I did it, I finally finished it. For years I wanted to write a book about Buddhism, especially Mahayana Buddhism, and each time I struggled to get past a certain point and keep point. Recently while cleaning out some files on the computer, I discovered that in early 2020, during the first months of theContinue reading “My New Buddhism Book!”
Author Archives: Doug
The Great Buddha of Kamakura
Still catching up on blog posts from our latest trip to Japan, but today I wanted to share some photos from the Great Buddha of Kamakura, or in Japanese Kamakura no Daibutsu (鎌倉の大仏).1 The Great Buddha is one of two major attractions in the old city of Kamakura, the other being the grand shrine ofContinue reading “The Great Buddha of Kamakura”
Learning Pathfinder 2e as a D&D Player
In the past couple of months, starting with the Beginner Box, I have been learning how to play Pathfinder, second edition, which came out in 2019. It is a successor to the original Pathfinder edition, which in turn was based on Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 through the Open Gaming License (the same one under attackContinue reading “Learning Pathfinder 2e as a D&D Player”
Every Day Is A Good Day, Kind Of
Soon after I wrote this post, I was reminded of a certain Zen aphorism in Japanese: 日日是好日 which is read as nichi nichi kore kō nichi. This usually translates as “every day is a good day”, or “each day is a good day” or other such things. It is originally attributed to a Chinese ZenContinue reading “Every Day Is A Good Day, Kind Of”
Liturgical Language and Start-up Buddhism
Warning: this is a rant post. Although I have happily taken up with a local Soto Zen group in my area, one of the first challenges I’ve noticed is that the group is probably 99% white, and have little or no knowledge of Japanese culture or language, despite the tradition they’ve inherited. This came intoContinue reading “Liturgical Language and Start-up Buddhism”
Polishing the Mind
In Chinese-Buddhist literature, the influential treatise Cheng Wei Shi Lun (成唯識論) contains the following quote, translated in the book Living Yogacara:1 Polishing their minds, the courageous do not waver. trans. Professor A. Charles Muller This treatise was written by the famous Chinese monk, Xuanzang (玄奘), whom I talked about recently. From his journeys in India,Continue reading “Polishing the Mind”
The Challenges of Romanizing Chinese Language
Recently, I was reading a couple old-school fantasy novels set in the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons and Dragons: Horselords and Dragonwall. These novels, part of the Empires trilogy, revolve around a fantasy re-telling of the Mongol invasion of Song-Dynasty China. Dragonwall, in particular, centered on the fictional land of Shou Lung, an analog toContinue reading “The Challenges of Romanizing Chinese Language”
A Mirror of the Parents
As of writing it is the month of March, or in the traditional calendar of Japan, the month of Yayoi (弥生, “new life”). We frequently get certain Buddhist-themed calendars from Japan every year due to my wife’s family’s connections, in particular the Honobono calendar series. In addition to the terrific artwork, each month has someContinue reading “A Mirror of the Parents”
The Amazing Adventures of Xuanzang
One of the most important figures in Buddhism and East Asian history, arguably, is also one of the least known outside of some cultural circles. I am talking about a famous Chinese monk named Xuan-zang (玄奘, 602 – 664).1 Recently, I found an old, but fascinating book on my shelf I had forgotten about, titledContinue reading “The Amazing Adventures of Xuanzang”
Soto Zen Yearly Liturgical Calendar
Hello, Recently, I alluded to joining a local Soto Zen group and deepening my practice there. I am happy to report that after several weeks, I finally decided to formally join the community as a member. Thus, I guess I am now a student of Soto Zen.1 It is kind of exciting to be partContinue reading “Soto Zen Yearly Liturgical Calendar”
Gleanings in Buddha-Fields 