Narrative in Buddhist Texts, Practice and Transmission, an exploration of the significance of narrative in Buddhism from a variety of perspectives.

Mara Re-imagined: Stories of the ‘Evil One’ in Changing Contexts by Dr. Michael D. Nichols, Saint Joseph’s College with response by Scott Mitchell.

Recorded Friday, April 18, 2014, Berkeley, CA.

Funding provided generously by the Numata Foundation.

(c) 2014 Michael Nichols

Narrative in Buddhist Texts, Practice and Transmission, an exploration of the significance of narrative in Buddhism from a variety of perspectives.

The Path from Metaphor to Narrative: Gampopa’s Jewel Ornament of Liberation by Dr. Richard K. Payne, Institute of Buddhist Studies with response by Daijaku Kinst.

Recorded Friday, April 18, 2014, Berkeley, CA.

Funding provided generously by the Numata Foundation.

(c) 2014 Richard Payne

Spring 2012 Ryūkoku Lecture Series
Presented by Professor Hisashi Tonouchi, Ryūkoku University

True Teaching, Practice and Realization (Kyōgyōshinshō): its aim and the formation of Shinran’s Pure Land Teaching

The Jōgen Suppression and Shinran’s admonition against self-power (continued)

In Japanese with English translation.

An outline of the lecture series is available as a downloadable PDF in English or in Japanese.

[6 of 6]

Originally recorded on 22 March 2012
(c) 2012 The Institute of Buddhist Studies

Spring 2012 Ryūkoku Lecture Series
Presented by Professor Hisashi Tonouchi, Ryūkoku University

True Teaching, Practice and Realization (Kyōgyōshinshō): its aim and the formation of Shinran’s Pure Land Teaching

The Jōgen Suppression and Shinran’s admonition against self-power

In Japanese with English translation.

An outline of the lecture series is available as a downloadable PDF in English or in Japanese.

[5 of 6]

Originally recorded on 22 March 2012
(c) 2012 The Institute of Buddhist Studies

Spring 2012 Ryūkoku Lecture Series
Presented by Professor Hisashi Tonouchi, Ryūkoku University

True Teaching, Practice and Realization (Kyōgyōshinshō): its aim and the formation of Shinran’s Pure Land Teaching

Birth through the nembutsu: Shinran’s explications of practice and shinjin (continued)

In Japanese with English translation.

An outline of the lecture series is available as a downloadable PDF in English or in Japanese.

[4 of 6]

Originally recorded on 15 March 2012
(c) 2012 The Institute of Buddhist Studies

Spring 2012 Ryūkoku Lecture Series
Presented by Professor Hisashi Tonouchi, Ryūkoku University

True Teaching, Practice and Realization (Kyōgyōshinshō): its aim and the formation of Shinran’s Pure Land Teaching

Birth through the nembutsu: Shinran’s explications of practice and shinjin

In Japanese with English translation.

An outline of the lecture series is available as a downloadable PDF in English or in Japanese.

[3 of 6]

Originally recorded on 15 March 2012
(c) 2012 The Institute of Buddhist Studies

Spring 2012 Ryūkoku Lecture Series
Presented by Professor Hisashi Tonouchi, Ryūkoku University

True Teaching, Practice and Realization (Kyōgyōshinshō): its aim and the formation of Shinran’s Pure Land Teaching

Features and Critiques of Hōnen’s Pure Land Teaching (continued)

In Japanese with English translation.

An outline of the lecture series is available as a downloadable PDF in English or in Japanese.

[2 of 6]

Originally recorded on 8 March 2012
(c) 2012 The Institute of Buddhist Studies

Spring 2012 Ryūkoku Lecture Series
Presented by Professor Hisashi Tonouchi, Ryūkoku University

True Teaching, Practice and Realization (Kyōgyōshinshō): its aim and the formation of Shinran’s Pure Land Teaching

Features and Critiques of Hōnen’s Pure Land Teaching

In Japanese with English translation.

An outline of the lecture series is available as a downloadable PDF in English or in Japanese.

[1 of 6]

Originally recorded on 8 March 2012
(c) 2012 The Institute of Buddhist Studies

As a basic principle governing moral thinking, the Buddhist concept of karma is brilliant. With clarity and simplicity, it informs participants in Buddhist cultures that what becomes of them in life is dependent on the quality of their relations to other people and on what they do in life. The fact that the concept of karma was transferred from one religious tradition to others in Asia has meant that its early mythological foundations have been weakened, to some extent allowing it to stand on its own.
Although western religions have moral principles that function in similar ways, in each case these concepts cannot so easily be severed from their mythological grounding in the ideas of the will of God, heaven and hell. That difference suggests that karma’s potential as a moral principle for contemporary global culture is outstanding. In order to live up to that role, however, some dimensions of the concept of karma would require rethinking. In this lecture, Prof. Wright assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the idea of karma, and suggests how certain aspects of the idea can be developed into a powerful and realistic moral framework for the approaching global society.

A video version of this talk is also available.

Originally recorded on 28 October 2011, at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, Ca.
Copyright © 2011 Dale Wright

Sometime during the late fourteenth or early fifteenth century, several variants of an indigenous Chinese sutra known as the Xuepenjing 血盆経 (“Blood Bowl Sutra,” Jpns. Ketsubonkyō), were transmitted to Japan. Emphasizing the impurity of women’s reproductive blood, this short scripture teaches that women are fated to fall into a special hell known as the “Blood Pond Hell” (chi no ike jigoku 血の池地獄) in retribution for the sin of polluting the earth with blood. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, temples throughout Japan actively promoted the cult of the Blood Bowl Hell as a method of saving women. In this cult, disgust for the female body, first emphasized in Buddhist texts as a means of encouraging celibate monks to remain distant from women, is directed not to celibate monks, but to a new audience of lay men and women. My talk will explore two early modern commentaries on the text in an effort to understand how priests presented the teachings of the Blood Bowl Sutra to this audience. 

Originally recorded April 22, 2011 at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, Ca.
Copyright © 2010 Lori Meeks

The History of the Shin Buddhist Tradition (part six of six – audio)
by Professor Atsushi Hirata, Department of History, Ryūkoku University, Kyoto, Japan.

In Japanese with live English translation.

This is a six part series covering the 2011 Ryūkoku Lecture Series held at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, CA, in March 2011.

• Lecture One (parts one and two): Buddhadharma and the feudal system
• Lecture Two (parts three and four): The Sangō Wakuran incident and its impact
• Lecture Three (parts five and six): Hongwanji and the State: the two truth theory

The History of the Shin Buddhist Tradition (part five of six – audio)
by Professor Atsushi Hirata, Department of History, Ryūkoku University, Kyoto, Japan.

In Japanese with live English translation.

This is a six part series covering the 2011 Ryūkoku Lecture Series held at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, CA, in March 2011.

• Lecture One (parts one and two): Buddhadharma and the feudal system
• Lecture Two (parts three and four): The Sangō Wakuran incident and its impact
• Lecture Three (parts five and six): Hongwanji and the State: the two truth theory

Narrative in Buddhist Texts, Practice and Transmission, an exploration of the significance of narrative in Buddhism from a variety of perspectives.

Narrative Amidst the Activities of Scripture by Dr. Charles Hallisey, Harvard Divinity School with response by Mark Blum of the University of California, Berkeley.

Recorded Friday, April 18, 2014, Berkeley, CA.

Funding provided generously by the Numata Foundation.

(c) 2014 Charles Hallisey

The History of the Shin Buddhist Tradition (part four of six – audio)
by Professor Atsushi Hirata, Department of History, Ryūkoku University, Kyoto, Japan.

In Japanese with live English translation.

This is a six part series covering the 2011 Ryūkoku Lecture Series held at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, CA, in March 2011.

• Lecture One (parts one and two): Buddhadharma and the feudal system
• Lecture Two (parts three and four): The Sangō Wakuran incident and its impact
• Lecture Three (parts five and six): Hongwanji and the State: the two truth theory

The History of the Shin Buddhist Tradition (part three of six – audio)
by Professor Atsushi Hirata, Department of History, Ryūkoku University, Kyoto, Japan.

In Japanese with live English translation.

This is a six part series covering the 2011 Ryūkoku Lecture Series held at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, CA, in March 2011.

• Lecture One (parts one and two): Buddhadharma and the feudal system
• Lecture Two (parts three and four): The Sangō Wakuran incident and its impact
• Lecture Three (parts five and six): Hongwanji and the State: the two truth theory

The History of the Shin Buddhist Tradition (part two of six – audio)
by Professor Atsushi Hirata, Department of History, Ryūkoku University, Kyoto, Japan.

In Japanese with live English translation.

This is a six part series covering the 2011 Ryūkoku Lecture Series held at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, CA, in March 2011.

• Lecture One (parts one and two): Buddhadharma and the feudal system
• Lecture Two (parts three and four): The Sangō Wakuran incident and its impact
• Lecture Three (parts five and six): Hongwanji and the State: the two truth theory

The History of the Shin Buddhist Tradition (part one of six – audio only)
by Professor Atsushi Hirata, Department of History, Ryūkoku University, Kyoto, Japan.

In Japanese with live English translation.

This is a six part series covering the 2011 Ryūkoku Lecture Series held at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, CA, in March 2011.

• Lecture One (parts one and two): Buddhadharma and the feudal system
• Lecture Two (parts three and four): The Sangō Wakuran incident and its impact
• Lecture Three (parts five and six): Hongwanji and the State: the two truth theory

The Fall 2010 Numata Lecture at the Institute of Buddhist Studies was delivered by Prof. Kenneth Lee of the California State University, Northridge. Prof. Lee discussed Shinran Shonin’s wasan, the Kōtaishi Shōtoku hōsan in devotion to Prince Shotoku, revered as the founder of Buddhism in Japan.

This is an audio-only version of the dialogue. A video version is also available.

Originally recorded November 19, 2010 at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, Ca.
Copyright © 2010 Kenneth Lee

Enter into an exploration of C.G. Jungâ€s personal transformation as recorded in the Red Book and viewed from Buddhist perspectives.

To learn what the Red Book may mean to us know, the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, together with the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, hosted a series of “Red Book Dialogue” between Jungian Analysts and leading teachers, writers, and artists. These conversations, brought together people who have challenged themselves to engage with their own depths, are designed to appeal to people both in and out of the psychological professions. In this way, the meaning of Jungâ€s journey can come to life in each of us.

Our second dialogue, between Jack Kornfield of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and Dyane Sherwood, analyst member of the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, was held at the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco on November 12, 2010.

This is an audio-only version of the dialogue. A video version is also available.

Originally recorded November 12, 2010 at the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco, Ca.
Copyright © 2010 the Institute of Buddhist Studies

Enter into an exploration of C.G. Jungâ€s personal transformation as recorded in the Red Book and viewed from Buddhist perspectives.

To learn what the Red Book may mean to us know, the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, together with the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, hosted a series of “Red Book Dialogue” between Jungian Analysts and leading teachers, writers, and artists. These conversations, brought together people who have challenged themselves to engage with their own depths, are designed to appeal to people both in and out of the psychological professions. In this way, the meaning of Jungâ€s journey can come to life in each of us.

Our first dialogue, between Zoketsu Norman Fischer of San Francisco Zen Center and Jungian analyst Richard Stein, was held at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley on October 22, 2010.

This is an audio-only version of the dialogue. A video version is also available.

Originally recorded October 22, 2010 at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in the Jodo Shinshu Center, Berkeley, Ca.
Copyright © 2010 the Institute of Buddhist Studies

The 2010 Spring Numata Lecture was delivered by Jacob Dalton on April 30, 2010. The following episode is the full video version of Prof. Dalton’s talk.

The Tibetan manuscripts from Dunhuang include a large number of copied dhāraṇīs, both sūtras and stand-alone spells. In this talk I will examine the content, the colophons, and the formats of these manuscripts and attempt to draw some broader conclusions about how dhāraṇīs were used by early Tibetan Buddhists living around Dunhuang. I will then turn to the dhāraṇī collections (dhāraṇī-saṃgraha). The contents of these collections could vary according to the interests of the manuscripts†owners, yet certain shared patterns may be discerned. The significance of these formal patterns becomes clear when we see how the same template was used by later Tibetans to structure the dhāraṇī (gzungs ‘dus) section of their Tibetan canon (bka†‘gyur). Finally, I will step back to consider the historical development of dhāraṇī ritual practice and textual codification in light of the emergence of the tantras around the seventh century.

Originally recorded April 30, 2010 at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in the Jodo Shinshu Center, Berkeley, Ca.
Copyright © 2010 Jacob Dalton

This is part six of a six part series.

Dennis Hirota, Professor in the Department of Shin Buddhist Studies at Ryukoku University, Kyoto, was the Institute of Buddhist Studies’ 2010 Ryukoku Lecturer.

Dr. Hirota’s topic was “Shinran’s Phenomenology of Religious Life: Toward a Rethinking of Shinjin.” The lecture was divided into three parts over the course of three separate days. The audio tracks here roughly compare to the following:

• Lecture One, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Truth”: parts one and two
• Lecture Two, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Time”: parts three and four
• Lecture Three, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Dwelling”: parts five and six

Dr. Hirota is known for his translation work in “The Collected Works of Shinran” and original works such as “No Abode: The Record of Ippen,” “Toward a Contemporary Understanding of Pure Land Buddhism,” “Shinran: An Introduction to His Thought,” and “Tannisho: A Primer.”

Originally recorded March 10, 16, and 17, 2010 at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in the Jodo Shinshu Center, Berkeley, Ca.

Copyright © 2010, Denis Hirota.

This is part five of a six part series.

Dennis Hirota, Professor in the Department of Shin Buddhist Studies at Ryukoku University, Kyoto, was the Institute of Buddhist Studies’ 2010 Ryukoku Lecturer.

Dr. Hirota’s topic was “Shinran’s Phenomenology of Religious Life: Toward a Rethinking of Shinjin.” The lecture was divided into three parts over the course of three separate days. The audio tracks here roughly compare to the following:

• Lecture One, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Truth”: parts one and two
• Lecture Two, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Time”: parts three and four
• Lecture Three, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Dwelling”: parts five and six

Dr. Hirota is known for his translation work in “The Collected Works of Shinran” and original works such as “No Abode: The Record of Ippen,” “Toward a Contemporary Understanding of Pure Land Buddhism,” “Shinran: An Introduction to His Thought,” and “Tannisho: A Primer.”

Originally recorded March 10, 16, and 17, 2010 at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in the Jodo Shinshu Center, Berkeley, Ca.

Copyright © 2010, Denis Hirota.

An exploration of the roles that a received tradition and personal engagement play in our realization of the truth and meaning of Jodo Shinshu.

Discussion and response by Dr. Takamaro Shigaraki, Professor Emeritus, Ryukoku University.

Recorded Thursday, February 28, 2013, San Mateo, CA.

Sponsored by the George T. Aratani Endowment for the IBS Center for Contemporary Shin Buddhist Studies.

(c) 2013 Takamaro Shigaraki

This is part four of a six part series.

Dennis Hirota, Professor in the Department of Shin Buddhist Studies at Ryukoku University, Kyoto, was the Institute of Buddhist Studies’ 2010 Ryukoku Lecturer.

Dr. Hirota’s topic was “Shinran’s Phenomenology of Religious Life: Toward a Rethinking of Shinjin.” The lecture was divided into three parts over the course of three separate days. The audio tracks here roughly compare to the following:

• Lecture One, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Truth”: parts one and two
• Lecture Two, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Time”: parts three and four
• Lecture Three, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Dwelling”: parts five and six

Dr. Hirota is known for his translation work in “The Collected Works of Shinran” and original works such as “No Abode: The Record of Ippen,” “Toward a Contemporary Understanding of Pure Land Buddhism,” “Shinran: An Introduction to His Thought,” and “Tannisho: A Primer.”

Originally recorded March 10, 16, and 17, 2010 at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in the Jodo Shinshu Center, Berkeley, Ca.

Copyright © 2010, Denis Hirota.

This is part three of a six part series.

Dennis Hirota, Professor in the Department of Shin Buddhist Studies at Ryukoku University, Kyoto, was the Institute of Buddhist Studies’ 2010 Ryukoku Lecturer.

Dr. Hirota’s topic was “Shinran’s Phenomenology of Religious Life: Toward a Rethinking of Shinjin.” The lecture was divided into three parts over the course of three separate days. The audio tracks here roughly compare to the following:

• Lecture One, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Truth”: parts one and two
• Lecture Two, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Time”: parts three and four
• Lecture Three, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Dwelling”: parts five and six

Dr. Hirota is known for his translation work in “The Collected Works of Shinran” and original works such as “No Abode: The Record of Ippen,” “Toward a Contemporary Understanding of Pure Land Buddhism,” “Shinran: An Introduction to His Thought,” and “Tannisho: A Primer.”

Originally recorded March 10, 16, and 17, 2010 at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in the Jodo Shinshu Center, Berkeley, Ca.

Copyright © 2010, Denis Hirota.

This is part two of a six part series.

Dennis Hirota, Professor in the Department of Shin Buddhist Studies at Ryukoku University, Kyoto, was the Institute of Buddhist Studies’ 2010 Ryukoku Lecturer.

Dr. Hirota’s topic was “Shinran’s Phenomenology of Religious Life: Toward a Rethinking of Shinjin.” The lecture was divided into three parts over the course of three separate days. The audio tracks here roughly compare to the following:

• Lecture One, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Truth”: parts one and two
• Lecture Two, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Time”: parts three and four
• Lecture Three, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Dwelling”: parts five and six

Dr. Hirota is known for his translation work in “The Collected Works of Shinran” and original works such as “No Abode: The Record of Ippen,” “Toward a Contemporary Understanding of Pure Land Buddhism,” “Shinran: An Introduction to His Thought,” and “Tannisho: A Primer.”

Originally recorded March 10, 16, and 17, 2010 at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in the Jodo Shinshu Center, Berkeley, Ca.

Copyright © 2010, Denis Hirota.

Dennis Hirota, Professor in the Department of Shin Buddhist Studies at Ryukoku University, Kyoto, was the Institute of Buddhist Studies’ 2010 Ryukoku Lecturer.

Dr. Hirota’s topic was “Shinran’s Phenomenology of Religious Life: Toward a Rethinking of Shinjin.” The lecture was divided into three parts over the course of three separate days. The audio tracks here roughly compare to the following:

• Lecture One, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Truth”: parts one and two
• Lecture Two, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Time”: parts three and four
• Lecture Three, “The Shin Buddhist Path and Dwelling”: parts five and six

Dr. Hirota is known for his translation work in “The Collected Works of Shinran” and original works such as “No Abode: The Record of Ippen,” “Toward a Contemporary Understanding of Pure Land Buddhism,” “Shinran: An Introduction to His Thought,” and “Tannisho: A Primer.”

Originally recorded March 10, 16, and 17, 2010 at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in the Jodo Shinshu Center, Berkeley, Ca.

Copyright © 2010, Denis Hirota.

STRANGERS TO EACH OTHER
~ Names without Faces or Stories ~

Panel Presentation that sought to connect Ministers, Chaplains, and Counselors to the names, faces, stories, and concerns of members of the LGBT Community. Through their voices we hear from all people who have experienced alienation, exclusion or exile from their faith community.

Facilitator: Demetrio Tafoya (Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, GTU)
Commentator: Dr. Daijaku Judith Kinst (Institute of Buddhist Studies)

Originally recorded April 10, 2009.

Audio only

© 2007 Demtrio Tafoya

Lecture by Takanori Sugioka

Professor Takanori Sugioka discusses Shinran’s use of various metaphors by Shinran Shonin in his expression of Shin Buddhist faith.

Originally recorded June 7, 2007

© 2007 Takanori Sugioka

Lecture by Taigen Daniel Leighton

Audio Version

Taigen Leighton of the Institute of Buddhist studies and the Ancient Dragon Zen Gate meditation group in Chicago, IL, discusses the ways in which Dogen referenced the Lotus Sutra.

Originally recorded May 19, 2007

© 2007, Taigen Daniel Leighton

Lecture by Leslie Kawamura

Audio Version

Dr. Kawamura begins his lecture by reiterating the usual understanding of anatman (no-self) — that a “self” does not exist. But if a self does not exist, then there would be little or no need to be concerned or involved in the Buddha-Dharma (teachings of the Buddha). What does it mean to say “no-self” in Buddhism? In his lecture Dr. Kawamura will approach this issue from a purely Mahayana perspective and discuss both Madhyamaka and Yogacara systems.

Originally recorded Spring 2007, © Leslie Kawamura

Lecture by Charles D. Orzech

In this talk Prof. Orzech examines three important developments of Song Esoteric Buddhism. First he examines the renewed translation efforts by the first two Northern Song Emperors and their establishment of the Institute for the Translation of Scriptures (Yijing yuan). Second, he explores evidence for the circulation and use of Esoteric scriptures and rituals recorded in the journal of the Japanese pilgrim Jojin on his visit to Wutaishan. Finally he looks at the integration of Esoteric themes, deities, and rituals in the Dazu region during the Southern Song.

Originally recorded in the Spring of 2007; © Charles D. Orzech

An exploration of the roles that a received tradition and personal engagement play in our realization of the truth and meaning of Jodo Shinshu.

Rev. Henry Adams of Oxnard Buddhist Temple

Recorded Thursday, February 28, 2013, San Mateo, CA.

Sponsored by the George T. Aratani Endowment for the IBS Center for Contemporary Shin Buddhist Studies.

(c) 2013 Henry Adams

An exploration of the roles that a received tradition and personal engagement play in our realization of the truth and meaning of Jodo Shinshu.

Dr. Michael Conway of the Eastern Buddhist Society

Recorded Thursday, February 28, 2013, San Mateo, CA.

Sponsored by the George T. Aratani Endowment for the IBS Center for Contemporary Shin Buddhist Studies.

(c) 2013 Michael Conway

From the Dharma at Times of Need symposium, the keynote address delivered by Rev. Dr. Seigen Yamaoka, professor of Shin Buddhist Studies at the Institute of Buddhist Studies.

Prof. Yamaoka’s moving keynote touched on his own personal experiences with the Dharma as a Jodo Shinshu minister, former bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America, dedicated scholar and inter-religious advocate, and ministering to Buddhist in the United States for over four decades. Prof. Yamaoka has been influential in bringing a uniquely American approach to ministry to Japan, helping to create a new Practical Shin Buddhist Ministry program at Ryukoku Univeristy in Kyoto.

The Dharma at Times of Need symposium sought to bring together the voices and experiences of Buddhist ministers and Buddhist chaplains and was co-hosted by the Institute of Buddhist Studies and Harvard Divinity Schools. For more information on the symposium, click here.

Originally recorded 3 May 2013. (c) 2013 Institute of Buddhist Studies and Seigen Yamaoka.

Domestic Dharma: Beyond Texts, Beyond Monasteries, Numata Symposium 2012 Keynote Address by Prof. Paula Arai.

Creativity, flexibility, and accessibility are qualities characteristic of the Buddhist practices that women in contemporary Japan engage in as they weave healing activities into their daily life. Home-made ritualized activities, which draw upon and innovatively adapt age-old traditions, include common greetings turned into healing events, cleaning cloths performing medical mysteries, and poetry writing. In addition, this domestic Dharma often sees a loved one transformed into a Personal Buddha upon death, bestowing wise counsel and compassionate support.

Originally recorded on 22 September 2012
(c) 2012 The Institute of Buddhist Studies and Paula Arai

A video version of this talk is also available.

Domestic Dharma: Beyond Texts, Beyond Monasteries, Numata Symposium 2012 Keynote Address by Prof. Lisa Grumbach.

An exploration of the roles of ordained women within the social and familial structures of medieval Japan. Focusing on the reasons women became nuns, their age at ordination, and the work they performed as nuns, Prof. Grumbach argues that women used ordination as a way to build and maintain homes rather than as a way to “leave home.” Autobiographical writings by women, historical and biographical information about nuns, and medieval literature are used to show that ordination and family life were not opposing categories for many women, suggesting that we need to revise our understanding of what it meant to be a “nun” in medieval Japan.

Originally recorded on 22 September 2012
(c) 2012 The Institute of Buddhist Studies and Lisa Grumbach

A video version of this talk is also available.

The 2012 Graduation Commencement Address was delivered by Prof. Franz Metcalf and generously sponsored by the Numata Foundation. “Our Buddhadharma, Our Buddhist Dharma” explores our evolving Buddhist dharma in two senses. That is, it tries to begin clarifying dharma in the sense of (a) what the Buddhadharma, as teaching, is; and (b) what our dharma, as duty, is toward that Buddhadharma. While the former is a bottomless pit of circularity into which scholars may sink their careers, and the latter is a deepening chasm of responsibilities into which practitioners may throw their lives, the sinking and the throwing need doing. Treading (and thereby perhaps obliterating) one line between scholarship and practice, this address attempts to trace a path on which scholars and graduates may walk together, down into the darkness.

Prof. Metcalf is a teacher at the California State University, Los Angeles, and the author of numerous books applying Buddhist teachings to our everyday lives, including Just Add Buddha and Buddha in Your Backpack.

Originally recorded on 18 May 2012
(c) 2012 The Institute of Buddhist Studies and Franz Metcalf