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!
Category Archives: Shingon
Santa Claus, the Buddhist
Years ago, I wrote a pretend Buddhist sutra about Santa Claus, in my belief that Santa would make a good bodhisattva.1 However, I never imagined that I would see a video like this. Big thanks to fellow Buddhist blogger, and … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Japan, Religion, Shingon
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New Member of the Family: the Medicine Buddha
No, we haven’t had another baby yet; that’s still a work in progress. Instead, I have a new statue in the makeshift collection / Buddhist altar on my bookshelf: This is a statue of the Medicine Buddha, or Yakushi Nyorai … Continue reading
Putting Yogacara Buddhism into Practice
Ever since I took an interest in Yogacara/Hossō Buddhism last year, one question that has often arisen for me (possibly others) is how do you practice it? Texts and treatises elude to special types of meditation within the monastic community, … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Hosso, Japan, Shingon
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Myoe and Esoteric Buddhism
Recently, I had been avidly reading a book about Myōe, a famous Buddhist scholar-monk from the 13th century, and a contemporary of Jokei and Honen. The author of the book, Prof. Mark Unno, demonstrates how Myō was an eclectic Buddhist … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Hosso, Jodo Shinshu, Shingon
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As Appropriate: Buddhist Advice from Myoe
Lately, I have been enjoying a book on the Mantra of Light, and of a famous Japanese monk named Myōe (明恵, 1173 – 1232), called Shingon Refractions by Professor Mark Unno. Myoe was ordained in both the Kegon and Shingon … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Shingon, Zen
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Practice and Learning: Buddhist Advice from Myoe Koben
Lately, I’ve been avidly re-reading a book on the life of a famous 13th-century Japanese monk, Myōe Kōben titled Shingon Refractions, and I wanted to pass along some good quotations from Myoe’s writings, as translated in the book by Professor … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Shingon, Zen
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The Pure Land Buffet
Lately, another interesting book I have been reading is a biography of 13th century Buddhist monk, Myōe Kōben, and his advocacy of an esoteric practice called the the Mantra of Light, titled Shingon Refractions. Similar to the book I have … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Japan, Jodo Shinshu, Jodo Shu, Shingon, Tendai
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Part Three of my Tokyo Tour: Takahata Fudō Myōō
After taking a long lunch-break followed by coffee near Ueno Station in Tokyo, we were ready to make an extended trip out to a famous Shingon Buddhist temple: Takahata Fudō, more formally called Kongōji (金剛寺). It was here that I … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Japan, Jodo Shinshu, Photography, Shingon, Shinto, Tendai, Travel
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Day Two in Nara, part 3: The February Hall of Todaiji
Our adventure in Nara’s eminent Todaiji Temple hadn’t ended with seeing the Great Buddha. Why? You see, after my first trip to Nara five years ago, and subsequent conversion to Buddhism, I started learning more about the places I visited … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Japan, Photography, Shingon, Shinto, Travel
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Day Two in Nara, part 2: Todaiji Temple
The second temple we saw in Nara, not far from Kofukuji was none other than Todaiji itself, head of the Kegon sect of Buddhism. I have been to Todaiji five years before, but somehow felt the trip was incomplete, and … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Japan, Photography, Shingon, Travel
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