Download or read book An Analysis of the Doctrines of Nichiren and S ka Gakkai written by Chris William Olson and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Hope Filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin written by Daisaku Ikeda and published by Middleway Press. This book was released on 2019-11-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Daisaku Ikeda, president of the worldwide Soka Gakkai International, elucidates the importance of studying Nichiren's writings as the foundation of Nichiren Buddhism as practiced by the Soka Gakkai International. His lectures bring Nichiren's immense wisdom, compassion, and courage into focus for the present age. In reading and studying these lectures, we learn how to apply in daily life Nichiren's profound philosophy for inner transformation and victory for both ourselves and others. The Hope-Filled Teachings of Nichiren will empower you to find hope and develop the strength and wisdom to bring forth your inherent potential.
Download or read book Schism Semiosis and the Soka Gakkai written by Forest C. Stone and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Waking the Lion written by Marge Kirkpatrick and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2004-07 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin is a written record of the philosophy and correct practice of Nichiren Buddhism. As important as that text is, however, understanding the words of a medieval Japanese priest and incorporating them into 21st century life can be a daunting task. Let's face it you can't apply what you can't understand. Enter Waking the Lion: a Study Guide to The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin written with the lay believer in mind. Each chapter of this book covers one gosho, or letter, of Nichiren's. Each includes a brief introduction, an overview of what Nichiren says in that gosho (including explanations of difficult terms) and most importantly how to apply Nichiren's words to your practice and your life. Like Nichiren's teachings, Waking the Lion is not meant to be simply read, but lived. Be forewarned: reading it may awaken the lion within. So take a healthy stretch, dear reader, and get ready to roar--.
Download or read book Writings of Nichiren Shonin written by NICHIREN SHPNON and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Handbook of Contemporary Japanese Religions written by Inken Prohl and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2012-09-03 with total page 675 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Representing work by some of the leading scholars in the field, the chapters in this handbook survey the transformation and innovation of religious traditions and practices in contemporary Japan.
Download or read book Learning from the Writings written by Daisaku Ikeda and published by . This book was released on 2009-10 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Writings of Nichiren Sh nin Doctrine 1 Theology 1 written by Nichiren and published by . This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book From Tokyo to Boston Brazil Britain and Beyond written by Arianna Regalado and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My religion honors thesis examines the roots of Nichiren Buddhism in Japan, founded by Japanese Buddhist monk Nichiren Daishonin (1222-1282) in the 13th century. I explain how this branch of Mahayana Buddhism has managed not only to survive over hundreds of years but grow, branching out overseas from Japan and amassing millions of followers from Brazil to Boston. Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren was born in 1222 in the Chiba Prefecture of Japan and lived during the Kamakura period of 1185-1333. He is known for his emphasis on the study of the Buddhist sacred text, the Lotus Sutra, as the sole method for attaining enlightenment. Based on his teachings, Nichiren Buddhism was formed as a branch of Mahayana Buddhism. In modern-day Japan, Nichiren Buddhism encompasses traditional schools and modern lay movements like Soka Gakkai. Soka Gakkai, a Japanese Buddhist religious movement and the largest of the Nichiren Buddhist groups, has grown to a membership of more than 12 million in 192 countries worldwide since its inception in 1930. Part of my thesis examines Nichiren and critique his interpretations of the Lotus Sutra as the most crucial component of achieving enlightenment. I critically analyze the evolution of Nichiren Buddhism and its development as a branch of Mahayana Buddhism through the vehicle of Soka Gakkai International as the largest Nichiren Buddhist group. While the bulk of the literature exploring Nichiren Buddhism and Soka Gakkai has been written about the early 20th century and focuses on the early beginnings of Soka Gakkai's success solely in Japan, my thesis will also include analysis on the modern-day movement around the world. From the creation of Soka University in Malibu, California to Soka Gakkai International branches located in the United Kingdom, Soka Gakkai has made a tremendous effort to appeal to a vast number of the global population, particularly young, college-aged groups, in order to sustain the movement long-term. My thesis examines Soka Gakkai's foundations in Japan as well as how the organization expanded globally by looking at their branches in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Italy, Singapore, and Boston and by answering the following pertinent questions: how has Soka Gakkai International been successful in recruiting and adapting to a modern audience spanning over 100 countries? Does Soka Gakkai's enormous power and influence in the political, economic, and social spheres globally hinder the true message of Nichiren Buddhism as a Mahayana tradition focused on worldly renunciation? If so, is this the kind of compromise the movement has had to make in order to survive and thrive in a 21st century world? What other compromises has the organization made in the quest for more followers? In my thesis, I analyze how this religious organization developed and molded itself for a dynamic audience in order to survive. What changes or compromises, if any, did this religious institution have to make in order to thrive in this world? What can we learn from the way this institution developed in order to fit people's contemporary lives? What messages are lost (or gained) in this modern translation of religious sacred texts like the Lotus Sutra? In order to formulate a strong thesis, I analyzed statistical data on the demographics of Soka Gakkai's membership over time. I also conducted fieldwork at Soka Gakkai International New England Chapter, located in Brookline, Massachusetts. Additionally, I participated in the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue seminars on nuclear abolition in order to assess whether the modern-day practices and educational institutions align with the 13th century Nichiren teachings. With a balance of recent sources, such as the aforementioned qualitative statistical data on member demographics, fieldwork, personal accounts of Soka Gakkai practices, and scholarly texts, such as academic literature and Nichiren works, I present the strategies Soka Gakkai International utilized in order to amass a following for Nichiren.
Download or read book Soka Gakkai s Human Revolution written by Levi McLaughlin and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2018-12-31 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soka Gakkai is Japan’s largest and most influential new religious organization: It claims more than 8 million Japanese households and close to 2 million members in 192 countries and territories. The religion is best known for its affiliated political party, Komeito (the Clean Government Party), which comprises part of the ruling coalition in Japan’s National Diet, and it exerts considerable influence in education, media, finance, and other key areas. Levi McLaughlin’s comprehensive account of Soka Gakkai draws on nearly two decades of archival research and non-member fieldwork to account for its institutional development beyond Buddhism and suggest how we should understand the activities and dispositions of its adherents. McLaughlin explores the group’s Nichiren Buddhist origins and turns to insights from religion, political science, anthropology, and cultural studies to characterize Soka Gakkai as mimetic of the nation-state. Ethnographic vignettes combine with historical evidence to demonstrate ways Soka Gakkai’s twin Buddhist and modern humanist legacies inform the organization’s mimesis of the modern Japan in which the group took shape. To make this argument, McLaughlin analyzes Gakkai sources heretofore untreated in English-language scholarship; provides a close reading of the serial novel The Human Revolution, which serves the Gakkai as both history and de facto scripture; identifies ways episodes from members’ lives form new chapters in its growing canon; and contributes to discussions of religion and gender as he chronicles the lives of members who simultaneously reaffirm generational transmission of Gakkai devotion as they pose challenges for the organization’s future. Readers looking for analyses of the nation-state and strategies for understanding New Religions and modern Buddhism will find Soka Gakkai’s Human Revolution to be an especially thought-provoking study that offers widely applicable theoretical models.
Download or read book Sexuality Citizenship and Belonging written by Francesca Stella and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-10-23 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together a diverse range of critical interventions in sexuality and gender studies, and seeks to encourage new ways of thinking about the connections and tensions between sexual politics, citizenship and belonging. The book is organized around three interlinked thematic areas, focusing on sexual citizenship, nationalism and international borders (Part 1); sexuality and "race" (Part 2); and sexuality and religion (Part 3). In revisiting notions of sexual citizenship and belonging, contributors engage with topical debates about "sexual nationalism," or the construction of western/European nations as exceptional in terms of attitudes to sexual and gender equality vis-à-vis an uncivilized, racialized "Other." The collection explores macro-level perspectives by attending to the geopolitical and socio-legal structures within which competing claims to citizenship and belonging are played out; at the same time, micro-level perspectives are utilized to explore the interplay between sexuality and "race," nation, ethnicity and religious identities. Geographically, the collection has a prevalently European focus, yet contributions explore a range of trans-national spatial dimensions that exceed the boundaries of "Europe" and of European nation-states.
Download or read book Essentials of Shinto written by Stuart Picken and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 1994-11-22 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shinto is finally receiving the attention it deserves as a fundamental component of Japanese culture. Nevertheless, it remains a remarkably complex and elusive phenomenon to which Western categories of religion do not readily apply. A knowledge of Shinto can only proceed from a basic understanding of Japanese shrines and civilization, for it is closely intermingled with the Japanese way of life and continues to be a vital natural religion. This book is a convenient guide to Shinto thought. As a reference work, the volume does not offer a detailed critical study of all aspects of Shinto. Instead, it overviews the essential teachings of Shinto and provides the necessary cultural and historical context for understanding Shinto as a dynamic force in Japanese civilization. The book begins with an historical overview of Shinto, followed by a discussion of Japanese myths. The volume then discusses the role of shrines, which are central to Shinto rituals. Other portions of the book discuss the various Shinto sects and the evolution of Shinto from the Heian period to the present. Because Japanese terms are central to Shinto, the work includes a glossary.
Download or read book Soka Education written by Daisaku Ikeda and published by Middleway Press. This book was released on 2010-09-01 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Japanese word meaning "to create value," this book presents a fresh perspective on the question of the ultimate purpose of education. Mixing American pragmatism and the Buddhist philosophy of respect for all life, the goal of Soka education is the lifelong happiness of the learner. Rather than offering practical classroom techniques, this book speaks to the emotional heart of both the teacher and the student. With input from philosophers and activists from several cultures, it advances the conviction that the true purpose of education is to create a peaceful world and to develop the individual character of each student in order to achieve that goal. This revised edition contains four new chapters that further elaborate on how to unlock self-motivated learning and how to empower the learner to make a difference in their communities and the world.
Download or read book Imperial Way Zen written by Christopher Ives and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2009-07-08 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the first half of the twentieth century, Zen Buddhist leaders contributed actively to Japanese imperialism, giving rise to what has been termed "Imperial-Way Zen" (Kodo Zen). Its foremost critic was priest, professor, and activist Ichikawa Hakugen (1902–1986), who spent the decades following Japan’s surrender almost single-handedly chronicling Zen’s support of Japan’s imperialist regime and pressing the issue of Buddhist war responsibility. Ichikawa focused his critique on the Zen approach to religious liberation, the political ramifications of Buddhist metaphysical constructs, the traditional collaboration between Buddhism and governments in East Asia, the philosophical system of Nishida Kitaro (1876–1945), and the vestiges of State Shinto in postwar Japan. Despite the importance of Ichikawa’s writings, this volume is the first by any scholar to outline his critique. In addition to detailing the actions and ideology of Imperial-Way Zen and Ichikawa’s ripostes to them, Christopher Ives offers his own reflections on Buddhist ethics in light of the phenomenon. He devotes chapters to outlining Buddhist nationalism from the 1868 Meiji Restoration to 1945 and summarizing Ichikawa’s arguments about the causes of Imperial-Way Zen. After assessing Brian Victoria’s claim that Imperial-Way Zen was caused by the traditional connection between Zen and the samurai, Ives presents his own argument that Imperial-Way Zen can best be understood as a modern instance of Buddhism’s traditional role as protector of the realm. Turning to postwar Japan, Ives examines the extent to which Zen leaders have reflected on their wartime political stances and started to construct a critical Zen social ethic. Finally, he considers the resources Zen might offer its contemporary leaders as they pursue what they themselves have identified as a pressing task: ensuring that henceforth Zen will avoid becoming embroiled in international adventurism and instead dedicate itself to the promotion of peace and human rights. Lucid and balanced in its methodology and well grounded in textual analysis, Imperial-Way Zen will attract scholars, students, and others interested in Buddhism, ethics, Zen practice, and the cooptation of religion in the service of violence and imperialism.
Download or read book Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhism written by Jørn Borup and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2008-02-28 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zen Buddhist ideas and practices in many ways are unique within the study of religion, and artists, poets and Buddhists practitioners worldwide have found inspiration from this tradition. Until recent years, representations of Zen Buddhism have focussed almost entirely on philosophical, historical or “spiritual” aspects. This book investigates the contemporary living reality of the largest Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhist group, Myōshinji. Drawing on textual studies and ethnographic fieldwork, Jørn Borup analyses how its practitioners use and understand their religion, how they practice their religiosity and how different kinds of Zen Buddhists (monks, nuns, priest, lay people) interact and define themselves within the religious organization. Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhism portrays a living Zen Buddhism being both uniquely interesting and interestingly typical for common Buddhist and Japanese religiosity.
Download or read book The Teeth and Claws of the Buddha written by Mikael S. Adolphson and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2007-02-28 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Japan’s monastic warriors have fared poorly in comparison to the samurai, both in terms of historical reputation and representations in popular culture. Often maligned and criticized for their involvement in politics and other secular matters, they have been seen as figures separate from the larger military class. However, as Mikael Adolphson reveals in his comprehensive and authoritative examination of the social origins of the monastic forces, political conditions, and warfare practices of the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) eras, these "monk-warriors"(sôhei) were in reality inseparable from the warrior class. Their negative image, Adolphson argues, is a construct that grew out of artistic sources critical of the established temples from the fourteenth century on. In deconstructing the sôhei image and looking for clues as to the characteristics, role, and meaning of the monastic forces, The Teeth and Claws of the Buddha highlights the importance of historical circumstances; it also points to the fallacies of allowing later, especially modern, notions of religion to exert undue influence on interpretations of the past. It further suggests that, rather than constituting a separate category of violence, religious violence needs to be understood in its political, social, military, and ideological contexts.
Download or read book Buddhism in America written by Richard Hughes Seager and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This well-informed book provides a comprehensive survey of a variety of Buddhist traditions in the contemporary U.S. . . . [its] strength, apart from being a mine of information, is Seager's insistence on taking a historically informed and comparative perspective." - Religious Studies Review.
