JJRS > Volume 22 Issue 3-4 Magic and Self-Cultivation in a New Religion: The Case of Shinnyoen

Nagai Mikiko

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Previous research on the New Religions has tended to focus on their magico-religious aspects. However, we cannot neglect the fact that many of the New Religions incorporate elements of self-cultivation in their schemes for salvation. In this essay we will attempt to clarify the relation between self-cultivation and magic through an examination of Shinnyoen, a New Religion, based on the teachings and practices of the sect as well as reports and experience narratives by Shinnyoen followers. We will show that, at least in the case of Shinnyoen, formalized self-cultivation in the followers’ daily lives is based on magical elements.