Occult Confessions

In the second part of our discussion about Happy Science, we consider the group's doctrine and lore. How did humanity make its way from Venus to Earth and which spirits have manifested when in our midst to guide us on the spiritual path? What is Happy Science's view of the apocalypse and the triggers that might bring one on?

Kofuku no Kagaku or Happy Science was one of the most popular new religious movements in Japan in 1980s and became a major rival to the deadly Aum Shinrikyo organization. Its founder, Okawa Ryuho, claimed to be an incarnation of the Buddha and published volumes of predictions channeled from various spirits from the higher worlds including Nostradamus. These predictions became best sellers in Japan, leading to the group's more famous venture into full-length animated films.

Over a thousand Japanese legends were collected into thirty-one volumes around the turn of the first millennium. Rob selects three stories to share that shed light on the folklore and values of medieval Japan.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (as it's known in the US) drew on Western religious themes including the story of Adam and Lilith, the imagery of the cross, and the concept of angels in order to tell a story based in psychological exploration and existentialist thought. Rob sits down with Mimms and try and make sense of Hideaki Anno's world famous series.

Pure Land Buddhism made its way from India to China and then Japan where it has become the country's most popular religion, specifically the Shin variant developed by the "shaved fool" Shinran.