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(112)Section 5: The Rise and Fall of Polytheistic Civilization II
Chapter 1: The Indus 13-1 Suzuki Shosan and the Birth of Japanese Capitalism Shosan Suzuki is an unusual name. Japanese Buddhist priests are usually known by their single word Buddhist names, monikers they obtained after forsaking thei
(111)Section 5: The Rise and Fall of Polytheistic Civilization II
Chapter 1: The Indus 12-2 A Battle for Dominance—Zen and Confucianism in China and Japan In Japan, Zen Buddhism transformed the mundane into the exquisite. Typically ordinary activities like arranging flowers and drinking tea were elev
(110)Section 5: The Rise and Fall of Polytheistic Civilization II
Chapter 1: The Indus 12-1 A Battle for Dominance—Zen and Confucianism in China and Japan When the founder of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism first arrived in Song dynasty China during the Middle Ages after making the perilous passage ac
(109)Section 5: The Rise and Fall of Polytheistic Civilization II
Chapter 1: The Indus 1-1 Oda Nobunaga—Frontrunner for Religious Freedom By the latter half of the sixteenth century, Japan was embroiled in a bloody religious war. The end was in sight, however, when the daimyo Oda Nobunaga (1534-82) se
(107)Section 5: The Rise and Fall of Polytheistic Civilization II
Chapter 1: The Indus 10-2 The Monotheistic Holy War of Japanese Buddhism From the very beginning, the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism have guaranteed the possibility of Buddhahood for all. Even the complete layperson has the opportunity
(106)Section 5: The Rise and Fall of Polytheistic Civilization II
Chapter 1: The Indus 10-1 The Monotheistic Holy War of Japanese Buddhism Having traversed continents and the great Silk Road, the Buddhism that emerged on the lone archipelago of Japan, a veritable spiritual terminus, was a world away f
(105)Section 5: The Rise and Fall of Polytheistic Civilization II
Chapter 1: The Indus 9-2 The Dawn of Amida and the Silk Road Honen was a man firm in his beliefs. With a genuine, earnest faith in Amitabha, he preached, rebirth in the Pure Land was in reach. At the end of his life, he left behind a b
(103) Section 4: The Rise and Fall of Polytheistic Civilization II
Chapter 1: The Indus8-2 The Silk Road and Buddhism in East Asia In the previous installment, I discussed how the intersection of Ancient Greek and Buddhist culture in Gandhara became the impetus for the creation of the original Buddhist
(100) Section 4: The Rise and Fall of Polytheistic Civilization II
Chapter 1: The Indus7-1 Mahayana Buddhism’s “Emptiness” and “Zero” So, what about King Ashoka (reigned c. 268 – c. 232 BC)? To start, we know he was the third monarch of the Mauryan dynasty, credited with propagating Buddhism in the I
(98) Section 4: The Rise and Fall of Polytheistic Civilization II
Chapter 1: The Indus6-1 The Buddha’s Itinerant Teachings Siddhartha had finally achieved enlightenment, but was in no rush to spread the word. He was now the Buddha or the “Awakened One.” Instructing others on the path to enlightenment,