JB301 - Buddhism in Japan 1

An introductory course on the schools of Buddhist thought in Japan. It examines the official introduction of Buddhism to Japan, Prince Shotoku's contribution to its spread, the six Buddhist schools of Nara, the aristocrats versus commoners during the Heian period, the rise of the Kamakura Buddhism. The Buddhist schools that came under this survey will include the six Buddhist schools of Nara, Tendai, Shingon, Jodo, Jodoshin, Rinzai and Soto Zen, Nichiren, and some new sects that began to appear from about the end of the Edo period (1603-1868).