Tag - buddhism

 
 

BUDDHISM

The nun said she hopes her going public will cast a spotlight on the extremely cloistered nature of temples that she warned can be a hotbed of sex crimes.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 5, 2024
Japan Buddhist sect probes nun's sexual assault claims
The woman, reportedly now in her 50s, had previously accused the older monk of rape but authorities dropped her case in 2019, media reports said.
Celebrations mark the Dalai Lama's 80th birthday in Dharamsala, India, in July 2015. The question of who will succeed the Tibetan leader, Tenzin Gyatso, now 88, looms large.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 29, 2024
Atheist China should have no say in Dalai Lama's reincarnation
Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Why, then, is it obsessed with controlling the succession of someone it despises?
A mid-19th century ukiyo-e woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi depicts Xu Fu’s voyage in search of the elixir of life. He can be seen near the left side of the image, with what looks to be Penglai, or Mount Fuji, in the background.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Jan 20, 2024
Eternal pursuits: A history of Japanese quests for immortality
Whether it's a permanent state of meditation or feasting on mermaid, the quest for immortality in Japan isn't too far off from those in other cultures.
Visitors strike a giant bell to mark the new year as a Buddhist monk looks on, at Zojoji temple in Tokyo on Jan. 1, 2023.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 31, 2023
Ring in the new year on your phone: Apps offer alternate to Japan temple tradition
Smartphone apps are aiming to offer alternative ways to enjoy a noisy New Year's tradition.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 18, 2023
Former Soka Gakkai leader Daisaku Ikeda dies at 95
The former president of the lay Buddhist group, one of the largest religious groups in Japan, died of old age on Wednesday at his home in Tokyo.
Young monks practice writing Tibetan at a monastery in Yushu, China. Beijing has restricted the teaching and practice of minority languages and religions.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2023
China’s new law on religion: A great leap backward
Beijing's new law on religious venues has received little attention but has far-reaching consequences in restricting religious freedom.
The family grave of Toshihide Matsumoto is dismantled in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture. An increasing number of Japanese people are opting to permanently close their family graves as traditional family structures continue to change.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 9, 2023
Graying Japan faces a grave problem
Services designed to help people move or scatter their ancestors' ashes and close up family graves are experiencing increased demand.
A 46-year-old priest was arrested Thursday for possessing marijuana at his home in Sammu, Chiba Prefecture, according to an NHK report.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 19, 2023
Chiba priest arrested for marijuana possession: NHK
Police arrested the priest at Rengeji Temple for possessing dried marijuana at his home.
The wedded rocks of Meoto Iwa in Mie Prefecture.
JAPAN / History
Aug 20, 2023
Good and evil defined by God … or gods
Much of our understanding of good and evil can be traced to definitions created by religion. Which religion (and definition) depends on where you live.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2023
Iconic dragon painting at Sensoji Temple peels off ceiling
The painting had been scheduled for restoration this fall to address decades of deterioration.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 25, 2023
How (and why) to enjoy a 700-year-old painting of Buddhist suffering
A Kamakura Period depiction of Buddha’s death, on view at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, is surprisingly relatable even today.
Japan Times
CARTOONS / ZERO GRAVITY
May 20, 2023
Roger Dahl on karma
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 7, 2023
Buddhist statue stolen from Nagano temple returned after police hunt
Police arrested Shintaro Morimoto, a 34-year-old man from Mifune, Kumamoto Prefecture, for allegedly stealing the holy statue.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 6, 2023
'Mister Timeless Blyth' traces the indelible influences of Zen and poetry
Alan Spence's new novel, which was nearly 10 years in the making, follows the life of R.H. Blyth, a British scholar who helped bring Japanese poetry to the West.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 17, 2023
For some in Japan, the first day of spring means a visit with the ancestors
While visits to the family grave are often done during the Bon holidays in August, the spring and autumn equinoxes are also a traditional time to reconnect with your ancestors.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 26, 2023
Nobuhiro Tamura: 'Those who need spirituality will find it themselves'
A fan of 1990s hip-hop and electronic music, former Buddhist monk Nobuhiro Tamura has opened a bar on Mount Koya to talk to people about good tunes, spirituality and whatever else they like.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Feb 19, 2023
What makes a good priest — good looks or a knack for violence?
It was a time when the temples owned great tracts of land. The priests who managed them were armed and pugnacious, ready to defend and possibly extend.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 2, 2023
The Buddhist terms that find their way into everyday conversation
Just as Christian terminology has had an effect on English turns of phrase, Buddhism is the source of a lot of Japanese terms and phrases.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2023
South Korean court rejects temple's claim to statue it says pirates pillaged
The 20-inch gilt bronze statue of a Buddhist Bodhisattva was stolen from a Japanese temple in 2012 by South Korean thieves, who were caught trying to sell it after returning home.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2023
Cashless 'saisen' religious offerings spread amid COVID pandemic
Many believe that cashless saisen offerings could help reduce the spread of COVID-19 as people can avoid crowds forming around offering boxes at temples and shrines.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past