Example: Monk Sues Temple at Mount Koya World Heritage Site Over Heavy Workload

[EXAMPLE]

This post was written by a former student of the NSJT course, and is reposted here as an example of how a blog might be structured. Remember - you have considerable latitude as to how you choose to compose your blog, but do make sure you cover:

• What are the main takeaways from your chosen story? In highly condensed form, what are the main talking points? (Note: do not simply regurgitate the source article – instead, crystallize the salient points only!)
• What is the importance of the story? Why is it worthy of discussion?
• What is the greater context of the story? Are there any connections with other stories, events or themes you have come across?
• What are the wider implications of the story? What does the story mean for wider Japan, the Asia region, or the world? How does the story compare to, say, the US context?

We will be discussing your viewpoints in class!

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"Monk Sues Temple at Mount Koya World Heritage Site Over Heavy Workload"

The Japan Times, 17 May 2018

What:

A monk at a temple on Mt. Koya has recently filed a lawsuit to protest unfair labor conditions and overwork.  The rigorous schedule of monk life - including pre-dawn preparations for the temple's thousands of visitors - eventually caused the monk to develop depression and need a leave of absence.  Mt. Koya recently celebrated its 1200th anniversary and since receiving World Heritage status and three stars from the Michelin Green Guide, the number of visitors has more than doubled in recent years.  The number of monks employed at the sites throughout the complex, however, have not also doubled in number, leading to strain on personnel resources and overwork.  Since much of monks' work is regarded as training, it is possible that many monks feel pressured to work longer hours or stricter schedules than conventional workers, leading to the sort of overwork conditions mentioned in the lawsuit (such as over 60 consecutive work days).

Where:

Mt. Koya is a World Heritage site and one of the oldest and most respected religious sites in Japan.  Koya, situated in Wakayama Prefecture, is the final stop of the popular Shikoku pilgrimage and houses the remains of popular religious figure Kobo Daishi Kukai (one of the patriarchs of the Shingon sect of Buddhism).  50 temples within the Koya-san complex offer lodging for visitors, as well as other services such as shojin-ryouri (Buddhist cuisine) which are also prepared by the monks.

Who:

The temples on Mt. Koya (as best as my research indicates) are run exclusively by the Buddhist monks.  These monks not only maintain the facilities (temples, gardens, and lodging), but they also manage guests, conduct religious ceremonies and other religious experiences (such as sutra copying for tourists), and cook their own meals and shojin-ryouri courses for visitors.  The influx of tourists to holy sites, especially foreign tourists, has increased the workload for monks and introduced new complications (like language barriers).  Some of the older monks on Mt. Koya, for example, have a reputation as being "grumpy" with tourists and being less welcoming to foreigners that they see as overrunning and disrespecting the temple grounds.  These monks feel that their non-religious tasks - such as providing lodging to foreign tourists - are not part of their training or what they joined the monastery for, although other monks cite Kukai's teachings that anything can be practice for achieving enlightenment.

Why/Big Picture:

Japan has long been notorious for its work environment and karoushi problem, but the typical issue of the overworked Japanese man tends to begin and end with the salaryman.  While the number of monks may pale in comparison to the hordes of salarymen, monks occupy an increasingly important role in Japanese society and economy as both the protectors of some of Japan's oldest traditions and as representatives of these traditions to the outside world.  However, the nature of their work makes them particularly vulnerable to overwork because the monk lifestyle is intended to be demanding and there is a perception that their work offers the benefit of training on top of the accompanying salary.

While this is worth considering, monks cannot attain the enlightenment (as is ultimately the end goal for many of them) or general fulfillment if they are not healthy enough to perform their training.  Certainly developing depression does not aid a monk on the path to nirvana, just as practicing guitar so much that you break your hand would not benefit a professional musician.  In a realm of spiritual service, it is particularly important to protect the monks' physical and mental wellbeing, the latter of which is often overlooked in Japanese society.

This lawsuit is not the first time monks have spoken out about overwork and the obstacles the work environment pose to their spiritual and emotional needs.  I also came across several articles about a monk who began playing video games in order to destress and refocus on his training after falling ill from overwork.  In 2017, a temple in Kyoto was forced to pay two monks for over 130 hours of uncompensated overtime.  This is likely a widespread issue throughout Japan's religious sites and is more than an issue of individuals and workers' rights.  If the situation does not improve, the number of young Japanese who choose the monk career path will likely decline, resulting in even more overwork for the remaining monks.  Becoming a monk is already likely to become an endangered profession, despite the important role monks play in preserving Japanese traditional culture and supporting Japan's booming tourism industry.  Without young monks, these traditions may well be lost, as well as having serious economic effects if temples cannot cater to the increasing number of foreign tourists.

External References

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4900.html
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2018/02/14/general/rowdy-tourists-grumpy-monks-mount-koya-dose-kukais-wisdom/#.WwPOvNWFOgQ
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/brutal-hours-arent-just-for-salarymen-japanese-monk-sues-temple-for-overwork-1854178