The book Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan was written by LaFleur. The book seeks to examine abortion in Japanese society in the historical context of Buddhism. The American author visited Japan for a completely different reason. However, during his stay there, he became interested in the role of abortion in Japanese society. The book is very interesting and easy to read. What is more important, Liquid Life provides the reader with valuable learnings.
The first important learning from LaFleur’s book is that Japan managed to find a subtle balance between abortion and religion. This balance is not limited solely to the matter of abortion. Instead, Japan has come to be a successful society in general and the issue with abortion demonstrates this. It is a commonplace to regard these two notions as contradictory. For most religions, abortion is prohibited. Indeed, even today, abortion is a major issue that polarizes society in the U.S.
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The issue of abortion, however, has become more of a political and partisan issue in the U.S. However, Japan successfully created a balance between religious values and individual values. What is more important, the book was published in 1992. It means that Japan has dealt with the issue of abortion way sooner than the U.S. That is not to say that Japan did not have a debate about abortion at all. Almost three decades passed from the time the book was published, but LaFleur’s idea is still relevant. Thanks to the book, the reader learns how a society can strike a right balance between two opposing needs, one demanded by contemporary factors and another demanded by historical and religious factors.
The second important learning from Liquid Life is that Japan is very different from the West and the West should learn from Japan. Japan is a developed country. It means that it already shares its business, arts, and science with the rest of the world. However, LaFleur argues that Japan is not going to transform into another country of the West. Yet, foreigners who understood that should not deem Japan as odd and unintelligible. Instead, they should identify opportunities for improvement in Japanese oddness. Japan’s rich culture and strong religious and intellectual tradition should be thoroughly considered by the West. The West has to learn a lot from Japanese moral virtues. It does not mean that Westerners have to emulate Japanese mizuko kuyo and other practices that can work only in Japan. It means that Westerners have to consider principles that Japanese people use when making ethical consideration and facing moral dilemmas.
The book is very interesting to read because it generates lots of ideas. One of such ideas is connected with Japan’s culture. Since it has a high-context culture, Japan is more collectivistic rather than individualist. By contrast, the U.S. having a low-context culture is extremely individualistic. However, it is Japan with its high-context collectivistic culture that universally recognizes the importance of giving an individual an opportunity to make decisions related to abortion. This idea is present throughout the book, and it is rather paradoxical. As a result, Liquid Life is very interesting to read. At the same time, reading also evokes the feeling of bewilderment, because the reader wonders why other Western countries continue the public debate about abortion when the can follow the example of Japan.
The book Liquid Life by LaFleur is very interesting to read because it provokes great ideas. When the author compares Japan with Western countries, the reader is somewhat bewildered. The two most valuable learning from the book is that Japan has succeeded as a society and other nations should learn from Japanese oddness.
- LaFleur, William R. Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan. Princeton University Press, 1994.
