Amazon Japan Is Selling Monks

March 3, 2016 in Daily Bulletin

Steve Mollman wrote about Amazon’s monk delivery service:

  • After the death of a loved one, finding a monk to administer the last rites is an administrative burden surviving family members can do without.
  • People are often gouged – being charged as much as ¥100,000 ($830) or more for a monk’s services, as they’re probably not in a place to start price shopping.
  • Enter Amazon which is offering a monk, and a donation, for ¥35,000 ($300). Free shipping is, of course, included.
  • Additional services – such as giving the deceased a posthumous name – important in certain strains of Buddhism, cost extra.
  • Some of the biggest fans of the platform are monks who are pleased that they no longer have to go through temples to find clients.
  • The temples themselves – many of which were already struggling to stay in business – are less happy about this development.

Read more over here.

Source: Quartz

Via: Marginal Revolution