Book Review: Wendy Garling’s Stars at Dawn
Caitlin Dwyer
28 October 2016
Imagine this: a young woman, heavily pregnant and in labor, makes the journey to a grove of trees sacred to the local goddess. The village
Exploring Buddhism’s Tensions With Modernity: An Interview with Prof. David McMahan
Raymond Lam
28 October 2016
David McMahan is professor of Religious Studies at Franklin & Marshall College, Pennsylvania. In recent years he has offered the Buddhist Studies community a more
The Hanging Sculptures of the Little Western Paradise
Guoying Stacy Zhang
14 October 2016
Qianfo’an (千佛庵), the Temple of One Thousand Buddhas, better known as Xiaoxitian (小西天) or the Little Western Paradise, is located in present-day Xi County, Linfen
Who was Alexandra David-Neel? A Brief Story of a Buddhist Anarchist
Marion Dapsance
30 September 2016
Alexandra David-Neel (1868–1969), a French traveler and a prolific writer, is variously celebrated for being “the first Buddhist in France,” “a fearless explorer,” “the first
Approaching Chan, Part 3: The Methods of Lingji’s Huatou and Caodong’s Silent Illumination
Ven. Chang-Hwa, Ph.D.
23 September 2016
By the early 20th century, Chan Buddhism had declined and diminished in China. As the Dharma heir of both the Caodong and Lingji lineages, Master
Finding Excellence, Part 3: Who is the Best Dancer Here?
Joseph Houseal
15 September 2016
Venture into remote places and you will find a joyful purity. During our recent summer fieldwork in Himachal Pradesh, northern India, we distributed copies of
The 2,600th Anniversary of the Global Bhikkhuni Sangha and Fourfold Sangha of the Buddha
Ayya Tathaloka
9 September 2016
Between the full moon of September 2016 and the full moon of September 2017 there will be worldwide commemorations of the 2600th anniversary of the
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
Approaching Chan, Part 2: The Two Streams of Chan Contemplative Practices
Ven. Guo-Xing
26 August 2016
When Chan Buddhist practices were first transmitted to China, they were the same as those practiced in India. Over time, however, the contemplative practices (禪觀)
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