Practitioner’s Episode 4 - "What is Tendai Buddhism?" - With Rev. Monshin Naamon

Hosted by filmmaker Yujiro Seki, Carving the Divine TV is a series of Q&A sessions with Buddhist scholars and practitioners. These Q&A sessions explore the basic concepts of Buddhism and the history of Buddhism so that when viewers finally watch Carving the Divine they will get the maximum value of the documentary. Today, we will be talking about Tendai Buddhism with a special guest Rev. Monshin Paul B. N. Naamon. That’s right! We have another practitioner’s episode! Tendai Buddhism is one of the earliest Buddhism sects in Japan that went beyond the Buddhism of novelty and aristocracy. Out of Tendai, many subsequent sects of Japanese Buddhism emerged! Yes, without doubt, it’s one of the important Buddhist sects in Japan… Even today! 

We will be asking important questions such as: 

What is Tendai Buddhism?  What is the brief history of Tendai Buddhism? 

Why is Tendai Buddhism called syncretic Buddhism?

Who is Rev. Saicho (Dengyo Daishi)? 

What is the difference between Shingon and Tendai? 

What is lotus sutra and why is it important? 

What is the most important Buddhist deity in Tendai Buddhism?

What is the Tendai view of Butsuzo (Buddhist statuary)? 

Reverend Monshin Paul B. N. Naamon is the Jushoku (Abbot) of Jiunzan Tendai-ji, of Tendai Buddhist Institute, a Tendai Buddhist temple, teaching, retreat, and meditation center, located in the Berkshire foothills in upstate New York. It is also the Tendai-shu New York Betsuin (Branch temple of Enryakuji), the Head Temple of Tendai Buddhism in North America. He was an interdisciplinary professor, in Buddhism, East Asian studies, and biomedical anthropology at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, in Great Barrington, MA. He retired from college teaching in 2016. He is the author of professional papers and articles in human biology, anthropology, Buddhism and Japanese culture, in Japan and the U.S.  http://www.tendai.org/