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”
Tag Archives: Jodo Shu
Of Burning Houses and Rain
Here is another wonderful poem (previous posts here and here) by the 11th century Japanese poetess, Lady Izumi (izumi shikibu 和泉式部 in Japanese), that I found in The Ink Dark Moon by Jane Hirshfield and Mariko Aratani: Original Japanese Romanization Translation ものをのみ Mono o nomi Should I leave this burning house 思ひの家を Omoi no ieContinue reading “Of Burning Houses and Rain”
Inattention
A while back, I talked about a famous poetess from 11th century Japan named Lady Izumi, one of several famous ladies of the court at that time, but for some reason the one I find most fascinating.1 Lady Izumi was a prolific poet, and I have been reading samples of her poetry compiled in TheContinue reading “Inattention”
The Amitabha Root Dharani
The Amida Nyorai Konpon Dharani (阿弥陀如来根本陀羅尼) or “Amitabha Root Dharani” is a dharani used in some Japanese Buddhist sects, typically only on the Segaki ritual used to feed the hungry ghosts in Buddhism, or possibly funerals and other similar services. It is typically only found in esoteric rituals in Shingon and Tendai Buddhism, but canContinue reading “The Amitabha Root Dharani”
Self-Help Does Not Help
Well, life tends to mitigate against complete commitment, doesn’t it? Count Saint Germain, Castlevania animated series, season 4 With the recent turmoil following my mother-in-law’s passing, life has been disrupted in many ways. All of this is temporary, but it has reminded me of how easily one’s Buddhist practice can slip. Since this started shortlyContinue reading “Self-Help Does Not Help”
Turning A New Page, Sort Of
Hello dear readers, I have a few updates to share. First, I updated the name of the blog. When I first built it, I had chosen a snarky name at random and never bothered to update it until I had a more clear idea what i wanted to do with the blog (and not justContinue reading “Turning A New Page, Sort Of”
Samadhi, Schamadhi
My family knows I love to eat rice and natto, or fermented soy beans, in the morning. Often with Korean kimchi. It’s a breakfast habit I started about 10-15 years ago, and never looked back. Thanks to the crunch of the pandemic, and inflation, shipments from Japan have become a trickle, and so our localContinue reading “Samadhi, Schamadhi”
The Real Treasure Was Inside Us All Along
Recently, I have been reading up on the Obaku sect (Ōbaku-shū, 黄檗宗) of Japanese Zen Buddhism: the same sect that Tetsugen was a disciple of. Obaku Zen is the third and last Zen sect to come to Japan to China, centuries after Rinzai and Soto were imported. Rinzai and Soto were both imported from ChinaContinue reading “The Real Treasure Was Inside Us All Along”
Buddhist Practice and Being Reasonable
I found this quotation recently in the 13th century Japanese text, the Essays in Idleness, and have been giving it some thought: Someone asked the holy priest Honen how to prevent himself from being negligent in his practice by inadvertently nodding off when chanting the nenbutsu. “Chant for as long as you stay awake,” answeredContinue reading “Buddhist Practice and Being Reasonable”
Making A Good Impression
In 17th century China there lived a Buddhist monk named Ouyi Zhixu1 (蕅益智旭, 1599–1655) who wrote a famous commentary on the Amitabha Sutra called the Mind Seal of the Buddhas (阿彌陀經要解, Ā mí tuó jīng dài jiě, lit. “Commentaries on the Amitabha Sutra”). I have linked a PDF of it here. Ouyi lived during aContinue reading “Making A Good Impression”
Gleanings in Buddha-Fields 