Beatrice Erskine Lane Suzuki
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Beatrice Erskine Lane Suzuki ( 1878–1939) was an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
Theosophist Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...
, who was instrumental in promoting Theosophy in Japan. Lane Suzuki is often eclipsed by her famous husband, Japanese writer and scholar
D. T. Suzuki , self-rendered in 1894 as "Daisetz", was a Japanese-American Buddhist monk, essayist, philosopher, religious scholar, translator, and writer. He was a scholar and author of books and essays on Buddhism, Zen and Shin that were instrumental in sp ...
. Born in
Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, Lane was educated at
Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...
, where one of her tutors was
William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the lat ...
, graduating in 1898. She also completed a Master of Arts degree in social work at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1908.Algeo 2007 Lane married Suzuki in 1911. The Suzukis, along with her mother, joined the Tokyo International Lodge of the
Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...
in 1920. Lane Suzuki fulfilled various official roles in the Lodge. Lane Suzuki and her husband later founded the Mahayana Lodge with a more explicitly Buddhist focus. Letters from the time speak of the difficulty of spreading Theosophy in Buddhist Japan, since Theosophy draws heavily on Buddhism. Lane Suzuki published numerous books on Buddhism and Japanese culture. These have seen many reprints and editions as well as being translated into many languages.


Publications

* 1931: ''Kōya San: the home of Kobō Daishi and his Shingon doctrine.'' * 1932: ''Noḡaku: Japanese nō plays.'' * 1933: ''Buddhism and practical life.'' * 1934: ''Buddhist readings.'' * 1938: ''Mahayana Buddhism''. London: The Buddhist Lodge. * 1940: ''Impressions of Mahayana Buddhism.'' The Eastern Buddhist Society, Otani Buddhist College; London: Luzac and Company, London. * 1959: ''Mahayana Buddhism: a brief outline.''


See also

*
Buddhism and Theosophy Theosophical teachings have borrowed some concepts and terms from Buddhism. Some theosophists like Helena Blavatsky, Helena Roerich and Henry Steel Olcott also became Buddhists. Henry Steel Olcott helped shape the design of the Buddhist flag. Tib ...
*
Japanese Zen :''See also Zen for an overview of Zen, Chan Buddhism for the Chinese origins, and Sōtō, Rinzai school, Rinzai and Ōbaku for the three main schools of Zen in Japan'' Japanese Zen refers to the Japanese forms of Zen, Zen Buddhism, an orig ...
*
Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United States Below is a timeline of important events regarding Zen Buddhism in the United States. Dates with "?" are approximate. Events Early history * 1893: Soyen Shaku comes to the United States to lecture at the World Parliament of Religions held in C ...
*
Theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...
*
Zen Narratives Modern scientific research on the history of Zen discerns three main narratives concerning Zen, its history and its teachings: Traditional Zen Narrative (TZN), Buddhist Modernism (BM), Historical and Cultural Criticism (HCC). An external narrative ...


References


Sources

* Algeo, Adele S. 2007 "Beatrice Lane Suzuki: An American Theosophist in Japan." ''Quest'' 95.1 (January–February 2007): 13–17. * Barrett, Warrick L. 2006. "Beatrice Erskine Lane Suzuki.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Beatrice Erskine Lane 1870s births 1939 deaths American Zen Buddhists Zen Buddhism writers Theosophists Writers from Newark, New Jersey Radcliffe College alumni Columbia University School of Social Work alumni