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Sea Changes In The Lives Of Japanese Buddhist Women In Hawai‘I, Karma Lekshe Tsomo
Sea Changes In The Lives Of Japanese Buddhist Women In Hawai‘I, Karma Lekshe Tsomo
Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship
Three cycles of change characterize the evolution of Japanese Buddhist temples in Hawai‘i: the early years, the war years, and the contemporary period. This brief article explores women’s roles and patterns of adaptation to local circumstances over generations during these cycles of change. Special attention is given to the experiences of Japanese immigrant Buddhist women in the Jōdo Shinshū school of Buddhism. The aim is to show how Japanese women who immigrated to Hawai‘i helped shape a uniquely local flavor of Buddhism, made significant contributions to Jōdo Shinshū’s development, and helped ensure the continuity of Buddhist traditions up to the …
Japanese Buddhist Women In Hawai‘I: Waves Of Change, Karma Lekshe Tsomo
Japanese Buddhist Women In Hawai‘I: Waves Of Change, Karma Lekshe Tsomo
Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship
Beginning in the latter half of the nineteenth century, successive waves of Japanese Buddhist immigrants settled in the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, bringing with them a variety of Japanese Buddhist schools and traditions. Overcoming many hardships, Japanese immigrant women worked with great devotion to help establish numerous temples in the Hawai‘i through Buddhist women’s associations known as Fujinkai. These dedicated women not only maintained ancestral Buddhist practices but also integrated Japanese Buddhist, native Hawaiian, and other cultural elements in ways that were entirely new. Persevering through the war years and through successive waves of cultural adaptation, they transmitted and protected Buddhist …