Zen at War

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zen at War is a book written by Brian Daizen Victoria, published in 1998.

The book gives a critical insight on the history of Zen Buddhism and Japanese militarism from the time of the Meiji Restoration to the Second World War and the post-War period. It describes the influence of state policy on Japanese Buddhism, focusing on Zen but also including other sects. It also describes the influence of Zen philosophy on the Japanese military.

The book also contains a chapter on the actions of Japanese Buddhists who opposed the growth of militarism.

Brian Victoria is an American-born Australian anti-war activist who became a priest in the Japanese Soto Zen sect. He was a Senior Lecturer in Centre for Asian Studies at the University of Adelaide in South Australia. (source) (archive link, was dead; history)

[edit] See also

• Bushido
• Shinbutsu Bunri

[edit] External links

• Review of Zen at War by Fabio Rambelli, in the Journal of Buddhist Ethics
• Review of Zen at War by David Loy
• "Zen Holy War?", a review by Josh Baran
• New York Times article on Brian Victoria's writings