Remnants of Devotion
Once central to Japanese Buddhist families, many butsudan, or home shrines, now collect dust in temple basements.
Japanese Buddhism
The Circle of Faith
Not all cycles should be broken.
Can Mindfulness Save Buddhism in Japan?
In a country where Buddhism has become a “funeral religion,” one Zen monk hopes to use the popular Westernized practice to revive his tradition.
One Nun, Two Faiths
A Japanese devotee’s journey from Catholicism to Zen
A Japanese Ensemble Keeps an Ancient Sound Alive
The musicians of Reigakusha perform gagaku, court music that developed alongside early Buddhism in Japan.
Thus Have I Heard: An American Sutra
With the outbreak of World War II, Japanese Americans were incarcerated by the thousands. Out of the crucible of the camps, a uniquely American Buddhism was born.
The Subjugation of Evil
In the esoteric Japanese tradition, subduing the external evils of the world as well as the inner evils of one’s own mind is a central element of practice. A scholar explains why we shouldn’t dismiss it…
Brief Teachings
Select wisdom from sources old and new
Who Was Kobo Daishi?
A bodhisattva-like miracle worker credited with founding the Shingon school, Kobo Daishi—known as Kukai during his life—is a monumental figure in Japan but little known to North American Buddhists.
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