死者と生者を結ぶ物語 : 「浄土でまた会える」という意味づけを巡って

Abstract

本研究では, 死後の理想世界という物語をどのように引用しながら, 私ヴァージョンの物語を構築しているのか, そしてそれがどのように死者と生者を結びつけるのかを明らかにすることを目的とする｡

Religion has provided several narratives of afterlife emphasizing Heaven and Pure Land, and they have long been used for moderating the fears of death. Especially, a narrative of a reunion with loved ones in Pure Land (Kue Isho) constitutes to fascinate elderly Japanese. This research focused on the narrative functions of coupling the deceased with the living. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted with elderly Buddhist monks, using the interview guide (Kawashima, 2003). Subsequently, the narratives were transcribed and coded to study the multiple meanings presented in these data more thoroughly. Then, five assemblages of meanings, i.e., master narratives of coupling the deceased with the living, relationship to the deceased, multiple meanings related to one's own death, relationship to the living, and difficult existing situations, were identified by using the Kawakita Jiro (KJ) method. The multiple relationships between the deceased, the living, and their own selves were then illustrated. As a result, several participants adopted the narratives of a reunion with loved ones in Pure Land (Kue Isho) and going to/ a reborn in Pure Land (Oujyo Jodo) to couple their own selves with the deceased in different ways.