Summary:

The 4th Annual Ryukoku International Symposium on Shin Buddhism and Japanese Culture hosted by the USC Center for Japanese Religions and Culture.

**Please Note: Some presentations will be made only in Japanese. 

Description:

As asked in the title of Dennis Hirota's paper, "What do we study when we do Shin Buddhist Studies?" this year's Symposium seeks to reflect and broaden the field of Shin Buddhist studies by offering a broad range of papers on Shin Buddhism and Japanese Culture. When we think of the study of Shin Buddhism we immediately think of the study of the teachings of Shinran (1173-1263), the founder of Jôdo Shinshû, and the study of Shin Buddhist doctrine. Spanning from medieval period and Shinran to the modern age and Saikô Mankichi (1895-1970), a number of papers continue to examine Shinran's teaching, both in terms of its original context as well as it impact on later Shin Buddhists. In addition to the study of Shin Buddhist thought and its impact, a paper on the artistic representation of the life of Shinran and a paper on the literary representation of Shin Buddhist saints (myôkônin) examine the broader cultural history of Shin Buddhism. Lastly, several papers will reflect on the exchange between Shin Buddhists and the West in the 19th and 20th centuries and bring to the fore the issues of how this exchange has factored into how Shin Buddhism is represented and what it is we do when we study Shin Buddhism.


**PLEASE NOTE: Some presentations will be made only in Japanese. 


PANEL ONE (10am):

「親鸞の往生理解の変遷」
“The Transformation of Shinran’s Understanding of Ôjô” (in Japanese)
Kenjun Inoue, Ryukoku University

「地獄をいかにとらえるか」
“How to Best Understand the Concept of ‘Hell’” (in Japanese)
Bun’ei Takada, Ryukoku University

“What Do We Study When We Do Shin Buddhist Studies? Reflections on Recent Conversation between Shin and Western Thought” (in English)
Dennis Hirota, Ryukoku University


PANEL TWO (1:00pm):

“Shinran’s Revelatory Dream at Rokkakudô: Interpretation and Illustration” (in English)
Christopher Callahan, University of Southern California

「『妙好人伝』の世界」 “The World of the Myôkôninden” (in Japanese)
Yukio Kusaka, Ryukoku University


PANEL THREE (2:30pm):

「19 世紀における真宗とキリスト教との交渉」
“Transactions between Jodo Shinshû and Christianity in the 19th Century” (in Japanese)
Mami Iwata, Ryukoku University

“Saik! Mankichi as an Organic Intellectual: Shin Buddhist Elements in Buraku Status Consciousness and Revolutionary Movements” (in English)
Jessica Main, University of British Columbia


Co-Sponsored by Ryukoku University