Pye/Beyond Meditation, 1. General Introduction

In 1921 a group of leading Buddhists in Kyōto founded The Eastern Buddhist Society in order to propagate the spirit of Buddhism in the modern world. The leaders of this group were Suzuki Daisetsu (D.T. Suzuki), Sasaki Gesshō, Akanuma Chizen and Yamabe Shūgaku. Suzuki’s wife, Beatrice Lane Suzuki, also played a significant role. These writers were variously interested in Zen Buddhism and Shin Buddhism, and in the relations between these two and earlier forms of Buddhism. They were also concerned with the question of how best to express Buddhist teaching in a world which was becoming increasingly internationalized. The well-known journal The Eastern Buddhist was also founded in 1921, being edited in the first instance by Suzuki Daisetsu and Beatrice Lane Suzuki.

This introductory chapter outlines the context in which the journal began its mission to present Buddhist ideas to a western audience during the 1920s and 30s. While much attention was paid to Zen Buddhism, many in this circle were also interested in looking at other Buddhist traditions, particularly Shin Buddhism and its antecedents. The introduction also discusses the importance of "nenbutsu spirituality" (the calling of the name of Amida Buddha) and raises the question of whether this is a form of meditation or something beyond. The introduction goes on to outline the second part of the book which deals with the "deep" tradition of Mahayana Buddhism and the third part, which concentrates on Shin Buddhist material, before briefly introducing many of the authors whose writings are reprinted in this volume.