288 Pages
by Routledge

286 Pages
by Routledge

288 Pages
by Routledge

Following the critically acclaimed Zen at War (1997), Brian Victoria explores the intimate relationship between Japanese institutional Buddhism and militarism during the Second World War. Victoria reveals for the first time, through examination of the wartime writings of the Japanese military itself, that the Zen school's view of life and death was deliberately incorporated into the military's... Read more
Part I. The Zen Master Wept. Monks and Soldiers Move on their Stomachs. The Zen of Assassination. Oomori Sôgen - The Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde of Zen. Zen Master Dôgen Goes to War - The Militarist and Anti-Semitic Writings of Yasutani Haku'un. Carrying Zen to China Zen Selflessness' in Japanese Militarism. Part II. Buddhist War Bereavement. Confessions of a Buddhist Chaplain. Buddhism - The Last Refuge of War Criminals. Buddhism - A Top Secret Religion in Wartime Japan. Epilogue. Works Cited. Index

Biography

Brian Daizen Victoria holds a M.A. in Buddhist Studies from Soto Zen sect-affiliated Komazawa University in Tokyo, and a Ph.D. from the Department of Religious Studies at Temple University. Brian entered the Soto Zen priesthood in 1964 and. following training at Daihonzan Eiheiji, pursued graduate studies in Buddhism at Soto Zen sect-affiliated Komazawa University in Tokyo. At present, Brian is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Asian Studies at the University of Adelaide in South Australia

'Victoria presents us with a carefully documented study.' - Japanese Journal of Religious Studies