Rethinking the Imperial House of Japan
Posted: January 25, 2012 Filed under: Japan, Politics | Tags: Emperor, Imperial Family Leave a comment »The Japan Times recently had an interesting article about the Imperial Family of Japan, and how the current law has made the family so small, that there are very few heirs left. The Imperial Household Law of 1947 (Kōshitsu Tenpan 皇室典範) greatly streamlined the size of the family to only immediate relatives. Previously, the Imperial Family, like many royal houses in the past, had various collateral houses called ōke (王家), which had branched off from the Imperial family in the past. These houses also intermarried with the Fujiwara clan so much that the two families became very closely integrated.
Nevertheless, in 1947, the American Occupation insisted that the Imperial family be reduced because of its influence in Imperial times and WWII, and thus the law took effect. However, it seems the law may have worked too well as the existing Imperial family has had very few male heirs. Emperor Akihito has two sons: Prince Naruhito (the current heir) and Prince Akishino. But Prince Naruhito only has one child, a daughter (Prince Aiko, affectionately called “Aiko-sama”), while Prince Akishino has one son, Prince Hisahito. So, currently 3 males heirs exist and two of them are already middle-aged.
So, as the article shows, Prince Akishino who is the 2nd son of the current Emperor Akihito, is suggesting the law be updated especially as the health of Emperor Akihito is declining. The law was promulgated by the Japanese Diet, and so only the Diet can change it, but among the ideas suggested:
- A mandatory retirement age for Emperors. In the old days, the throne changed pretty often, and sometimes ex-Emperors went into retirement but exerted lots of control, but with the benefit of being free from the obligations of the throne. These were called insei (院政) or “cloistered Emperors”. By the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the rules were changed, the throne was maintained until death, so the 20th century only had 4 Emperors total (Meiji, Taisho, Showa and the current Emperor).
- Allow women to maintain Imperial status even after marriage so that the Imperial family could start new collateral houses. In the old Imperial custom, women lost their Imperial status after being married (usually marrying members of the Fujiwara clan), and even today Princesses routinely renounce the throne as they get married. This tradition predates the 1947 law. A few women, who were unmarried, became Empresses but usually as a placeholder until a male heir was decided on. The one major exception was Empress Suiko who reigned during Prince Shotoku and Soga no Umako. I’ve been meaning to write about here one of these days. She was interesting.
Speaking as someone who’s not Japanese, I have little opinion on the subject (I have no right to speak about it anyway), but I thought the article was interesting.
P.S. Blog mis-fire #2 today. ;p
Heike And Genji: Making the Big Screen
Posted: January 10, 2012 Filed under: Japan, Literature, Politics, Travel 2 Comments »
Recently, while visiting NHK’s studio park recently, I was excited to see that they were making a new drama about the Genpei War, the famous war between the Genji and Heike clans. In Western textbooks, they’re usually called the Taira and Minamoto clans, but this isn’t quite right (it’s not quite wrong either 
). Taira and Minamoto are the actual clan names, but in Japanese language they’re usually called Heike (平家, “Taira Clan”) or Genji (源氏, “Minamoto Clan”), based on the Chinese-style readings of the characters.
Anyhow, the reason I am so excited is that while Japan has a lot of historical dramas or jidaigeki they’re usually focused on the much later Sengoku Period or Edo Period, and the samurai of that era. That’s what most Westerners know of Japanese history as a result. But I have a big interest in the Heian Period, and the Genpei War which ended it. At the NHK studio, the characters were featured in costume, which was really interesting to see. I’ve talked about Heian Period fashion before (here too), but it’s interesting to see it on TV.
As a teaser for the drama, they’ve provided a look at some of the characters up close. For example, here’s the profile for Minamoto no Yoritomo and his wife Hōjō Masako. I thought Minamoto no Yoritomo’s style very interesting and very emblematic of elite members of the old Heian Court.
Also, for the page on the Cloistered Emperor, Go-Shirakawa, in his later years as a Buddhist monk. At this time, it was common for Emperors, trapped by the Fujiwara clan and other groups, to retire as Buddhist priests where they could exert influence, but without the traps at the Heian Court. These were called “cloistered emperors” or hōō (法皇). Go-Shirakawa was a good example of this, and it’s interesting to see the Buddhist robes of a nobleman. During the Heian Period, monks from noble families retained a lot of political clout and could rise to high administrative positions (abbots, dharma masters, etc) in elite Buddhist monasteries, while monks from more humble backgrounds may be relegated to more menial roles their whole life unless they were particularly talented.
Also on the same page as Emperor Go-Shirakawa is Lady Gion (gion no nyōgo 祇園女御), his mistress in his later years.1 Again, it’s really interesting to see costumers from that period, and how elegant ladies were at that time. For example, notice how the hairstyle is very different than that associated with Japanese women in later medieval periods, or with geisha.
Anyhow, the drama started broadcasting on the 8th, so it started already. I for one plan to watch an episode or two at least before heading back to the US. Hopefully I can continue watching it from there via TV Japan.
1 It was a poorly-kept secret that many such elite monks in the Buddhist community had secret wives, mistresses and such. This was indeed a sign of the monastic discipline at the time.
Nakae Chomin: The “Modern” Confucian
Posted: September 28, 2011 Filed under: Confucius, Japan, Politics 2 Comments »
Nakae Chomin (中江兆民), courtesy of Wikipedia
Switching gears, I was recently reading a great collection of essays in the book Confucianism and Tokugawa Culture, and the final essay in the book covered the life and thought of a Meiji-era Confucian scholar and journalist named Nakae Chomin (中江兆民, 1847-1901).
Nakae Chomin was a very representative figure of his time. He was a young boy during the final days of the feudal Tokugawa Shogunate, and learned Confucian-thought in the local school in his native domain of Tosa. Later he was dispatched to learn Western learning in France, and he developed a life-long interest in Jean-Jacques Rousseau the great philosopher and author of “The Social Contract”.1
Much has been made of Nakae’s influence from Rousseau and his promotion of French-style egalitarianism, but what the article in the book above shows is that Nakae was equally influenced, by Confucian thinking with Rousseau’s ideas helping provide a modern “vocabulary”. Nakae was influenced in particular by the ancient Confucian scholar, Mencius (孟子, Mōshi in Japanese), who represented a more “idealistic” view of Humanity, and the need to cultivate the inherent goodness in oneself, or it would be lost and corrupted.
As Nakae wrote in 1901 in Ichinen Yūhan (一年有半, “A Year and a Half”):
Civil rights is the highest principle; freedom and equality are the greatest justice. Ultimately anyone who opposes principle and justice (理義, rigi) will suffer retribution. There may be a hundred imperialisms but none will ever destroy principle and justice. The imperial sovereign should be revered, but this reverence depends on his revering principle and justice. This principle even existed in China where early on Mencius and Liu Tsung-yüan [773-819] observed it, and it is not an exclusive possession of the West.
(translation by Prof. Matsumoto Sannosuke)
Reading this really, really struck me. I had never heard the terms “civil rights”, a modern Western term, used in conjunction with “principle and justice”, a pair of ancient Confucian terms. I found this so fascinating how Nakae can blend the two in a perfectly viable, and compelling way, in a way that’s represents the best of both worlds. It shows that Confucianism, despite what high-school textbooks taught me, is a vibrant tradition that learns and adapts the teachings of other great thinkers, but also that Asian political thought is by no means “antiquated” and backwards compared to Western thinking.
Instead, it shows that great minds have arisen in my parts of the world, and Nakae’s writings and ideas represent the best of both Rousseau and Mencius.
P.S. After last week’s huge volume of posts (some accidentally mis-scheduled), I am taking it slow this week to let readers catch up. Next week will be back to regular schedule.
1 I read some of the The Social Contract in high-school and again on my own in college. It’s actually a really brilliant book, and a very balanced view of how democracies, society and government should work.
Meet the Rebels of Libya
Posted: August 24, 2011 Filed under: Buddhism, Politics | Tags: Libya, Qaddafi, War 7 Comments »
Since the outbreak of the civil war in Libya, I’ve been avidly watching the news almost daily. I’ve written about it in the past,1 hoping that the conflict will end soon, and even now as we watch the fall of Qaddafi, I am watching the news almost hourly.
It’s hard to comprehend a country at civil war. Imagine your own country divided between two warring groups, imagine that you might be killed in your own home by a bomb, or the enemy, and not being able to work and live anymore. That’s what it’s like for thousands, millions of people over there. But it’s hard to imagine this, especially because it’s far away. That’s why I really liked this article by Reuters about two friends, both college students, who joined the rebellion and fought separately until they reunited in Tripoli.
It’s easy to forget that the people fighting for freedom and tryign to overthrow Qaddafi’s insane, ego-driven tyranny are regular people like you and me: parents, students, etc. I suppose if I were in their place, I’d probably take up a rifle and defend my family and friends too. Thankfully, I don’t haev to do that, and I hope that future generations of Libyans will never have to do this again.
For a Free Libya
عن ليبيا الحرة
1 Not to sound mean, but I am thoroughly amazed at how few Buddhist blogs are writing about any of this. Instead, I see blogs about Tibet, conferences, and other topics, even as people are fighting and dying there. As a community, where are our priorities?
Praying for Libya
Posted: March 7, 2011 Filed under: Buddhism, Politics, Religion Leave a comment »
Courtesy of Wikipedia and user Maher27777, a photo of a girl in the city of Benghazi with the words: "قبائل ليبيا رابطة واحدة", or "The Tribes of Libya are one group".
Since the uprising in Libya began in February, I’ve been avidly watching the news day and night. I cheered when the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia succeeded in overthrowing dictators there, but I’ve been greatly worried about the situation in Libya, as the fighting has only worsened, not improved.
Frequently, I say a small Buddhist-style prayer that the violence will end sooner or later. Nothing exotic or anything, I just put my hands together and pray.
I don’t want to sound sanctimonious (that’s easy enough to do in public), but I am genuinely worried about the deteriorating situation there, and it’s easy to forget that a lot of people, parents like myself, are in great danger, or their lives are displaced. It’s also interesting to note that all these political uprisings and calls for democracy are happening all over the Arab world without any participation by Islamic fundamentalist groups like Al-Qaeda, as the New York times explains. I believe this is proof-positive that the silent majority of people in the Arab world are regular working-class people ignored by the media until now,1 and that the dreaded “Clash of Civilizations” is a gross exaggeration.
I found a fitting passage from The Dhammapada on this subject (trans. by Ven. Acharya Buddharakkhita):
129. All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.
130. All tremble at violence; life is dear to all. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.
131. One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter.
132. One who, while himself seeking happiness, does not oppress with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will find happiness hereafter.
People who fight in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Oman and other places in the Arab world are not the “Islamo-Fascists” feared by the media and conservatives; these are the silent majority that have suffered long under dictatorships and crooked monarchies that survived by the greed of oil. These are often working-class people with families, children and who simply want to have to the freedoms and opportunities that many Westerners take for granted. Thus the Buddha’s words are fitting: such people are human, and fear death like anyone else, but they’re standing up anyway to fight for a better cause.
Also, Muammar Qaddafi, in his efforts to effect a vision of pan-African, Islamic Socialist Republic (lit. “Jamahiriya”), has put his designs before his people. In so doing, he has cheapened human life, and now has sowed great unrest for himself, and his country. This is an important lesson for all rulers and leaders: people first, not policies or a political “master plan”. Too often, such plans fail miserably and in unexpected ways.
The Buddha taught a way out of violence through peace, and through seeing yourself in others:
Comparing oneself with others in such terms as “Just as I am so are they, just as they are so am I”, one should neither kill nor cause others to kill.
–Snp. v. 705, quoted here
But the Buddha also taught it was reasonable to defend one’s livelihood against aggression. In the Buddha’s time, the kingdoms of Magadha and Kosala want to war. Magadha invaded Kosala, and the Buddha was sympathetic to King Pasenadi of Kosala in his efforts to defend his kingdom and protect his people. Of course, if Kosala had turned around and become and aggressor nation, then the Buddha would no longer have sympathized, but according to historical records that didn’t happen.
In any case, the greater Buddhist teaching is of the sanctity of life, but also people’s happiness, well-being and their right to a wholesome livelihood.2
As such, I pray that the conflict in Libya ends as soon as possible, and that the Libyan people do not overthrow one dictator only to setup another.3 Likewise, I pray that the turmoil in the other Arab states will have a positive result, and that people there can live contented and peaceful, and that their grandchildren can play with mine.
In Buddhism, we teach that all things exist solely in relation to one another. Thus, violence there degrades the quality of life for all beings, political oppression there becomes our burden too. Here’s to democracy, peace, and the well-being of all people on this tiny, blue planet of ours’.
Namo Shaka Nyorai
P.S. Double-post today… woke up too early, had some free time.
1 Which only confirms my experiences years ago when I briefly explored the Islamic faith and actually got to know people who followed it. Most people who criticize another faith and/or ethnic group have probably never broken bread with them. Food for thought really.
2 Likewise, those who defend our lives and our right to a wholesome livelihood deserve our thanks.
3 Quoting Andreas Katsulas’s character, G’kar in the TV show Babylon 5.
Seventeen Article Constitution of Prince Shotoku
Posted: January 31, 2011 Filed under: Buddhism, Confucius, Japan, Politics, Religion Leave a comment »Prince Shotoku, the famous prince, Buddhist, and politician, worked to modernize and bring 7th century Japan. I mentioned previously about the Twelve Cap and Rank system based on mainland Chinese models, but I wanted to explore the Seventeen-article constitution, or jūshichijō kenpō (十七条憲法). The constitution, attributed to Prince Shotoku in 604,1 was an attempt at introducing Buddhist and Confucian values into Japanese politics at the time, but it is not a constitution in the legally binding sense, but more of a series of guiding principles.2 Compare this to the US Constitution for example, which is more legalistic and dealing with the practical structure of government.3
The 17 Articles of Prince Shotoku can be read on this site by the University of Columbia among others.
For this reason, among others, Prince Shotoku is sometimes compared to the ancient King Ashoka of India for example of a just Buddhist political leader. The Constitution of Prince Shotoku though definitely has some strong Confucian elements too, in keeping with the blending of different religions at different levels. Compare Article 4 which is very Confucian:
The Ministers and officials of the state should make proper behavior their first principle, for if the superiors do not behave properly, the inferiors are disorderly; if inferiors behave improperly, offenses will naturally result. Therefore when lord and vassal behave with propriety, the distinctions of rank are not confused: when the people behave properly the Government will be in good order.
…with this passage from the Analects of Confucius:
[2:3] Confucius said: “If you govern the people legalistically and control them by punishment, they will avoid crime, but have no personal sense of shame. If you govern them by means of virtue and control them with propriety, they will gain their own sense of shame, and thus correct themselves.” (trans. Charles A.C. Muller)
On the other hand, you can see articles that are quite Buddhist too:
The three treasures, which are Buddha, the (Buddhist) Law and the (Buddhist) Priesthood; should be given sincere reverence, for they are the final refuge of all living things. Few men are so bad that they cannot be taught their truth.
This emphasizes the importance of the Buddha, the Dharma (Law) and the Sangha (Community), while reaffirming that even bad people are capable of redemption.
Or this one, dealing with envy:
Do not be envious! For if we envy others, then they in turn will envy us. The evils of envy know no limit. If others surpass us in intelligence, we are not pleased; if they are more able, we are envious. But if we do not find wise men and sages, how shall the realm be governed?
Prince Shotoku remains a semi-legendary figure in Japan because he exemplifies so many positive qualities: a Confucian gentleman, a Buddhist at heart, a just leader, and of course his role as a prince of the Imperial Family. The Constitution is certainly his most notable legacy too, and a noble undertaking for such an early age in Human History.
1 Professor Michael Como has a fascinating book on how the legend of Prince Shotoku came about, and points out that the tale of Prince Shotoku composing the 17-Article Constitution is probably doubtful, though it reflects many of the same cultural sentiments at the time that led to Shotoku attaining legendary status, so they go hand in hand.
3 Although I don’t talk about American politics much, I have to admit when I think about the Constitution and the Forefathers, as an American, I can’t help but feel grateful for such forward-thinking men at the time. It is not the first, nor the last constitution, and has had to be updated and revised many times to reflect the times, but the spirit behind it was something noble, and very “Buddhist” in my opinion because it values all beings. Compare with the words of the Metta Sutra for example.
Medieval Japanese Marxism?
Posted: June 10, 2010 Filed under: Confucius, Japan, Literature, Philosophy, Politics, Taoism 2 Comments »Continuing my theme this week of “Idleness Week“, I wanted to post another good quotation from the 13th Century Japanese text, the Essays in Idleness, or tsurézurégusa (徒然草). This comes from section 142:
It is wrong for anyone who has abandoned the world and is without attachments1 to despise other men burdened with many encumbrances for their deep-seated greed and constant fawning on others. If he could put himself in the place of the men he despises, he would see that, for the sake of their parents, wives and children, whom they truly love, they forget all sense of shame and will even steal. I believe therefore it would be better, instead of imprisoning thieves and concerning ourselves only with punishing crimes, to run the country in such a way that no man would ever be hungry or cold. When a man lacks steady employment, is heart is not steady, and in extremity he will steal. As long as the country is not properly governed and people suffer from cold and hunger, there will never be an end to crime. It is pitiful to make people suffer, to force them to break the law, and then to punish them.
How then may we help people? If those at the top would give up their luxury and wastefulness, protect the people and encourage agriculture, those below would unquestionably benefit greatly. The real criminal is the man who commits a crime even though he has a normal share of food and clothing.
To modern ears/eyes, this may sound Marxist to some,2 but of course this predated it by six centuries. Instead, I think Kenkō is drawing inspiration from Confucian idea of the government’s responsibility toward the people. Compare this passage from the Analects of Confucius:
[12:9] Duke Ai asked Youruo: “It has been a year of famine and there are not enough revenues to run the state. What should I do?”
Ruo said, “Why can’t you use a 10% tax?”
The Duke answered: “I can’t even get by on a 20% tax, how am I going to do it on 10%?”
Ruo said, “If the people have enough, what prince can be in want? If the people are in want, how can the prince be satisfied?” (trans. A.C. Muller)
Or from similar statements in the Chinese Taoist classic, the Dao De Jing, section 75:
The reason people starve
Is because their rulers tax them excessively.
They are difficult to govern
Because their rulers have their own ends in mind. (trans. A.C. Muller)
But Kenkō’s inspiration may also come from Buddhist compassion and wisdom. It’s easy to punish, governments do it all the time, but Kenkō is asking people to stop and consider whether the problem is the people, or the conditions they are forced to endure due to government mismanagement. A leader who knows when enough is enough, can be benefit the country greatly, but of course, in Kenkō’s era, when society was still highly stratified by rank and aristocracy, this was rarely the case. Maybe they could have taken inspiration from the famous Edo-period daimyo, Uesugi Yozan, a few centuries later.
P.S. An interesting piece on crime in America.
1 In Japanese, this is a Buddhist term or shukke (出家), meaning to go forth and become a monk or nun, in other words, a fully dedicated disciple of the Buddha. This is a time-honored tradition from the days of the Buddha himself.
2 Even if it does, I still agree with the basic sentiment.
Lenin and Politics
Posted: November 29, 2009 Filed under: Politics Leave a comment »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 fatal role was played here by hurry and the administrative impetuousness of Stalin and also his infatuation with the renowned “social-nationalism”. Infatuation in politics generally and usually plays the worst role.”
–Lenin, In the December 30, 1922 article “Nationalities Issue” or about “Autonomization”
Like I said before, totally random, but I always like learning these little obscure pearls of knowledge (or trivia). Enjoy!
Japanese Election results for 2009
Posted: September 4, 2009 Filed under: Japan, Politics 5 Comments »Japan held parliamentary elections yesterday, and the results have been interesting. According to Asahi newspaper, the main Liberal Democratic Party (自民党, jimintō) lost big time for the first time in over 50 years to its rival the Japan Democratic Party (民主党, minshutō).
Normally I don’t talk about politics here much, but let me give you an idea as to its significance in my opinion:
- The obvious big change is the fact that the LDP party lost it’s dominance for the first time in 50 or more years. In truth, they lost briefly in the 1990s to the JDP for less than a year under prime minister Murayama,1 but this time around the loss is more decisive. For us Americans, imagine one party dominating the Presidency and Congress since the 1950′s.
- To me a more significant change is stated here:
Amid growing criticism over the practice, only 75 of the 133 “hereditary candidates” from both the LDP and the DPJ won seats.
Japanese politics, like some other countries, is often dominated by political families who win generation after generation. So, it’s nice to see this practice become increasingly unpopular with merit being more important than heritage.
- The increase in fresh new candidates, especially women, shows that the political landscape is diversifying too.
While I may sound optimistic, I do hope this brings some much needed change to Japanese politics. Experts feel that the JDP will probably not be able to affect much because key bureaucracies are not sympathetic, but I still hope this will shake things up.
Good luck to Japan after the election!
P.S. I asked my wife about it, and she wasn’t overly concerned. She’s watching daily TV feeds about Noriko Sakai and the ongoing drama there.
1 This was also the first time Japan made a real effort at apologizing for the war atrocities they committed, but Murayama’s leadership was not effective, and opposition watered the apology down quite a bit.
Buddhism and Gay Marriage
Posted: November 19, 2008 Filed under: Buddhism, Politics, Religion 17 Comments »This comic from Sinfest says it all:
With the recent controversy in California over gay marriage, I thought I would explore the subject. I usually stay out of politics because I don’t want to get my head chopped off, but the comic above really expresses my sentiment (and I am a huge fan of Sinfest anyways). I can’t quite understand why we make a bold and progressive decision to elect Obama as President (and I am thankful we did), but many in California who voted for him voted against gay marriage citing “religious reasons”. This post is to explore the subject of gay marriage from the Buddhist perspective.
Buddhism, traditionally, has had little to say about marriage because it is considered a secular issue, not a religious one. Monks never married, and were completely celibate anyways. It’s also why you never see Buddhist marriages either, except only in modern times in the West. People in traditional Buddhist cultures get married in other ways. In Thailand, monks may come to offer a blessing before or after, but are not required to. In Japan, people get married in Shinto shrines, or more recently, fake Christian churches (since they love Western culture so much). The Buddha often gave marriage advice to lay people, such as is found in the Pali Canon, specifically the Sigalovada Sutta (DN 31), but most of the advice is common-sense: be kind, faithful and loving to your spouse and work hard for the benefit of the marriage and the children.
As far as homosexuality is concerned, it is seen as no different than heterosexuality. Instead how one conducts their life is more important. The Buddha spoke quite a bit about sexual immorality in the sutras, but compared to Western Religions, the criteria was different. The Buddha spoke of sexual immorality more in terms of illicit sexual behavior or debauchery as in the Dighajanu Sutta (AN 8.54):
“These are the four drains on one’s store of wealth: debauchery in sex; debauchery in drink; debauchery in gambling; and evil friendship, evil companionship, evil camaraderie…
Or the aforementioned Sigalovada Sutta:
“Dice, women, liquor, dancing, singing, sleeping by day, sauntering at unseemly hours, evil companions, avarice — these nine causes ruin a man.
“Who plays with dice and drinks intoxicants, goes to women who are dear unto others as their own lives, associates with the mean and not with [wise] elders — he declines just as the moon during the waning half.
Of note is the phrase goes to women who are dear unto others as their own lives which is a reference to adultery.
The Buddha held sexual misconduct as dangerous and destructive to oneself and others, and thus encouraged followers to take up the Five Moral Precepts, of which illicit sex is the third item to abstain from.
However, notice that in all this the Buddha never mentions homosexuality. For lay followers, the Buddha didn’t consider homosexuality a problem in of itself, if it was practiced in a wholesome manner. Monks of course had to be totally celibate, and the Buddha strictly enforced this rule in his time. If there existed a monogamous gay couple, who stayed faithful, and a straight man who slept around, the gay couple would be faultless, while the straight man would be shamed for his illicit behavior. Buddhism does not condemn people per se, but one who follows good moral conduct, in the words of the Abhisanda Sutta (AN 8.39):
…gives freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, he gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from oppression.
So if we look at Buddhism and the issue of Sex, it does not matter what one’s sexual orientation is, but how one chooses to use it. If one maintains their virtue, lives in a committed relationship and avoids adultery or illicit sex, they stay true to the Third Moral Precept, and are considered faultless. Thus Buddhism has no problem with gay marriage.
Back in Seattle, I was part of the Buddhist Churches of America, which is Jodo Shinshu or “Shin” Buddhism, part of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism. The organization has been around for over 100 years on the West Coast, and has been committed to tolerance and compassion,* while Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in Japan has existed for over 700 years and has been the same since its inception. The founder of Jodo Shinshu, Shinran, was devoted to his own mentor, Honen, who actively preached Buddhism to those who were excluded by other groups. The disenfranchised and forgotten have always had a place in Pure Land Buddhism because we teach that Amida Buddha welcomes all beings as they are, if they only call his name, even once.
This unconditional tolerance and compassion is Buddhism at its best.
Namuamidabu
Update: A friend back in the old Seattle temple reminded me via email that the BCA monthly newspaper, Wheel of Dharma has an article about Rev. Briones, the first Jodo Shinshu Mexican American Minister who wrote about his experience officiating the wedding of George Takei (Mr. Sulu from Star Trek). Gotta love the diversity. 
Thanks Mr. Y!
* – Speaking from experience, my temple in Seattle had a healthy mix of elderly Japanese-American ladies sitting beside openly gay couples, so I know this to be true in practice.
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