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
Buddhistdoor View—One Belt, One Road: Ideas for Buddhist Dialogue across Eurasia
Buddhistdoor Global
24 June 2016
There are many exciting aspects to Chinese president Xi Jinping’s ambitious development framework known as “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR).* A Eurasian economic resurgence could
Buddhistdoor View: Forgiveness and Repentance
Buddhistdoor Global
21 August 2015
There are many heartrending monuments at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, such as the Children’s Peace Monument dedicated to the children that perished from the
Monkeys, Catfish, and Demons in Priest’s Clothing: The Buddhist Roots and Themes of Japanese “Otsu-e” Folk Painting
Meher McArthur
10 July 2015
In Japan during the Edo period (1600–1868), many people traveled on foot between the military capital, Edo (modern Tokyo), and the ancient imperial capital, Kyoto.
The Life Story of Ani Zamba Chozom: Part Seven – From Korea to the Philippines to Hong Kong
Frances McDonald
26 June 2015
Ani Zamba Chozom was one of the first Westerners to be ordained as a Buddhist nun. Born in England in 1948, a serious illness as
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
Dharma Screenings: Buddhist Film and Pop Culture—Buddha 2: A Flawed Production with Compelling Characters
Raymond Lam
22 May 2015
In this three-part series, we explore the Buddhist presence in pop culture media. We first review the second movie in the animated trilogy of Osamu
Jizo: Japan’s Beloved Savior of Lost Souls
Meher McArthur
15 May 2015
The Buddhist deity Kshitigarbha, or “He who encompasses the Earth,” has a powerful and ubiquitous presence in Japan, where figures of him depicted as a
The Dragon-girl and Her Monks: Shanmiao’s Relationships with Uisang and Myoe
Raymond Lam
10 April 2015
In the temple Kozan-ji in Kyoto is a 750-year-old collection of scrolls that is designated a National Treasure. The third scroll, the Illustrated Scroll on the
Zen and the Art of Tea Drinking—an Exhibition at the Freer
Meher McArthur
18 February 2015
There is a painting in the Freer Gallery of Art’s current exhibition, Zen, Tea, and Chinese Art in Medieval Japan, that beautifully symbolizes the remarkable cultural