Zen Buddhist Influence on Makuya Teaching, or “Tabernacle of Christ”

Abstract

Makuya, or “Tabernacle of Christ” is a Japanese new religious movement and a neo-Christian religion with some Zionist elements. Its founder, businessman Teshima Ikurō (1910–1973), had samurai ancestors. In his youth, he was baptized and joined the non-church movement — Japanese Christians who reject the church and seek to connect with God through a thorough study of the Holy Scriptures. Scholars agree that, firstly, the Makuya teaching continues and develops the ideas of the non-church movement, and secondly, that, like other Japanese Christian organizations, Makuya is significantly influenced by Japanese culture and is primarily its product. Makuya continues the non-church movement as its adherents consider the interpretation of the Holy Scripture the main occupation that allows a person to come to God. Just like the non-church believers, Makuya followers accept the hypothesis of a common origin of the Japanese and the Jews. They also consider Judaism more in line with the original teachings of Jesus Christ than Christianity, which has been distorted by translations of the Bible into Greek and other languages and church institutions. The originality of Makuya teaching, among other things, is determined by such practices as “speaking in tongues”, divine healing, walking on fire, etc. An overview of the life of Teshima Ikurō, the history of the formation of his teaching and the Makuya movement, as well as an analysis of Teshima’s sermons show that some ideas of Zen Buddhism can be traced in his worldview and the Makuya teaching based on it. Two sermons by Teshima Ikurō are analyzed: one where he interprets Psalm 90 (“The Prayer of Moses, the Man of God”), as well as a verse from the Gospel of John. Teshima talks about life, death, the perception of time, and the meeting of person with God. Just like Zen authors, Teshima Ikurō considers the goal of the believer to cast aside illusions and gain true vision. According to the basic postulates of Zen Buddhism, the ascetic gains enlightenment and thereby leaves the endless circle of births and deaths, realizes the non-duality of the world. For Teshima Ikurō, the meeting of a person with God becomes an analogue of enlightenment, after which a person similarly ceases to feel enslaved by time and finds himself in eternity.

Keywords

• teshima ikurō
• makuya
• zen buddhism
• japanese culture
• japanese new religious movements