Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Los Angeles, 1985. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 306-311).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Kansas, 1997. / Co-Chairs: Chu-tsing Li; Marsha Weidner. Includes bibliographical references.

This paper aims to investigate the basic problem of Chanting Method in the Pure Land Buddhism . To rebirth in Pure Land by practicing the method of Buddha-Chanting, it would face the question and solution of modernity. The statistics of Pure Land Buddhism acceptable to most people indicate that even there are many people practicing the method of Buddha-Chanting, but few people really rebirth in Amitabha¡¦s Pure Land. The author of this paper discusses the topic with regard to Pure Land sutras in the Da Zheng Zang and the literatures of Master Yin-Guang to view if the contemporary practicer misunderstanding the purpose of Buddha-Chanting for rebirth in Amitabha¡¦s Pure Land. And provides a more detailed interpretation of Amitabha Pure Land methodology.

Kuki Shuzo was a philosopher at the margins of the Kyoto School; his most significant contribution was the short work 'Iki' no kozo, in which he located Japanese uniqueness in the Edo demimonde aesthetic of iki, style or chic. This thesis surveys the major Western critiques of Kuki's aesthetics, focussing particularly on the work done by Peter Dale, Leslie Pincus, and Harry Harootunian revealing Kuki's borrowing from European modernism, especially fascist modernism, and attempts to uncover an alternative genealogy for Kuki in Japanese Pure Land thought. It finally asserts that Kuki's valorization of resignation, and his own retreat into the aesthetic, can be read as a form of resistance to Japanese nationalism.

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張雪松. / Thesis (doctoral)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 251-265). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Zhang Xuesong.

<p>This dissertation examines the social and financial activities of Buddhist nuns to demonstrate how and why they deployed Buddhist doctrines, rituals, legends, and material culture to interact with society outside the convent. By examining the activities of the nuns of the Daihongan convent (one of the two administrative heads of the popular pilgrimage temple, Zenkōji) in Japan’s early modern period (roughly 1550 to 1868) as documented in the convent’s rich archival sources, I shed further light on the oft-overlooked political and financial activities of nuns, illustrate how Buddhist institutions interacted with the laity, provide further nuance to the discussion of how Buddhist women navigated patriarchal sectarian and secular hierarchies, and, within the field of Japanese history, give voice to women who were active outside of the household unit around which early modern Japanese society was organized.</p><p>Zenkōji temple, surrounded by the mountains of Nagano, has been one of Japan’s most popular pilgrimage sites since the medieval period. The abbesses of Daihongan, one Zenkōji’s main sub-temples, traveled widely to maintain connections with elite and common laypeople, participated in frequent country-wide displays of Zenkōji’s icon, and oversaw the creation of branch temples in Edo (now Tokyo), Osaka, Echigo (now Niigata), and Shinano (now Nagano). The abbesses of Daihongan were one of only a few women to hold the imperially sanctioned title of eminent person (shōnin 上人) and to wear purple robes. While this means that this Pure Land convent was in some ways not representative of all convents in early modern Japan, Daihongan’s position is particularly instructive because the existence of nuns and monks in a single temple complex allows us to see in detail how monastics of both genders interacted in close quarters.</p><p>This work draws heavily from the convent’s archival materials, which I used as a guide in framing my dissertation chapters. In the Introduction I discuss previous works on women in Buddhism. In Chapter 1, I briefly discuss the convent’s history and its place within the Zenkōji temple complex. In Chapter 2, I examine the convent’s regular economic bases and its expenditures. In Chapter 3, I highlight Daihongan’s branch temples and discuss the ways that they acted as nodes in a network connecting people in various areas to Daihongan and Zenkōji, thus demonstrating how a rural religious center extended its sphere of influence in urban settings. In Chapter 4, I discuss the nuns’ travels throughout the country to generate new and maintain old connections with the imperial court in Kyoto, confraternities in Osaka, influential women in the shogun’s castle, and commoners in Edo. In Chapter 5, I examine the convent’s reliance upon irregular means of income such as patronage, temple lotteries, loans, and displays of treasures, and how these were needed to balance irregular expenditures such as travel and the maintenance or reconstruction of temple buildings. Throughout the dissertation I describe Daihongan’s inner social structure comprised of abbesses, nuns, and administrators, and its local emplacement within Zenkōji and Zenkōji’s temple lands.</p><p>Exploring these themes sheds light on the lives of Japanese Buddhist nuns in this period. While the tensions between freedom and agency on the one hand and obligations to patrons, subordination to monks, or gender- and status-based restrictions on the other are important, and I discuss them in my work, my primary focus is on the nuns’ activities and lives. Doing so demonstrates that nuns were central figures in ever-changing economic and social networks as they made and maintained connections with the outside world through Buddhist practices and through precedents set centuries before. This research contributes to our understanding of nuns in Japan’s early modern period and will participate in and shape debates on the roles of women in patriarchal religious hierarchies.</p> / Dissertation

For many people, Japanese life is increasingly marked by precarity. This is often characterized by a lack of social and familial relationships that were the foundation of Japanese society in earlier eras. Buddhism has rarely played a part in addressing these feelings of precarity because Buddhism in Japan is associated with funerals and death. Yet some women participate in and actively create what this dissertation calls “feeling Buddhism,” which combats the feelings of helplessness and social isolation that accompany precarity. Feeling Buddhism is about sensing Buddhism, physically feeling the body perform ritual acts and inhabit sacred space. It is also about the emotions, affects, and feelings that accompany these physical acts. Based in feminist ethnography, this dissertation argues that Japanese women cultivate constructive feelings through Buddhism that enable them to craft deep and meaningful connections with one another. In particular, it focuses on the Buddhist women who belong to the Pure Land Sect or Jōdoshū. Chapter One traces the history of women’s historical involvement in Japanese Buddhism to show that Japanese women have always been active participants in Buddhism. Chapter Two examines three articles written by Japanese scholar-priests to argue that they are more concerned with praising Jōdoshū and Hōnen than addressing women’s relationship with Buddhism. Chapter Three looks at two Jōdoshū women’s groups in Kyoto and utilizes theories of ritualization and affect to argue that these experiences create new and mend existing relationships though Buddhism. Chapter Four looks at the Jōdoshū nun Kikuchi Yūken and her caring labor with young women in Tokyo to argue that her work ought to be considered a form of socially engaged Buddhism. Chapter Five moves beyond Jōdoshū to examine the International Ladies Association of Buddhism and argues that the women within the organization attempt to cultivate upper-class taste and an appreciation for an internationalization.

Humanistic Buddhism in Taiwan has become a mainstream in recent 2 decades. It¡¦s from local form to international organization, and uses the way of commercial management. On the other side, the Buddhist adopt a ¡§inner transformation¡¨ strategy to turn difficult words in the Buddhist Scripture into understandable saying. When Master Sheng Yen was a novice, he had already realized that ¡§the Buddha dharma is so great, but many people misunderstand it and so few people are willing to accept it.¡¨ Therefore, he decided to develop and promote Buddhist higher education. Master Sheng Yen held the religious spirit of universal delivery ,tireless in all his efforts. He established the Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education in Jinshan Township, Taipei County, in order to practice the Threefold Education¡XExtensive Academic Education, Extensive Public Buddhist Education, and Extensive Social Care Education¡Xwhich is the foundation on which to realize the vision of ¡§uplifting the character of humanity and building a pure land on Earth¡¨. The Master would like to spread the Dharma in language and ideas that people can relate to. For this reason, the Master proposed a series of social movements, hoped to provide concepts and methods applicable in today¡¦s life. These methods include ¡§the Spiritual Environment¡¨,¡¨ Four Kinds of Environmentalism¡¦, ¡§the Fivefold Spiritual Renaissance Campaign¡¨, and ¡§the Six Ethics of the Mind¡¨. The Master is a legendary people. The vision of ¡§uplifting the character of humanity and building a pure land on Earth¡¨ has opened a new sight in Taiwan.

<p>This dissertation examines the modern transformation of orthodoxy within the Otani denomination of Japanese Shin Buddhism. This history was set in motion by scholar-priest Kiyozawa Manshi (1863-1903), whose calls for free inquiry, introspection, and attainment of awakening in the present life represented major challenges to the prevailing orthodoxy. Judging him a principal player in forging a distinctively modern Buddhism, many scholars have examined Kiyozawa's life and writings. However, it is critical to recognize that during his life Kiyozawa remained a marginal figure within his sect, his various reform initiatives ending in failure. It was not until 1956 that Otani leaders officially endorsed and disseminated Kiyozawa's views. Taking my cue from Talal Asad's critique of Clifford Geertz's definition of religion, I move beyond interpretation of the "meaning" of Kiyozawa's life and writings to the historical study of how they came to be invested with authority, impacting the lives of millions of sect members and influencing the perception of him among scholars. </p><p> I approach this history on three levels. On an individual level, I examine the lives and writings of Kiyozawa, his followers, and his critics, as revealed in their books, journal articles, newspaper articles, diaries, and letters. On an institutional level, I examine the transformation of the Otani organization's educational, administrative, and judicial systems, as documented in institutional histories, denominational by-laws, official statements, and administrators' writings. Finally, on a national level, I examine the effect of major political events and social trends on Kiyozawa's followers and the Otani organization. </p><p> This study reveals that one critical factor in the transformation of Otani orthodoxy was the strategic use of a discourse of "empiricism" by Kiyozawa's followers. As the Otani organization's modern university gradually came to supercede its traditional seminary, Kiyozawa's followers positioned themselves as authoritative modern scholars. At the same time, this study shows that the transformation of Otani orthodoxy was contingent upon broader historical developments far outside the control of Kiyozawa's followers or Otani leaders. Specifically, the state's persecution of Communists, war mobilization policies, and the post-war context of democracy building all shaped the views and fortunes of Kiyozawa's followers. I argue that by better acknowledging and examining the contingent nature of religious history, scholars can approach a more realistic view of how religions are formed and reformed. Specifically in regard to modern Buddhist studies, I also argue that more attention should be paid to how sectarian institutions continue to grow and evolve, shaping all aspects of Buddhist thought and practice.</p> / Dissertation