The Fifteenth Annual Futaba Memorial Lectures

• Think Buddha – Say Buddha
• Shinran & The Nirvana Sutra

Schedule:
8:30   Registration
9:00   Lecture: Prof. Mark Blum, Think Buddha – Say Buddha
10:30   Discussion & Dr. George Tanabe comments
11:00   Break
11:30   Lecture: Prof. Mark Blum, The influence of the Nirvana Sutra on Shinran’s Writings
12:30   Discussion & Dr. George Tanabe comments
1:00   Closing

Mark Blum will draw on his current book project on nenbutsu and its artistic expression in Japanese history. Originating in India as a meditation on a buddha’s qualities in order to cultivate trance states, nenbutsu took on an oral quality in China that led to various forms of ritual musical expression. This talk will explore the link between Buddhist doctrine, practice, and artistic expression of this dynamic story in which Shin Buddhism participates.

The second talk examines the role of the Nirvana Sutra in Shinran’s religious outlook. First, the general themes of this scripture within the historical evolution of East Asian Buddhist thought, especially the Tendai tradition, and then how Shinran uses this sutra to support his arguments in the Kyōgyōshinshō.

About Dr. Mark Blum

Mark Blum is Professor and Shinjo Ito Distinguished Chair in Japanese Studies, at the University of California, Berkeley. He specializes in Pure Land Buddhism throughout East Asia, with a focus on the Japanese medieval period. He also works in the area of the impact of the Nirvana Sutra in East Asian Buddhism. He is the author of The Origins and Development of Pure Land Buddhism (2002), and co-editor of Rennyo and the Roots of Modern Japanese Buddhism (2005) and Cultivating Spirituality (2011). His translation from Chinese of The Nirvana Sutra: Volume 1 is due out in September 2013. He is currently working on completing Think Buddha, Say Buddha: a history of nenbutsu thought, practice, and culture.

About Dr. George Tanabe

Dr. George Tanabe (respondent)

Professor emeritus in the Department of Religion at the University of Hawai‘i. Dr. Tanabe is also President of BDK Hawaii. Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai, the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism, which promotes an understanding of Buddhist wisdom through sponsoring activities and programs around the world.

About Kenko Futaba

The Futaba Lecture Series is endowed by Dr. Alfred and Ms. Dorothy N. Bloom to honor the memory of friend and mentor, Professor Kenko Futaba. Dr. Futaba, a noted Shin Buddhist scholar, served as President of Kyoto’s Ryukoku University from 1983 to 1995 and then became Chancellor of Kyoto Women’s University. A pioneer in what today is called “engaged” Buddhism, Kenko Futaba campaigned passionately for the rights of minorities and was a prolific writer. Dr. Bloom fervently hopes that this lecture series will be a continuing inspiration for the nurturing of American Buddhism and for the social participation of Buddhists in the quest of social justice and peace.

Mahalo to:

Printable event flyer