The history and relevance of Japan’s most visited Buddhist temple

Buddhist expression in color and form

The remarkable life of a fearless explorer

The changing face of Japanese Buddhism

Consoling those who have lost a loved one and memorializing those who have passed

Theravada monk BD Dipananda embraces the Buddhist delights of Japan

Meher McArthur on mixed-media artist Joanne Julian

Forgiveness as a step towards spiritual transformation

Exploring the Shinto tradition

Printed multiple images of Jizo. Japan, Muromachi period (1333–1574), ink on paper. Image courtesy of Sam Fogg, London.   The Buddhist deity Kshitigarbha, or “He who encompasses the

A look at Master Kukai's influence on Japanese pilgrimage

Visitors to Japan’s shrines and temples cannot miss the hundreds of wooden votive plaques hanging on stands in a reserved area outside on the shrine grounds. On one side of the plaques are prayers ins

Editor's note: This article was first published in the now-retired Bodhi Journal, Issue 9, September 2008. In the West, comparative religious studies is a way of widening a person’s intelle

It has been literally years since I watched a documentary and thought it was objectively good (liking it or disliking it is a subjective thing), because too often documentaries about the humanities li