How to Read Japanese Buddhist Texts?
Gereon Kopf
9 September 2016
In this article, I would like to reflect on how to read Japanese Buddhist texts. To explain my strategies for approaching texts distant in time,
Cosmic Contemplations: A Glimpse of Japan’s Rare Star Mandalas
Meher McArthur
2 September 2016
Japan’s esoteric Buddhist traditions boast a rich and diverse array of imagery, ranging from figures of individual deities to elaborate mandalas depicting specific deity families
The Modernization of Faith and Ideology: Victoria Montrose Discusses Japanese Buddhism’s 19th Century Transformation
Raymond Lam
26 August 2016
Victoria Montrose (“Tori” to her friends, a fittingly Japanese epithet) has been immersed in Japanese culture since childhood. Victoria was four when her American father
Spirituality as the Transformation of Daily Life: Living Buddhism in 21st Century Japan
Gereon Kopf
20 May 2016
A 2008 article in The New York Times asked the provocative question whether Buddhism in Japan “may be dying out” (Onishi 2008). Unlike other, frequent claims that
Sacred Stupas and Precious Pagodas: The Many Roles of Reliquaries in the Buddhist Landscape
Meher McArthur
22 January 2016
One of the most fascinating examples of Buddhist architecture is the stupa, a structure that evolved from a simple burial mound into the large-scale domed
Exploring Buddhist Harmony and Inclusiveness in Japan
BD Dipananda
15 January 2016
Late last year, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Japan to participate in a conference at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies from
How to Face Death – Pilgrimages and Death Rituals in Japanese Buddhism
Gereon Kopf
15 January 2016
I discussed pilgrimages in Japan in an earlier article on this website.* This month, I am teaching a course in Japan that involves visits to
Deconstructing Daruma
Meher McArthur
30 October 2015
The 5th/6th century Buddhist monk Bodhidharma is considered the founder and patriarch of meditational Buddhism, known as dhyana in Sanskrit, Chan in Chinese, and Zen in Japanese. Although he was revered