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Sengaku Mayeda is a
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
writer, philosopher and teacher, known for his writings on
Indian philosophy Indian philosophy refers to philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. A traditional Hindu classification divides āstika and nāstika schools of philosophy, depending on one of three alternate criteria: whether it believes the Veda ...
and
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...
. He was honoured by the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
, in 2014, by bestowing on him the
Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, the fourth highest civilian award, for his services to the fields of literature and education. He is the fourth
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
to be honoured with Padma Shri, after
Taro Nakayama is a Japanese doctor and politician serving in the House of Representatives of Japan, House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan, Diet (national legislature) as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Liberal Democratic Party. A nati ...
, Shoji Shiba and Prof. Noboru Karashima. He is also a recipient of the Third Order of Merit with the Middle Cordon of the Rising Sun of the
Government of Japan The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...
, which he received in 2002.


Biography

Sengaku Mayeda was born on 1 April 1931 at
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...
, in the prefecture of
Aichi is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectu ...
, in Japan. He did his pre graduate studies at the College of General Education, in Tokyo and graduated with BA from the Department of Indian Philosophy and Buddhist Studies, Faculty of Letters,
University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...
, in 1955. He continued his post graduate studies at the University of Tokyo and secured his MA from the Department of Indian Philosophy, Division of Humanities, in 1957. His doctoral research was at the same school at the University of Tokyo and obtained a doctorate degree in 1962. This was followed by a doctoral degree,
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...
, from the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
, under Professor W. Norman Brown in
Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sh ...
and Sanskrit, in the same year and, later,
Doctor of Literature Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
from University of Tokyo in 1973. In 1961, Sengaku Mayeda got the Harrison Research Fellow from University of Pennsylvania. A year later, he got the Faculty Research Fellowship of the American Institute of Indian Studies of University of Madras where he had the opportunity to associate with the noted philosopher, T. M. P. Mahadevan. The next year, he got the
Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (german: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung) is a foundation established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Education and Resea ...
fellowship and worked along with Prof. Paul Hacker at the
University of Münster The University of Münster (german: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. With more than 43,000 students and over ...
, West Germany. Mayeda started his teaching career in 1964, joining the University of Pennsylvania as the Assistant Professor of Indian Philosophy. In 1968, he returned to Japan and to research as the Director of the Research Division of Suzuki Research Foundation in Tokyo where he worked till 1973. The next assignment was again at teaching, as the Assistant Professor of Indian Philosophy at University of Tokyo, and he retired as the Professor in 1991. After retirement from the Tokyo University, Mayeda was offered the post of the Professor of Indian Philosophy at Musashino Women's University. Three years later, he became the Vice President and worked there till 1998. He continued as the Professor at the University till 2001 when he gave up on regular teaching. Sengaku Mayeda has held many important posts related to Philosophy and Indo Japanese relations. He has been a Director of the Indo-Japanese Association since 1983, a post he still holds. He was the President of the ''Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies'' for two terms, first from 1991 to 1995 and then from 1998 till 2002. He was the Chairman of the ''Graduate School of Human and Cultural Studies'' at the Musashino Women's University from 1999 to 2001. He has also served as a member of the Steering Committee of ''Japan-India Friendship Year'' of the Japanese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
. He also worked as a member of the Steering Committee of the ''Federation Internationale des Societies Philosophie'' during the period from 2003 to 2008. Sengaku Mayeda presently holds the posts of the Executive Director of the Eastern Institute, founded by
Hajime Nakamura was a Japanese Orientalist, Indologist, philosopher and academic of Vedic, Hindu and Buddhist scriptures. Biography Nakamura was born in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. In 1943 he graduated from the Department of Literature at Tokyo Imperia ...
, the Chairman of Japan-India Academic Exchange in Humanities and Social Sciences and the President of the
Ashikaga Gakko Ashikaga (足利) may refer to: * Ashikaga clan (足利氏 ''Ashikaga-shi''), a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Minamoto clan; and that formed the basis of the eponymous shogunate ** Ashikaga shogunate (足利幕府 ''Ashikaga bakufu''), a ...
, Ashikaga.


Publications

Sengaku Mayeda has written extensively about Adi Shakara and the Indian philosophies, by way of published books and articles. Among them, ''Thousand Teachings: The Upadesasahasri of Sankara'', in two volumes, is counted as his masterpiece. The book is a critical study of 27 poetic and 11 prose manuscripts, translated into English by the author. Some of Mayeda's publications are: ;Book-author * * * ;Book-editor * * ;Articles * * He has also been a prolific writer of articles which have been published in many journals of international repute and regularly gives lectures on the subject.


Positions held

Mayeda is the Professor Emeritus,
University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...
and
Musashino University is an institution of higher education in Ariake, a district in Kōtō, Tokyo, with a suburban campus in Nishitōkyō. Musashino University is uniquely focused on the ideals associated with the Hongwanji Jodo Shinshu School of Buddhism. Histor ...
. He has held, during his career, various positions of importance. * President -
Ashikaga Gakko Ashikaga (足利) may refer to: * Ashikaga clan (足利氏 ''Ashikaga-shi''), a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Minamoto clan; and that formed the basis of the eponymous shogunate ** Ashikaga shogunate (足利幕府 ''Ashikaga bakufu''), a ...
, Ashikaga * Director - Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies * Director - Association of Buddhist Thought * Councilor - Japanese Association of Religious Studies * Chairman - Editorial Committee of the English Tripitaka * Chairman - Society for the Promotion of Buddhism * President - Nakamura Hajime Eastern Institute, Tokyo * Director - Nakamura Hajime Memorial Hall, Matsue, Shimane Prefecture * Advisor - Indo-Japanese Association * Director - Indo-Japanese Association * Special Advisor of the Sanin-India Association and Buddhist Studies


Awards and recognitions

*
Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
-
Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
- 2014 * Third Order of Merit with the Middle Cordon of the Rising Sun -
Government of Japan The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...
- 2002 * Buddhagunupakan Kancanakiartigun – Highest Decoration of Excellence - House of Representatives,
Kingdom of Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...
* Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies Award * Academic Achievement Award - Nakamura Hajime Eastern Institute * Japan Academy Prize * Excellent Book Award - Tokyu Kagami Foundation He is a research fellow of the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) is a Chinese research institute and think tank. The institution is the premier comprehensive national academic research organization in the People's Republic of China for the study in the fields of ...
, Beijing, China and is a recipient of Doctorate of Literarture (
Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
) from the
Buddhasravaka Bhiksu University Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka was founded in 1996 and is located in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()) ...
, Sri Lanka.


See also

*
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...
*
Advaita Vedanta ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hinduism, Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the Āstika and nāstika, orthodox Hindu school Ved ...


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayeda, Sengaku 1931 births Living people Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education Japanese writers Japanese philosophers Japanese scholars of Buddhism Advaita Vedanta People from Nagoya University of Tokyo alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Academic staff of the University of Tokyo University of Pennsylvania faculty Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class