IASBS Panel at American Academy of Religion
Scott Mitchell | October 13, 2016
On behalf of the International Association for Shin Buddhist Studies, North American District, IBS announces the following panel held in conjunction with the 2016 American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting.
Please contact Dean Mitchell with any questions: scott@shin-ibs.edu
Saturday, November 19, 2016, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Grand Hyatt
Lone Star D (2nd Level)
600 E Market St, San Antonio, TX
An Ancient Doctrine for New Times:
The Shinzoku Nitai in Modern Japanese Buddhism
The idea of “two truths” (Jp. shinzoku nitai) is considered to have been first expounded by Nagarjuna, denoting, at this early stage, a distinction between absolute and relative truths. However, in Japanese Buddhism – and more specifically in the context of Jōdo Shinshū – this doctrine came to be interpreted in more social terms, representing the relationship between worldly and religious spheres. After the 1868 Meiji restoration, in particular, the “two truths” became an increasingly important doctrinal aspect in the justification of pro-state endeavors by True Pure Land sects. This association between the shinzoku nitai and wartime doctrine ultimately led it to becoming a very delicate subject in the framework of post- 1945 Japanese academia, which is not unrelated to the fact that detailed studies of the topic still remain scarce. This panel reconsiders the issue from a broad perspective, paying attention to historical developments not only in the two main branches of True Pure Land Buddhism, but also in the context of modern academic philosophy and Buddhist studies.
Introductory Talk
Mark BLUM (UC Berkeley) Shinzoku Nitai in Buddhism
Presenters
Mami IWATA (Ryukoku University)
The Shinzoku Nitai Doctrine and Jōdo Shinshū in Meiji Japan
Orion KLAUTAU (Tohoku University)
The Two Truths in Modern Academia: Murakami Senshō and the Shinzoku Nitai
Jeff SCHROEDER (University of Oregon)
Rethinking the Two Truths: The Interwar Views of Sasaki Gesshō and Kaneko Daiei
Gereon KOPF (Luther College)
Shinzoku Nitai and the Development of ‘Buddhist Philosophy:’ The Kyoto School and Beyond
Presiding
Daniel G. FRIEDRICH (McMaster University)
Responding
Micah AUERBACK (University of Michigan)