarities, these practices have not been adequately studied within a general comparative framework. The paper aims to examine the meaning of the practice in each tradition and to develop a broader comparative account. |
Abstract
Repeated utterance of a divine name or a sacred formula is a religious behavior commonly observed in many world religions. There are, to give a few examples, hesychasm of Eastern Orthodox Christian monks; dharani and mantra of Indian Yogis; dhikr of Sufi Muslims; nembutsu of Japanese Pure Land Buddhists. The Jews also have a similar practice in the tradition of Merkabah mysticism, and the Sikhs have imran. The striking similarities among these religious practices have already drawn attention of some scholars.(1) It can hardly be said, however, that these phenomena have adequately been studied yet in a general framework by comparative religionists. What is the meaning of this practice in each religious tradition and in the