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13 Sep, 4 tweets, 2 min read
These afro buddhas are an uncommon, distinctively Japanese Pure Land Buddhist motif. They depict Dharmakara Bodhisattva (the future Amida Buddha) during the long period in which he contemplated how best to bring about the liberation of all beings.
This afro Amida is found at the Kurodani temple in Kyoto (aka Konkai Komyoji), a Jodo Shu temple. The big hair shows how the future Amida dedicated all his energies to examining every life and every world, immobile as he developed insight into all situations and how to help them.
Or maybe he just thought it looked cool...

h/t @ccbs_studies
Apologies for the lack of alt text on the pic (more coffee is clearly needed here). The photo shows a stone statue of Hozo Bosatsu, aka Dharmakara Bodhisattva, the future Amida Buddha. It is seated in contemplation, and has a massive buddha-fro hairstyle. Taken at Kurodani, 2006

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More from @EngagedPureLand

Engaged Jodo Shinshu Buddhism Profile picture
14 Sep
"The Creativity of Ignorance in American Buddhism," a quick excerpt from Jeff Wilson "Mourning the Unborn Dead (2009). From p.114:
"One of the ironies of studying Buddhism in America is the eventual realization that ignorance, the bugaboo of Buddhism, is at times just as responsible as understanding for the creative development of distinctive forms of Buddhism...
that allow Zen and other groups to become acculturated and grow. For instance, not knowing that Japanese Zen practitioners don't make bibs or engage in cathartic circle sessions, Americans readily conjure up entirely innovative "traditions" and then retro-project them...
Read 6 tweets
Engaged Jodo Shinshu Buddhism Profile picture
14 Sep
@agleig So, a lot of it comes down to framing of topics, it would seem. You and @LangenbergAmy are able to collaborate across vast times (and therefore use different methods) because your topic isn't "such-and-such text" or "such-and-such group," but a broader theme: sexual misconduct.
@agleig @LangenbergAmy For some, this sort of project seems semi-legit and squishy since it isn't deep, deep investigation of a singular text/site (the bread-and-butter of Buddhist Studies, historically-speaking). For others, it's a breath of fresh air because otherwise these topics never get addressed
@agleig @LangenbergAmy Another thing to note: all 3 mentioned texts are in a corrective mode. Gleig: how are American convert sanghas dealing with racism etc right now. Wilson: how has ritual been overlooked by American Buddhologists. Nelson: how is Japanese Buddhism reinventing itself in real time.
Read 5 tweets
Engaged Jodo Shinshu Buddhism Profile picture
14 Sep
"The Lei of Aloha," a further thread in the "Peace and Harmony: Lessons from the World Buddhist Women's Convention" series.

Previous thread here:
At the 9th World Women's Buddhist Convention, held in Vancouver in 1990, 1000s of Jodo Shinshu Pure Land women gathered to discuss their contributions to peace and harmony. One was May Okazaki, of the Hawai'i Federation of Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Women's Association, who said: A head-shot of May Okazaki speaking at the podium during a p
"ALOHA. Today my remarks on Peace and Harmony Through Nembutsu in the Community make use of a 'Lei of Aloha' in an analogy to the moral values of Shin Buddhism. To make a Lei of Aloha we need a needle (Amida's wisdom), thread (Amida's compassion), and flowers (community needs).
Read 17 tweets
Engaged Jodo Shinshu Buddhism Profile picture
13 Sep
"Peace and Harmony: Lessons from the World Buddhist Women's Convention," a collection of threads on Jodo Shinshu Buddhist women's contributions to Buddhist social engagement.
The World Buddhist Women's Convention is a international conference of Jodo Shinshu women held every 4 years. It brings together thousands of people from across the world to discuss the Dharma and its application in the contemporary world.
The 9th Convention was held in Vancouver in 1990, with the theme "Peace and Harmony Through Nembutsu." This theme was chosen due to the importance that charity and peacework have played in the WBWC since its creation in 1961.
Read 20 tweets
Engaged Jodo Shinshu Buddhism Profile picture
11 Sep
In the days following 9/11, engaged Jodo Shinshu monk Rev. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki was the most visible Buddhist responder. At that time, he was head minister of the New York Buddhist Church and president of the Buddhist Council of New York. Rev. Dr. TK Nakagaki speaks...
As reported in the New Yorker: "49 days after the terrorist attacks, Nakagaki organized a Buddhist interfaith remembrance in Union Square. And then, in the summer of 2002, he put together a public 9/11-commemoration ceremony," which is repeated annually bit.ly/3yXniuY
The best report on this event, which notes the Buddhist exclusion from Guiliani's official event and how Rev. Nakagaki used 9/11 services as an occasion to counsel compassion for Muslims, is Matt Weiner's archived blog: bit.ly/2Vx9yt5
Read 4 tweets
Engaged Jodo Shinshu Buddhism Profile picture
8 Sep
"Going Phase and Returning Phase" by Rev. Kenryu Tsuji, the former bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America. This excerpted essay (published in various forms, including in "Turning Wheel") is from "The Wheel of Dharma" Dec 1996 #engagedbuddhism #Ecology #Buddhism #jodoshinshu
Tsuji describes the key Jodo Shinshu Buddhist doctrine of oso eko/genso eko. These indicate the going phase (moving toward buddhahood through the Pure Land way) and returning phase (moving toward suffering beings to share the liberation from suffering one has received).
"Death is neither the end of life nor the termination of life's activity. Waters of the river flow onward to reach the wide expanse of the sea. In time, the water evaporates and becomes clouds.
Read 14 tweets

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