HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Something needs to be confirmed by Kathy from Tokyo

Kathy S in Tokyo · 07-03-2009, 05:28 AM

Hi Jackie and Believe - This thread made me smile. The Buddhist priests I've met in Japan have all been married and their children were expected to take over the temple with each generation. In the country town where I stayed for my first year, the local priest also owned and operated several bars with pretty hostesses and a drove fancy cars.

There is a British woman in southern Japan who married into a Buddhist temple family. When her husband, next in line for the head priest job, got cancer, she went to Buddhist divinity school and got ordained so she could help out her father-in-law. Her husband has been in remission for a long time and the family runs the temple together, sharing various jobs, travelling to parishioners' homes to offer regular memorial services for ancestors etc.

There are some sects which are more austere and rigid, and these are featured on TV from time to time, but the local Buddhist temples seem to be run by families from generation to generation.

Most people in Japan might not describe themselves as Buddhist as they accept Shinto, Christian and Buddhist rites throughout their lives depending on the rite.

Time to get some of these kids to bed.

Hugs,

07-03-2009, 05:28 AM	#5
Kathy S in Tokyo Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: From Syracuse, NY but living in Tokyo, Japan for 26yrs Posts: 132	Buddhist Priests Hi Jackie and Believe - This thread made me smile. The Buddhist priests I've met in Japan have all been married and their children were expected to take over the temple with each generation. In the country town where I stayed for my first year, the local priest also owned and operated several bars with pretty hostesses and a drove fancy cars. There is a British woman in southern Japan who married into a Buddhist temple family. When her husband, next in line for the head priest job, got cancer, she went to Buddhist divinity school and got ordained so she could help out her father-in-law. Her husband has been in remission for a long time and the family runs the temple together, sharing various jobs, travelling to parishioners' homes to offer regular memorial services for ancestors etc. There are some sects which are more austere and rigid, and these are featured on TV from time to time, but the local Buddhist temples seem to be run by families from generation to generation. Most people in Japan might not describe themselves as Buddhist as they accept Shinto, Christian and Buddhist rites throughout their lives depending on the rite. Time to get some of these kids to bed. Hugs, __________________ Kathy S in Tokyo (44) 11/2004 partial masectomy (clear margins) - ER/PR++ HER+++ 12/2004 Tamoxifen 11/2005 Clavicle & neck lymph nodes mets 30 Days rads, 7 months CEF-T Chemo 6/2006 mid chemo lung mets oral toremifene 10/2006 changed hospitals 12/2006 Tamoxifen and monthly Zoladex 2/2007 Dramatic growth of mets! Stopped Tamoxifen and Zoladex 3/2007 Began weekly Herceptin 6/2007 Added weekly Taxol to regime 4/2008 More lung mets - stopped Taxol 5/2008 Xeloda - 3 weeks on 1 week off 8/2008 Got a port! 9/2008 Stopped Xeloda, started weekly Navelbine 12/2008 Tumor progression, stopped Navelbine 1/2009 Taxotere begins again, once in every three weekly Herceptin IVs 3/2009 Added Zometa pelvic bone met, lung tumors progressing, stopped Taxotere/Herceptin 4/10/2009 Whoa seizure! 6cm&3cm brain mets. craniotomy and gamma knife surgery 5/15/2009 Started Adria/Cyto stopped 9/15 due to progession. Brain mets back 10/28 surgery more gamma soon