Mapping the Pathways of Huayan Buddhist Thought

Ronald Y. Nakasone, a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, earned his MA from Ryūkoku University in Kyoto, Japan, and his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has written extensively on Buddhist doctrine, ethics, and aesthetics, aging and spirituality, and Ryūkyūan studies. He is a Jōdo Shinshū priest and a skilled sho(calligrapher)-artist.

Foreword – Preface – Conventions – List of Illustrations – Introduction – Spiritual Geography – Mind, The Cartographer – Surveying the Terrain – Alternative and Ambiguous Maps – The Ambiguity of Death – Moral Ambiguity – Curriculum Design: Spirituality and Aging in the Japanese Experience – Spiritual Aesthetics of Sho (Calligraphy) - Dharma Gate of Beauty – Discoveries and Reflections – Glossary – Bibliography – Index – Index of Names.

“Huayan philosophy is often thought of as a difficult scholarly source within Buddhist practice. But using the Chinese Buddhist monk Fazang (643–712) as a navigator, Ronald Nakasone invites readers to learn how to apply this Buddhist view of true reality to their contemporary lives. While solidly based in many years of academic study, this book beautifully accomplishes its main aim of inspiring a spiritual journey in the midst of everyday living, from ethical and moral decision making to aesthetic pursuits such as calligraphy and painting.”
—Eisho Nasu, Ryūkoku University, Kyoto, Japan