Jodo Shinshu Buddhism for everyone
By Rev. Ken Yamada
With its mythical Buddha and otherworldly Pure Land, many people wonder how Jodo Shinshu could possibly represent the historical Buddha’s teaching.
By contrast, Shinshu followers feel Shinran’s teachings—the basis of Jodo Shinshu—reflect Buddhism’s true essence. The key to this conundrum lays precisely in how “myth” and symbolism may convey truth more effectively than “fact” and history. Continue reading “Jodo Shinshu: Myth vs History”
By Rev. Kenjun Kawawata
Memorial Day is an important occasion to remember the deceased, but also a time to think about one’s life. Continue reading “Memorial Day: A Time for Dharma”
Daisetsu Teitarō Suzuki gained renown as an authority of Zen Buddhism, but in his later years turned increasingly towards Jodo Shinshu.
Over the 96 years of his life, Suzuki (1870-1966) prodigiously produced more than 100 volumes on Buddhism in English and Japanese, and is credited with popularizing Zen in American culture, especially during the 1950s and 1960s. He exerted a strong influence over a generation of Buddhist scholars, Christian theologians, Zen disciples, psychoanalysts, artists, writers and others. Born and educated in Japan, he spoke and wrote fluently in English. His book, “Zen Buddhism and Japanese Culture” is a classic. As Suzuki grew older, he turned his focus on Shin Buddhism and Shinran Shonin’s teachings. Continue reading “DT Suzuki on Jodo Shinshu”
By Rev. Kenjun Kawawata
This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day, a time to think about mom, but also about the life we live. Continue reading “Remembering Mother’s Day”
By Rev. Ken Yamada
The Pure Land conjures a faraway land of great beauty; for art critic Sōetsu Yanagi, finding splendor in the ordinary shows that place is “here and now.”
Continue reading “Pure Land of Beauty”
By Rev. Kenjun Kawawata
This week, we celebrate the Buddha’s birth, which in Japanese is called “Hanamatsuri” (festival of flowers). It’s a time to think about the importance and preciousness of individual life. It also reminds me of a story called “The King and His Four Wives.” Continue reading “This Week: Hanamatsuri (Buddha’s birthday)”