Japan

Excerpted from....

Stones As Social Media

Adapted from A History of Religion in 5 ½ Objects (Beacon Press, March 11th)

golgusa

Army of Monk

The fighting, silent warrior-monk draws me closer.

TWA2

Accidental Gods

“…it is impossible for human nature not always to love something.”

The monks and the fire.

Fire-walking at Mount Takao

Mount Takao is located in a western, wooded stretch of greater Tokyo. It is a prime destination to take in the seasons and escape the asphalt island that is the…

Hojo-san & Myo-e by Tenku via Flickr

Zen and the Art of Hostessing

After all, Buddhist monks are men too.

Killing the Buddha

“I Only Desire”: Poet Monks

Running into a monk at a hostess bar in Kyoto was as jarring to me as bumping into a rowdy rabbi or Baptist minister at a strip club.  Though all…

 An Easter service sponsored by US military chaplains, in the public plaza adjacent to the Imperial Palace, 1948.

Red Flags and Christian Soldiers

Operation Gospel – A primer from the last time the U.S. occupied foreign lands.

Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto

Princessing Lessons

No need for jumbo-jets full of pre-pubescent sex slaves, Japan’s Great Goddess has arrived.