Search Buddhist Channel

Priestly pair set out to boost ‘Buddhism 3.0' across Japan

by Takeshi Nishide, The Japan Times, Aug 5, 2014

Tokyo, Japan -- A pair of Zen priests have been causing a stir with their campaign to spread a new interpretation of Buddhism in Japan that combines practices from separate branches of the ancient religion.

<< Buddhist priest Issho Fujita instructs participants in a Zen mediation workshop at Sougakuji, a Buddhist temple in Nagoya, in late April. | KYODO

Issho Fujita and Ryodo Yamashita have been running workshops around the country based on their ideas, while a book they published last fall on how to update Buddhism in Japan has aroused strong interest, especially among young Buddhist priests.

Fujita, who was born in 1954, taught Zen meditation for several years in the United States.

Yamashita, born in 1956, studied Theravada Buddhism, the oldest branch of the religion, in countries including Myanmar and now serves as chief priest of a temple he founded in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. He has also taught Zen meditation in the United States.

A workshop that Fujita and Yamashita recently held at Sougakuji Temple in Nagoya attracted some 40 Buddhist monks and other people from across the country.

The workshop started with Fujita telling the participants to sit or lie as they like, rather than in the conventional form of sitting for Zen meditation.

“Listen to your body” and “don’t overdo but relax,” he said.

“You cannot deepen your Zen meditation unless you raise the level of bodily movements you do unintentionally in everyday life,” Fujita said.

The instructions on meditation are in line with the concept that the pair call “Buddhism 3.0.”

According to them, Mahayana Buddhism as practiced in Japan, after arriving in the country via China and the Korean Peninsula, is “Buddhism 1.0.”

Having developed independently from its origin, it is sometimes criticized as having lost its substance.

Fujita and Yamashita call Theravada Buddhism, which became widely accepted in Japan in the late 1990s, “Buddhism 2.0.” They say it offers specific skills to ease heartache.

The campaign by the two priests is aimed at fusing the Japanese style of Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism into a “Version 3.0? of the religion, in which mediation practices are not limited to those set out under Zen Buddhism.

The very foundation of Buddhism shared by all schools of the religion is to “return to Buddha meditating under the Bodhi tree,” according to Fujita and Yamashita.

Later at the workshop, Yamashita told the participants to “wish for your own happiness” and then for the happiness of others.

He disagrees with the notion that the process is self-centered because it is a practice of “merciful mediation to purify negative things.”

“Our minds can contain wild and mystifying urges, such as to break things for no reason other than our own pleasure,” Yamashita said. “As it is egoistic not to pursue our own happiness, the ego dies if you pursue your own happiness. You can then wish for the happiness of others.

We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)

Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.

For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team

Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv

TOP