...In 1223 the monk Dōgen Kigen (1200–1253) came to the conclusion that Japanese Buddhism had become hopelessly corrupt. He undertook a dangerous pilgrimage to China to bring back a purer form of Buddhism and went on to become one of the founders of Sōtō Zen. Seven hundred years later, the philosopher...

...This chapter endeavors to trace the main historical circumstances—from the Tokugawa era up to the present day—that have led to this dire assessment of Japanese Buddhism. The “death” of Buddhism covers three related connotations: the fundamental and long-standing relationship between Buddhist...

...Historian Ienaga Saburō turned to religion in search of a way to resist the ultranationalism of his day. He discovered in Japanese Buddhism what he termed a logic of negation, first articulated by Shōtoku Taishi and eventually made thoroughgoing in the religion of Shinran. He understood this logic...

... Myōe Shonin Hayao Kawai Kegon school of Japanese Buddhism Shingon Buddhism Kukai Tanabe George dream dream journal Myōe Shonin Japanese Buddhism Kegon lineage Shingon lineage vision meditation At first sight, it might seem that Myōe Shonin, a twelfth-century Buddhist monk from Japan, would...

... built. These structures have received only limited attention in Western literature, primarily because they are now ruins. This book seeks to restore the four great temples to their proper place in the history of Japanese Buddhism and Buddhist architecture. Three of the temples have been studied...

... character High Priestess of Ise character moral coherence protest Tale of Genji ritual spirit possession Heian period Japanese Buddhism shame and guilt Herbert Fingarette Of all aspects of The Tale of Genji, the eponymous hero’s moral conduct, and especially his promiscuity, have...

.... A generous individual sees clearly that there is no persisting self through time, so rather than holding on to these things lets them go easily. Meanwhile, selfless giving is strongly emphasized in a practice associated with Japanese Buddhism where the individual helps others secretly, without anyone knowing...

..., an astonishingly fertile period of creativity. By the Kamakura era, Japanese Buddhism already had several centuries of history, with a widespread monastic network. A wealthier society poured resources into temples and monasteries, allowing more monks and priests to pursue their activities, to imagine and enact...

...This book provides a comprehensive examination of the diverse writings of Dōgen (1200-1253), the founder of Sōtō (C. Ts’ao-tung) Zen Buddhism in Japan. Dōgen is especially known for introducing to Japanese Buddhism many of the texts and practices that he discovered in China. The context of Dōgen’s...

...This chapter examines the role of continental conceptions of spirit pacification in shaping the founding legend of Japanese Buddhism. It argues that because the establishment of the Buddhist tradition was deeply rooted in political violence and the subsequent need to propitiate hostile spirits...

... the authenticity of Japanese Buddhism. According to Dōgen, that many Japanese priests are ignorant of true Buddhism is evident from the fact that they are overzealous in their service of high-ranking female patrons, a situation that “true” followers of the Buddha should recognize as humiliating. His writings...

...This essay focuses on Japanese Buddhism, including Zen, to demonstrate that Buddhism, like all of the world’s major faiths, does indeed have a long historical and doctrinal connection to violence. In Buddhism’s case, such doctrines as karma, rebirth, skillful means (upāya), compassion, selflessness...

... was an exemplar in maintaining such a monastery and brought the practice of dharma transmission to Japan, having an enormous impact on Japanese Buddhism. For the Huangbo masters, issuing transmission certificates was the most important practice for certifying dharma heirs and avoiding frauds...

... in America abortion and religion Japanese Buddhism mizuko kuyō ritual Since rituals are actions that lack intrinsic meanings, in terms of both what they intend and what they accomplish, they open the floodgates to an indefinite flow of possible interpretations or symbolic motivations. —Harvey...

...Prince Shōtoku, the purported founder of Japanese Buddhism, was one of the greatest cultural icons of pre-modern Japan. The cult that grew up around his memory is recognized as one of the most important religious phenomena of the time. This book examines the creation and evolution of the Shōtoku...

... poetics, this chapter, grounded in the details of his specific historical and cultural engagements, reveals a poetics tied closely to an unusual school of Japanese Buddhism known simply as “New Buddhism”, which Fenollosa himself had a role in founding. In short, this chapter fundamentally redirects...

... Blood bowl Sūtra Ketsubonkyō Blood Pool Hell funeral structure funeral homes sōgiya sōgi gaisha indō guiding the deceased “funeral problem” sōsai mondai anātman anatta Jpn muga not self so soul doctrine Protestant Buddhism death management graves natural funerals shizensō Japanese Buddhism...