Drinking Tea—Meeting the Buddha
Gereon Kopf
18 September 2015
Many package tours to Japan include a tea ceremony. Sometimes these short versions of a traditional tea ceremony––otemae or cha no yu ––take place in the tea room
Buddhism in Japan introduces the histories, practices, and beliefs of various Buddhist schools, thinkers, and practitioners in Japan. It explores popular as well as little known faces of Buddhism in Japan through the reflections on texts, explorations of religious sites, and encounters with practitioners.
Gereon Kopf is a Professor in the religion department at Luther College, Iowa, USA, Visiting Researcher at the International Research Center for Philosophy of Tōyō University, and Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Iceland.
Buddhism in Japan is published bi-monthly.
Shinto: The Way of, to, and with the Gods!
Gereon Kopf
19 June 2015
Travelers to Japan notice the impressive gates that mark Shinto shrines, in Japanese, torii, as well as the shimenawa, referring to a type of rope made from
Humility, Faith, and Other-Power: Shinran’s “Tannisho”
Gereon Kopf
20 March 2015
The so-called sectarianism of Buddhism in Japan has enabled Pure Land Buddhism to develop as a quasi-independent tradition within Buddhism. One of the central figures
Walking with Kukai–Becoming a Buddha: Pilgrimage in Shingon Buddhism
Gereon Kopf
30 January 2015
Since the Meiji restoration in the 19th century, Buddhism in Japan has seen the development of a third category of practitioner in addition to the
The Variety of Practice in Soto Zen Buddhism
Gereon Kopf
10 October 2014
Dogen’s (1200–53) Soto Zen is known for its emphasis on shikantaza—“sitting only.” In his popular Once Born Zen – Twice Born Zen: The Soto and Rinzai Schools
The Precept-bestowing Assembly at Eihei-ji
Gereon Kopf
29 August 2014
This is the first of a series of articles on Japanese Buddhism written by Gereon Kopf for Buddhistdoor. When I was teaching at the University