Creating Space
Heather Sanche
10 July 2015
As my husband Jason and I prepared to welcome Adelaide into our lives nearly ten months ago, I thought about the kind of home we
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
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
The Art of Salvation: The “Descent of Amitabha” Motif in Pure Land Art
Raymond Lam
13 February 2015
“Return to Amida, Return to Amida, So even dewdrops fall,” wrote the Soto Zen hermit Ryokan (1756–1831) famously, and throughout his life he exhorted those
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
Why Haiku Holds the Flavor of Zen
Andrew Schelling
7 November 2014
Furu ike yakawazu tobikomumizu no oto The old ponda frog jumps inkerplunk Matsuo Basho’s (1644–94) haiku—that mind-altering frog vanishing into an ancient pond—has become so
Printed Prayers: Japan’s First Woodblock-printed Buddhas
Meher McArthur
17 October 2014
In the main hall of an elegant Pure Land Buddhist temple called Joruri-ji near the city of Nara in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, a row of
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 Light of the Lotus Moon: The Art and Wisdom of Otagaki Rengetsu
Meher McArthur
19 September 2014
“Fluttering Merrily” by Otagaki Rengetsu, Japan, 1840s–50s, calligraphy and painting in ink on paper mounted as a hanging scroll; Private Collection, Switzerland
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
The Familiar Oddities of Ikkyū Sōjun
Andrew Whitehead
27 May 2014
Dr. Andrew K. Whitehead is Assistant Professor of Philosophy in the Department of History and Philosophy at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta USA. He specializes