Hazime Nakamura

How was the Buddhist scripture translated into Chinese?Chinese Buddhism, Thought and History

Toru Funayama, "How the Buddhist Scriptures were translated into Chinese: When the Sutra Becomes a Sutra" - A stimulating reference book that is also recommended for considering what a sutra is!

How were sutras composed in ancient Indian languages converted into Chinese?

It is not easy to think about the "process of Chinese translation," but when you look at the actual situation, it is very interesting! It is amazing to see how the sutras were created! That's how sutras were created? This is exciting.

This book is also a work that offers great insights into Chinese and Japanese Buddhism.
The Life of BuddhaBuddhism in India

Akira Hirakawa, "The Life of the Buddha: Reading the 'Buddha's Praises'" - Recommended introductory book that looks at the life of the superhuman Buddha based on the Chinese translation of the Buddha's biography.

In our previous article, we introduced the Buddhacharita, a Buddhist epic by Ashvaghosa, who was active around the 2nd century.

This "Buddhacharita" was translated into Chinese around A.D. 430 as "Buddhacharita" (仏所行讃) by Cloudy I-Ching. It was introduced to Japan and passed down to Japanese Buddhists. Saicho, Kukai, Honen, and Shinran must have read this Buddhist biography and thought about Buddha.

This book is an introduction to Buddhism in which the life of the Buddha is explained in an easy-to-understand manner while reading a transcript of this Chinese translation of the Buddha's Praises for the Practice of Buddhism.
History of Buddhism in IndiaBuddhism in India

Akira Hirakawa, "History of Buddhism in India" - An immortal classic of Buddhist studies! A masterful book covering the history and doctrines of Buddhism!

Although this book was first published in 1974, it is still highly regarded as one of the most famous Buddhist books of all time. 2011 saw the publication of a new edition, and even today it is a must-read reference book for those who wish to study Buddhism in depth.

It is a marvel that this book has been able to cover so much of the teachings in a single work and to write a history of Buddhism in a single stream.

This is a tremendous book. This is not a book that I would casually recommend to a beginner, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Buddhism.
Hinduism and the EpicIndian thought, culture and history

Hinduism and Epic Poetry, Volume 30 of Gen Nakamura's Selected Works - A masterpiece that also provides insight into the connections with Buddhism and Japan! Experience the depth of Indian thought

Dr. Gen Nakamura does not look at religion merely as an idea or theory, but considers it in conjunction with the social conditions of the time. To understand religion in India, one must also consider India itself in perspective.

Why did Hinduism flourish and Buddhism decline in India? This is what this book looks at. It is not only the ideological aspect, but also a larger social factor that is involved.

The book also provides a detailed look at India's two greatest epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, as the book title suggests. It was very interesting to listen to the lectures on Indian mythology as expounded from the unique perspective of Buddhist scholar Dr. Gen Nakamura.
Discovering Buddhism in BritainBuddhism in India

F. C. Almond's "The Discovery of Buddhism in England" - Buddhist Studies was born from a desk in England! The roots of Mahayana Buddhism criticism come from here.

In this work, a shocking fact is told. In "New Asian Buddhist History 02 India II: The Formation and Development of Buddhism," which was previously introduced in this blog, the problems of Western-derived Buddhist studies are discussed, and this book is truly a work that can be called a work in its own right.

Reading this book, it is easy to understand why critics say, "Go back to primitive Buddhism. It is easy to understand why some critics say, "Go back to primitive Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism is corrupt. I have never been able to understand the criticisms of Mahayana Buddhism until now, but now I can understand why some people say, "Oh, I see! I see! I see!" I am discovering more and more about the criticisms of Mahayana Buddhism that I had never been able to understand before. When you follow the background of these criticisms, you will discover some extraordinary facts. This is a very exciting book. It is a tremendous work. Please read it! I am sure you will be shocked.
early BuddhismBuddhism in India

Baba Noritoshi, "Early Buddhism: Tracing Buddha's Thought" - A recommended introduction to primitive Buddhism that reflects the latest research.

What impressed me most when I read this book was that Dr. Gen Nakamura's theory has been disproved in the latest research.

Of course, this does not mean that all of Gen Nakamura's teachings were wrong, but according to the latest research, a much different Buddhism is now open to us than in the past. I was struck by the fact that even Gen Nakamura's theory cannot be accepted uncritically. At the same time, I was deeply moved by the fact that this is how learning progresses.

Elsewhere in the book, you will see Buddha's relationship to Indian society at the time, in light of the latest research. In the latter half of the book, Buddha's thought itself is also explained, so it is recommended to get an overall picture of early Buddhism.
The Abyss of the Mahayana BuddhaBuddhism in India

Tomomichi Nitta, "The Abyss of the Buddha in the Mahayana" - There was no mythologizing of the Buddha! What is Gen Nakamura's Critique of the Historical View of Buddha? From "Series on Mahayana Buddhism, Volume 5: Buddha and Pure Land - Mahayana Buddhist Scriptures II

This work is very interesting to me as a Jodo Shinshu monk because it teaches about the Pure Land scriptures.

The second chapter, "The Abyss of Mahayana Buddhism" by Mr. Tomomichi Nitta, was particularly shocking. This is a paper that should be read by all students of Buddhism.

The "Series on Mahayana Buddhism" reflects the latest research as of the early 2010s. It was a first-hand experience of how the once mainstream understanding of Buddhism is no longer valid.

The Series Mahayana Buddhism Volume 5: Buddha and the Pure Land - Mahayana Buddhist Scriptures II, which contains the shocking treatise by Tomomichi Nitta, is a tremendous book that I recommend to all students of Buddhism. It is by far the most impressive work in this series.
History of Buddhism in New Asia 02Buddhism in India

New Asian Buddhist History 02 India II: The Formation and Development of Buddhism" - Will it change the image of Buddhism? A reference book that questions the history of Buddhist studies itself

The "Buddhist studies" that we took for granted and enjoyed were born completely unrelated to Japanese Buddhist thought and culture.

This book will give you a clear understanding of how "Buddhist studies" came into being and how it was brought to Japan and applied to Japan.

The most common criticism of Japanese Buddhism is that "compared to primitive Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism is corrupt," and we will consider the reasons for this criticism. We readers will also become aware of the problems with this criticism.

This book is a wonderful work that gives us a bird's eye view of the discipline of "Buddhist Studies" itself.
New Asian Buddhist History 01Buddhism in India

New Asian Buddhist History 01 India I: Background of the Emergence of Buddhism" - Recommended for learning about the relationship between Buddhism and the caste system and the historical background!

This book is a recommended work to learn about Indian society at the time the Buddhist Order was born.

It is clear that Buddhism, too, was not born out of the sudden birth of the great Gautama Buddha, but in the context of the Indian world that has continued since ancient times.

By looking at the social conditions of the time, we can see a picture of the Buddhist Order that cannot be seen through ideology and theory alone. This was stimulating. It made me realize once again that India is not a simple entity after all.

The New Asian Buddhist History series reflects the latest research as of 2010. This is another reason why we recommend this series.
Social Thought in Primitive BuddhismBuddhism in India

Gen Nakamura Selected Works, Volume 18, "The Social Thought of Primitive Buddhism" - Recommended for understanding the relationship between primitive Buddhism, the state, and the market economy.

In the previous article, "The Ethics of Life in Primitive Buddhism," Volume 17 of Gen Nakamura's Selected Works, we looked mainly at the life of lay believers in primitive Buddhist orders. In this article, we looked at the unique lifestyle and thought of zenke believers, which is different from the lifestyle and thought of ordained believers.

In this work, "Gen Nakamura Selected Works [Definitive Edition], Vol. 18: Social Thought of Primitive Buddhism," we will look at the relationship of these lay believers to society as a whole, the state and the market economy, rather than to their individual problems.

This is a great book that will give you a different perspective on primitive Buddhism. Why not pick up a copy?