About the Author
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile / Koreaphile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the Internets a better place. Thanks for reading!
Monthly Archives: November 2009
Introducing Inari no Kami
Within the broad pantheon of kami in Japanese Shinto, one of the most popular, if not the most popular, is a kami named Inari. In Japanese, this Kami is sometimes known as Inari no Kami (稲荷神) and is associated with … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Japan, Shingon, Shinto
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Lenin and Politics
Completely random, but this was a quotation I found in my email inbox from a long time ago (over a year ago?), that I wanted to post. I thought the last sentence to be especially true: “I think that a … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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New URL for the blog!
Just a general post to say that Japan: Life and Religion has a new URL: http://www.japanlifeandreligion.com/ In hindsight, I should have picked a more appropriate domain suffice like .net or .us or something, but: It was late night, I was … Continue reading
Buddha’s Wish for the World: A Review
Recently I obtained a copy of the new book Buddha’s Wish for the World for free, thanks to a generation donation to the blog. I spent a week reading the book and wanted to share my thoughts. I go through … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Hosso, Jodo Shinshu, Jodo Shu, Zen
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Happy Thanksgiving!
On this day of gratitude and thanksgiving, I found this nice little poem by Shinran, founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism that seemed fitting. This is number 30 from the shōzōmatsuwasan (正像末和讃) collection: 弥陀の尊号となへつつ 信楽まことにうるひとは 憶念の心つねにして 仏恩報ずるおもひあり Those pronouncing the revered … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu
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Shinto teachings through myth
I finally got my books back this week after moving from Ireland back to the US, so this topic has been sitting unfulfilled for months. A few months ago, I mentioned a helpful book on Shinto that covers the Shinto … Continue reading
Posted in Religion, Shinto
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Labor Thanksgiving Day
November 23rd, marks the holiday in Japan of Labor Thanksgiving Day or kinrō kansha no hi (勤労感謝の日). Like Labor Day in the US, this day is intended to take time and give appreciation to everyone’s hard work this year. The … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
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Robert Frost and Buddhism
A Robert Frost quotation that I think is very Buddhist: In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on. I think this is profound because, like the impermanent nature of life, it is neither … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Literature
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Words of Rennyo
Recently I finished reading the new book Buddha’s Wish for the World, which I graciously received a free copy for. The book was written by the head of Jodo Shinshu’s Nishi Honganji sect, the Monshu, Kōshin Otani. Jodo Shinshu Buddhism … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, Theravada
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Japanese home cooking: Yakiudon
Haven’t done a post on food in a while, but this is one dish people should know about: yakiudon (焼うどん). Most people who know Japanese have eaten yakisoba which is stir-fried soba noodles, but yakiudon is usually not sold in … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Japan
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