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
Buddhism and Creative Writing, Part One
David Brazier
26 August 2016
The exploration of the relationship between creative writing—especially poetry—and Dharma practice carries with it a multitude of questions. Can such writing be considered a part of
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
Finding Excellence, Part 2: A Tradition of Transmission
Joseph Houseal
19 August 2016
One needs to take a long view—one that spans vast distances and many centuries—to appreciate the context of the Cham dance traditions that were preserved
The Battle for Thambapanni’s Gem-inlaid Throne: The Dharma as a Foundation for Ending War
Ramya Chamalie Jirasinghe
5 August 2016
Can the Dharma provide a framework of analysis for global conflicts? Can it provide a new paradigm for preventing war? During the time of the
Curating the Shwedagon Pagoda Museum in Myanmar
Heidi Tan
29 July 2016
The pagodas of Myanmar are tangible, physical expressions of the vast accumulations of merit (Burmese: kutho, also known as hpon) by the Buddhist communities that support
Finding Excellence, Part 1: Of Course They Don’t Talk About It
Joseph Houseal
22 July 2016
Researching endangered dance traditions as I do, it is usual to chronicle the problems, challenges of discovery, along with the qualities of vanishing practices. So
Buddhism and Ireland: From the Celts to the Counter-Culture and Beyond – Book Review
Raymond Lam
15 July 2016
From Imperialism and Conquest to Identification and Allegiance Anglophone literature about the historical contact between Buddhism and the West focuses overwhelmingly on the Anglo-American experience,
Jataka Stories in Theravada Buddhism and The Ten Great Birth Stories of the Buddha – Book Review
Donald Stadtner
8 July 2016
At the moment the demon Mara attacked the Buddha and nearly derailed his path to enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, the Buddha lamented that he could
Visions from the Zen Mind: Zen Paintings and Calligraphy at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Meher McArthur
8 July 2016
A fuzzy-furred gibbon seated on a rugged boulder reaches an arm out over a rushing river and tries to scoop up the reflection of the
When Dance Transforms
Joseph Houseal
24 June 2016
Dance is the most ephemeral of the arts. Capturing the art of movement in a still photograph is an art in itself. To represent the