Episode 203 – The Old Man and the Sea

July 29, 2017

This week: one of Japan’s most famous Buddhist masters, Kukai, takes center stage!

Listen to the episode here.

Sources

Winfield, Pamela. Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism

Bowring, Richard. The Religious Teachings of Japan, 500-1600.

Totman, Conrad. A History of Japan.

Images

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A painting of Kukai from the medieval period.
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The Mandala of the Two Realms, used as a visual pattern for Mt. Koya and central to Kukai’s Shingon Buddhism.
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A letter from Kukai to Saicho.
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The main hall of the Mt. Koya complex.
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Monks bringing food and clothes to Kukai’s body.