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Buddhism in the Kamakura period

  • ZenThe word Zen comes from the Japanese pronunciation of a Middle Chinese term that traces back to the Sanskrit word dhyana, meaning contemplation or meditative…
  • Pure Land BuddhismIn 153 CE, an inscription in Gandhara bore the name of Amitabha Buddha, marking one of the earliest known references to this figure.
  • Nichiren BuddhismIn 1253, a young priest named Nichiren stood beneath the ginkgo tree at Seichō-ji temple in Chiba Prefecture and chanted the phrase Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō for…
  • Shinbutsu-shūgōIn the sixth century, Buddhism arrived in Japan from China during the Asuka period. Prince Shōtoku, a regent born in 574, championed this new faith.