RESEARCH TOOLS FOR THE STUDY OF JAPANESE BUDDHISM

This course is a research methods course focused on Japanese Buddhism. It is designed to equip students with both the conceptual foundations and practical tools needed to conduct research in the field. The course operates on three levels. First, it surveys the current state of scholarship on Japanese Buddhism, focusing on its historical and textual dimension, and it introduces theoretical frameworks and critical approaches that have defined the field. Second, it trains students by introducing them to the reference tools that are essential for working with Buddhist texts (specialized dictionaries, encyclopaedias, canonical collections, archives and manuscripts). Third, it engages directly with textual materials, examining specific examples in both print and manuscript form.

Knowledge and understanding:
- critical awareness of Buddhist Studies as scholarly discourse and area of research and of its main approaches
- specialistic knowledge of the instruments to research Japanese Buddhism, in particular in its historical and textual dimension

Applying knowledge and understanding:
- ability to critically analyse, interpret and contextualise the diverse sources of a religious phenomenon

Making judgments:
-ability to evaluate diverse sources for the study of Buddhism

Communication skills:
- ability to communicate ideas effectively in writing and orally.

Learning skills:
- ability to undertake independent study and research

Intermediate knowledge of Japanese and/or Chinese language. General knowledge of Japanese religious history would be advantageous.

(Tentative. The final schedule will be posted on Moodle at the beginning of the semester.)

1. Introduction to the course: aims and objectives
2. What is Buddhism and how can we study it? Perspectives and disciplines
3. The sectarianization of Japanese Buddhism: a short history
4. Canons and authority
5. Producing knowledge: Sectarian canons and dictionaries
6. Preserving knowledge: Temple Archives
7. Material sources and the role of museums
8. Performing Buddhism: Ritual texts and ritual exegesis
9. Fieldwork: continuity and creativity in Japanese temples
10. Reading texts: reading and examining sample manuscripts
11. Reading texts
12. Reading texts
13. Reading texts
14. Reading texts
15. Conclusions

Selections of primary sources in translation
Tanabe, George, ed., Religions of Japan in Practice, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999.
D. Lopez, Buddhism in Practice, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995.
W. T. de Bary et als, eds., Sources of Japanese Tradition, 2 vols., New York: Columbia University Press, 1964.
The BDK English Tripiṭaka Series: https://www.bdkamerica.org/bdk-pdf-downloads#term-id-247


References works
Buswell, Robert, ed., Encyclopaedia of Buddhism. 2 vols. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003.
Buswell, Robert and Donald Lopez, eds. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, 2013.
Brill Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, Jonathan Silk editor in chief. Vol. 1, Languages and Literature. Leiden: Brill, 2015; Vol. 2, Lives. Leiden: Brill, 2019.
Inagaki Hisao, A Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist Terms, Kyoto: Nagata Bunshodo.
Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary, Tokyo: Daito shuppansha, 1984, 1988.
Nakamura Hajime, ed. Bukkyôgo daijiten, Tokyo: Tôkyô shoseki, 1981.

Electronic resources
Digital Dictionary of Buddhism: http://buddhism-dict.net/ddb/
Religious Art: http://www.emuseum.jp/
Buddhist canon on-line (SAT Daizōkyō Text Database): http://21dzk.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/SAT/ddb-bdk-sat2.php?lang=en
The Encyclopaedia of Shinto: http://k-amc.kokugakuin.ac.jp/DM/dbTop.do?class_name=col_eos

Critical works:
Buswell, Robert E. Jr. ed., Chinese Buddhist Apocrypha, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 1990.
Funayama, Toru "Chinese Buddhist Apocrypha," in Brill Encyclopaedia of Buddhism vol 1.
Wu, Jiang and Lucille Chia, eds., Spreading Buddha's Word in East Asia: The Formation and Transformation of the Chinese Buddhist Canon, 2015.
Brian Ruppert, "On the Category of East Asian Buddhist Texts that Matter: Shengjiao and Shōgyō 聖教 as a Fundamental and Overlooked Category of Premodern East Asian Buddhists' Books," Studies in Chinese Religions, vol. 11, no. 1–2 (2025)

In class, throughout the course: individual or group presentations, worth 30% of the final mark. The timing of class presentations will be determined at the beginning of the year, taking into account the number of students on the course.
Final exam: oral exam, worth 70% of the final mark.

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

A. Scores in the 18-22 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- sufficient knowledge and applied comprehension skills;
- limited ability to analyze and interpret philosophical and religious texts;
- sufficient communication skills, especially concerning the use of specific language.
B. Scores in the 23-26 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- fair knowledge and applied comprehension skills;
- discrete ability to analyze and interpret philosophical and religious texts;
- fair communication skills, especially concerning the use of specific language.
C. Scores in the 27-30 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- good or very good knowledge and applied comprehension skills;
- good or excellent ability to analyze and interpret philosophical and religious texts;
- fully appropriate communication skills, especially concerning the use of specific language.
D. "lode" will be awarded in the presence of excellent knowledge and applied understanding, excellent judgment and excellent communication skills.

Classes consist of two-hour slots roughly divided into:
-frontal lecture session that provides an overview of the topic and the issues it presents, using a variety of materials;
-class discussion of the sources, with a group presentation by a team of students
It is strongly recommended that you participate in the activities set for each week. Reading materials, podcasts and other sources for each week will be available on the Moodle page of the course.