• What is the role of music in Buddhism?
    Jul 25 2025

    Bright on Buddhism - Episode 119 - What is the role of music in Buddhism? What are some instruments that are commonly used in ritual? How ought we understand music in Buddhism?

    Resources: https://buddhiststudies.stanford.edu/resources/resource-guide-public/buddhist-music-and-chanting

    Chen, Pi-Yen (2010). Chinese Buddhist monastic chants. Middleton, Wis.: A-R Editions. ISBN 9780895796721.

    Chen, Pi-yen (2002). "The contemporary practice of the Chinese Buddhist daily service: Two case studies of the traditional in the post-traditional world". Ethnomusicology. 46 (2): 226–249. doi:10.2307/852780. JSTOR 852780.

    Gelongma Karma Khechong Palmo. Mantras on the Prayer Flag. Kailash: A Journal of Himalayan Studies, Volume 1, Number 2, 1973. (pp. 168–169).

    The Rider Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and religion. (London : Rider, 1986).

    Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John, eds. (2001). New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries. ISBN 1561592390.

    Millward, James A. (June 2012). "Chordophone Culture in Two Early Modern Societies: "A Pipa-Vihuela" Duet". Journal of World History. 23 (2): 237–278. doi:10.1353/jwh.2012.0034. JSTOR 23320149. S2CID 145544440.

    Myers, John (1992). The way of the pipa: structure and imagery in Chinese lute music. Kent State University Press. ISBN 9780873384551.

    Picken, Laurence (March 1955). "The Origin of the Short Lute". The Galpin Society Journal. 8: 32–42. doi:10.2307/842155. JSTOR 842155.

    Erhu Info:

    Stephen Jones (1995). Folk Music of China. Oxford: Clarendon Press OUP.

    Terence Michael Liu (1988). "Development of the Chinese Two-stringed Bowed Lute Erhu Following the New Culture Movement (c. 1915–1985)". Ph.D. dissertation. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University.

    Jonathan Stock. "A Historical Account of the Chinese Two-Stringed Fiddle Erhu". Galpin Society Journal, v. 46 (March 1993), pp. 83–113.

    Jonathan Stock (1996). Musical Creativity in Twentieth-Century China: Abing, His Music, and Its Changing Meanings. Eastman Studies in Music. Rochester, New York: Rochester University Press.

    Yongde Wang (1995). Qing shao nian xue er hu (Young person's erhu study). Shanghai Music Publishing House.

    Shamisen info:

    https://web.archive.org/web/20101213141302/http://brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=210&pid=28179

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    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com.

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host

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    20 mins
  • Buddhish - The Saturday Edition
    Jul 19 2025

    Bright on Buddhism - Buddhish 22 - The Saturday Edition

    Join us as we begrudgingly discuss the end of our streak of never missing uploads!

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    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com.

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host

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    8 mins
  • Lotus Sutra Chapter 2 - Skillful Means
    Jul 11 2025

    Chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra - Join us as we read and discuss Chapter 2 of the Burton Watson translation of the Lotus Sutra!

    Resources: Hurvitz, Leon. 1976. Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma. New York: Columbia University Press.; Kato, Bunno. 1971. The Threefold Lotus Sutra: Innumerable Meanings, The Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law, and Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue. Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Company.; Kern, H. 1884. 1963. Saddharma-Puṇḍarīka or The Lotus of the True Law. London: New York: Clarendon Press. Dover Publications. The Sacred Books of the East, Volume XXI; Kubo, Tsugunari and Akira Yuyama. 1993. The Lotus Sutra: The White Lotus of the Marvelous Law. Tokyo and Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.; Murano, Senchū. 1974. 1991. The Lotus Sutra: The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. Tokyo: Nichiren Shu Shimbun.; Reeves, Gene. 2008. The Lotus Sutra. Boston: Wisdom Publications.; Soothill, W.E. 1930. The Lotus of the Wonderful Law or The Lotus Gospel: Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Miao-fa Lien Hua Ching. Oxford: Clarendon Press.; Watson, Burton. 1993. The Lotus Sutra. New York: Columbia University Press.; Lopez, Donald S. The Lotus Sūtra: A Biography. Princeton; Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2016; Teiser, Stephen F., and Jacqueline I. Stone, eds. Readings of the Lotus Sutra. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009.; Lopez, Donald S., and Jacqueline I. Stone. Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side: A Guide to the Lotus Sūtra. Princeton University Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvfjczvz.

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    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com.

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • What is the relationship between Japanese imperialism and Japanese Buddhism?
    Jul 4 2025

    Bright on Buddhism - Episode 118 - What is the relationship between Japanese imperialism and Japanese Buddhism? Why were Buddhist temples pro-empire? What are their stances today?

    Resources: Bodiford, William (1996), "Zen and the Art of Religious Prejudice. Efforts to Reform a Tradition of Social Discrimination" (PDF), Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 23 (1–2); Crook, John (1995), The Place of the Dharma in Our Time; Crook, John (2000), The Place of Chan in Post-Modern Europe; Heisig, James W.; Maraldo, John C., eds. (1995), Rude Awakenings. Zen, the Kyoto School, and the question of nationalism (PDF), Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, archived from the original (PDF) on August 30, 2012; Hur, Nam-lin (1999), "The Sõtõ Sect and Japanese Military Imperialism in Korea" (PDF), Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 26 (1–2); Lachs, Stuart (1999), Means of Authorization: Establishing Hierarchy in Ch'an /Zen Buddhism in America; Lachs, Stuart (2002), Richard Baker and the Myth of the Zen Roshi; Lachs, Stuart (2006), The Zen Master in America: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves; Peek, John M. (1992), Buddhism, Human Rights and the Japanese State; Sato, Kemmyō Taira (n.d.), D.T. Suzuki and the Question of War (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-25; Sharf, Robert H. (August 1993), "The Zen of Japanese Nationalism", History of Religions, 33 (1): 1–43, doi:10.1086/463354; Sharf, Robert H. (1995), Whose Zen? Zen Nationalism Revisited (PDF); Tiltenberg (2002), Zen Without Dirty Hands? Report from a seminar and retreat at De Tiltenberg, Vogelenzang in the Netherlands July 17–22, 2001, Couste Que Couste, ISBN 90-807042-3-7; Victoria, Brian Daizen (2006), Zen at war (Second ed.), Lanham e.a.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; Yasuaki, Nara (n.d.), The Soto Zen School in Modern Japan; Gier, Nicholas, F. Buddhism and Japanese Nationalism: A sad chronicle of complicity Archived 2016-10-10 at the Wayback Machine; Victoria, Brian Daizen (2010), "The "Negative Side" of D. T. Suzuki's Relationship to War" (PDF), The Eastern Buddhist, 41 (2): 97–138; Otani Eiichi, "Missionary Activities of Nichiren Buddhism in East Asia", in: "Modern Japanese Buddhism and Pan-Asianism", The 19th World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions, Tokyo, March 28, 2005, pp. 21–22 PDF; Kawase Takaya, "The Jodo Shinshu Sectś Missionary Work in Colonial Korea"; in: "Modern Japanese Buddhism and Pan-Asianism", The 19th World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions, Tokyo, March 28, 2005, pp. 6–7 PDF

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    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com.

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host

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    23 mins
  • The Difference Between the Exoteric and Esoteric Teachings - Benkenmitsunikyōron - 偏顕密二教論
    Jun 27 2025

    Bright on Buddhism - The Difference Between the Exoteric and Esoteric Teachings - Benkenmitsunikyōron - 偏顕密二教論

    Join us as we read and discuss Kūkai's "The Difference Between the Exoteric and Esoteric Teachings" - Benkenmitsunikyōron - 偏顕密二教論

    Resources: Davidson, Ronald M. (2002). Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement. Columbia University Press; Duckworth, Douglas (2015). "Tibetan Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna". In Emmanuel, Steven M. (ed.). A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy. Wiley. ISBN 978-1-119-14466-3.; Bowring, Richard (2008). The Religious Traditions of Japan: 500–1600. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.; BDK (2015), Esoteric Texts, Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai America Incorporated.; Hakeda, Yoshito S., transl. (1972). Kukai: Major Works, Translated, With an Account of His Life and a Study of His Thought, New York: Columbia University Press, ISBN 0-231-03627-2.; Matsunaga, Daigan; and Matsunaga, Alicia (1974). Foundation of Japanese Buddhism, Vol. I and II: The Aristocratic Age. Buddhist Books International, Los Angeles und Tokio. ISBN 0-914910-25-6.; Kiyota, Minoru (1978). Shingon Buddhism: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles/Tokyo: Buddhist Books International; Orzech, Charles D; Sorensen, Henrik Hjort; Payne, Richard Karl (2011). Esoteric Buddhism and the tantras in East Asia. Leiden; Boston: Brill. doi:10.1163/ej.9789004184916.i-1200. ISBN 978-90-04-20401-0. OCLC 731667667.; Yamasaki, Taiko (1988). Shingon: Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, Boston/London: Shambala Publications.

    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by tweeting to us @BrightBuddhism, emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com, or joining us on our discord server, Hidden Sangha https://discord.gg/tEwcVpu!

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host

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    34 mins
  • What is the difference between a lay-person and a monastic in Buddhism?
    Jun 21 2025

    Bright on Buddhism - Episode 117 - What is the difference between a lay-person and a monastic in Buddhism? How does this difference entail different duties and roles? How does this difference shift and change over time?

    Shout out to Garret for this question!

    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com.

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host

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    21 mins
  • What are some characteristics of Shingon Buddhist sacred spaces?
    Jun 13 2025

    Bright on Buddhism - Episode 116 - What are some characteristics of Shingon Buddhist sacred spaces? How do they differ from other Buddhist sacred spaces? How are Shingon sacred spaces influenced by texts and doctrines?

    Resources: Andreeva, Anna. “Buddhist Temple Networks in Medieval Japan.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 47, no. 1 (2020): 11–41.; Bushelle, Ethan. “The Mountain as Mandala: Kūkai’s Founding of Mt. Kōya.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 47, no. 1 (2020): 43–83.; Collection of Benevolent Deeds (Sazenshū 作善集). By Chōgen 重源 (1121–1206).In Shunjōbō Chōgen shiryō shūsei 俊乗房重源資料集成, ed. Kobayashi Takeshi小林 剛.Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 1965.; Dobbins, James C. Jōdo Shinshū: Shin Buddhism in Medieval Japan. Religion in Asia and Africa Series. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1989.; Goodwin, Janet R. “The Buddhist Monarch - Go-Shirakawa and the Rebuilding of Tōdai-Ji.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, The Emperor System and Religion in Japan, 17, no. 2/3 (1990): 219–42.; Horton, Sarah (2004). The Influence of the Ōjōyōshū in Late Tenth- and Early Eleventh-Century Japan, Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 31 (1), 29-54; Inagaki, Hisao. “Esoteric Meaning of Amida.” Pacific World Journal New Series, no. 10 (1994).; Ingram, Evan. “Chōgen’s Vision of Tōdaiji’s Great Buddha as Both Mahāvairocana and Amitābha.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 46, no. 2 (2019): 173–92.; Johnson, Peter Lunde. Land of Pure Bliss: Sukhavati, 2021.; Kainuma, Yoshiko. “Chōgen’s Jōdoji Amida Triad and Its Environment: A Theatrical Effect of the ‘Raigō’ Form.” Artibus Asiae 74, no. 1 (2014): 97–127.; Kuroda, Toshio. “The Development of the Kenmitsu System as Japan’s Medieval Orthodoxy.” Translated by James C Dobbins. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, The Legacy of Kuroda Toshio, 23, no. 3/4 (1996): 233–69. ; Rosenfield, John. “Introduction: Todaiji in Japanese History and Art.” In The Great Eastern Temple: Treasures of Japanese Art From, edited by Yutaka Mino, 17–31. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1986.; Rosenfield, John M. Portraits of Chōgen: The Transformation of Buddhist Art in Early Medieval Japan. Japanese Visual Culture ; Volume 1. Leiden, the Netherlands ; Brill, 2011.; Stone, Jacqueline I. Right Thoughts at the Last Moment–Buddhism and Deathbed Practices in Early Medieval Japan. University of Hawai’i Press, 2016.; Tōdaiji zōryū kuyōki 東大寺造立供養記. Anonymous. In Dai Nihon Bukkyō zen-sho 121, Tōdaiji sōsho 1, ed. Bussho Kankōkai, 47–57. Tokyo: Bussho Kankōkai,1912–1922.; Yen-Yi, Chan, and 晏怡詹. “Revealing the Miraculous: Objects Placed inside the Statue of the Kōfukuji Nan’endō Fukūkenjaku Kannon.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 49, no. 1 (2022): 45–88.


    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com.

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host

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    27 mins
  • Who is Kumarajiva?
    Jun 6 2025

    Bright on Buddhism - Episode 115 - Who is Kumarajiva? What did he do in his life? How did that affect Buddhism in East Asia?

    Resources: Chandra, Moti (1977), Trade and Trade Routes in Ancient India, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 9788170170556; Eitel, E.J.; Edkins, Joseph (1871), "Handbook for the Student of Chinese Buddhism", The Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal, 3, FOOCHOW.: American Presbyterian Mission Press: 217; Greene, Eric Matthew (2012), Meditation, Repentance, and Visionary Experience in Early Medieval Chinese Buddhism (PhD dissertation), University of California, Berkeley; Kumar, Yukteshwar (2005), A History of Sino-Indian Relations, APH Publishing Corporation, ISBN 978-8176487986; Lu, Yang (2004), "Narrative and Historicity in the Buddhist Biographies of Early Medieval China: The Case of Kumārajīva", Asia Major, Third Series, 17 (2): 1–43; Nan, Huai-Chin (1998), Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen, ISBN 978-1578630202; Nattier, Jan (1992), "The Heart Sutra: A Chinese Apocryphal Text?", Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, 15 (2): 153–223, archived from the original on 2013-10-29, retrieved 2013-10-23; Nattier, Jan (2005), A Few Good Men: The Bodhisattva Path according to The Inquiry of Ugra (Ugraparipṛcchā), University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 978-0824830038; Pollard, Elizabeth (2015), Worlds Together Worlds Apart, New York: W.W. Norton Company Inc, p. 287, ISBN 978-0-393-91847-2; Puri, B. N. (1987), Buddhism in Central Asia, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, ISBN 978-8120803725; Singh, Upinder (2009), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Pearson Education India, ISBN 978-8131716779; Smith, David Howard (1971), Chinese Religions From 1000 B.C. to the Present Day, Weidenfeld & Nicolson; Wu, Ching-hsing (1938), "Some Notes on Kao Seng Chuan", T'ien Hsia Monthly, 7, Kelly and Walsh, ltd.; Zürcher, Erik (2007) The Buddhist Conquest of China: The Spread and Adaptation of Buddhism in Early Medieval China. BRILL.

    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com.

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host

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    20 mins