Hi All and Happy Summer,

My two articles for this period are:

Japanese Buddhism - Four Main Branches
As Buddhism spread outward from India, many new branches developed, often integrating existing traditions. Four main forms of Buddhism are practiced in Japan today - Pure Land, Nichiren, Shingon, and Zen. Learn the basics of these four distinct schools in this article.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art172015.asp

Book Review - Buddha Standard Time
The latest book from Lama Surya Das, Buddha Standard Time: Awakening to the Infinite Possibilities of Now, is for anyone that finds themselves saying "I just don't have enough time."
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art171880.asp

I hope you find these useful and informative. Although I am very familiar with many Zen teachings, I am less so with other branches of Japanese Buddhism, and I enjoyed learning about them for this article. Here is a passage I found from Nichiren, the 13th century founder of Nichiren Buddhism, one of the branches covered in the article:

"Flint has the potential to produce fire, and gems have intrinsic value. We ordinary people can see neither our own eyelashes, which are so close, nor the heavens in the distance. Likewise, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts."

In Peace,
Lisa Erickson, Buddhism Editor
http://buddhism.bellaonline.com

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