is the Reischauer Institute Professor of Japanese Religions at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. Until May 2004, he was professor of Japanese religions in the departments of religion and

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

n languages and culture at Columbia University. Abe, through his teaching and books, has made an important contribution to the Western understanding of

Buddhism in Japan Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since about the 6th century CE. Japanese Buddhism () created many new Buddhist schools, and some schools are original to Japan and some are derived from Chinese Buddhist schools. Japanese Buddhism has had ...

. His book on

Kūkai Kūkai (; 27 July 774 – 22 April 835Kūkai was born in 774, the 5th year of the Hōki era; his exact date of birth was designated as the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the Japanese lunar calendar, some 400 years later, by the Shingon sec ...

, ''The Weaving of Mantra: Kūkai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse'', underscores Kūkai's impact on 9th-century

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese society. At a time when Confucian discourse dominated Japan, Kūkai developed a “voice” for Buddhism. He has also written about

Ryōkan (1758 – 6 January 1831) was a quiet and unconventional Sōtō Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. Ryōkan is remembered for his poetry and calligraphy, which present the essence of Zen life. He is also known by the name ...

and

Saichō was a Japanese Buddhist monk credited with founding the Tendai school of Buddhism based on the Chinese Tiantai school he was exposed to during his trip to Tang China beginning in 804. He founded the temple and headquarters of Tendai at Enryaku-j ...

. He received his bachelor's degree in economics from

Keio University , mottoeng = The pen is mightier than the sword , type = Private research coeducational higher education institution , established = 1858 , founder = Yukichi Fukuzawa , endowmen ...

and his master's degree from School of Advanced International Affairs,

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consiste ...

. He then received his MPhil and PhD in religious studies from Columbia University. In 1991 he began teaching at Columbia, and in 1998 became the Kao Associate Professor of Japanese Religions. He is a recipient of the Philip and Ruth Hettleman Award for distinguished teaching.. Back of book material.

Books

*''The Weaving of Mantra : Kūkai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse''. 1999. *''Great Fool: Zen Master Ryokan: Poems, Letters, and Other Writings'' (with Peter Haskel). 1996. PDF version online, 302p.

Retrieved 22 August 2020. *''Saicho and Kukai: A Conflict of Interpretations''. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. Spring 1995, 22/1–2. PDF. version online, 35p.

Retrieved 22 August 2020.

References

External links

Harvard University page
1954 births Living people Japanese academics Harvard University faculty Columbia University faculty Columbia University alumni Keio University alumni Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies alumni Japanese expatriates in the United States {{Japan-academic-bio-stub