The Futaba Lectures given by Dr. Mark Blum at the Buddhist Study Center on October 12, 2013 are available on demand at Livestream. (Though technical difficulties produced some gaps in the coverage, we hope that complete videos will eventually be available on YouTube.)

The first lecture was entitled “Think Buddha – Say Buddha” and covered Mark’s research into fascinating examples of the nembutsu as expressed in ritual music and other kinds of artistic expression. The second lecture, entitled “Shinran & the Nirvana Sutra,” provided insights into the importance of this sutra to Jodo Shinshu thought. Dr. George Tanabe was the respondent.

The half-hour video clip below includes the last portion of Dr. Blum’s lecture on the Nirvana Sutra and a thought-provoking exchange between Dr. Tanabe and Dr. Blum on notions of evil on the one hand and universal salvation on the other in Jodo Shinshu.

To see the other available video segments, visit Futaba Lecture with Dr. Mark Blum on Livestream. You will need to establish a free Livestream account if you don’t already have one.