Zen Buddhism and the Reformation in Japan

Today we slow down and start to explore Imperial Japan, spiritually speaking. This is the first of two episodes about Zen Buddhism under Imperial Japan. There's a brief history of Zen Buddhism in order to explain New Buddhism. New Buddhism was utilized by Imperial Japan to control their population and to exert power overseas. Then, we discuss Gudō Uchiyama and Zen Buddhism's resistance to New Buddhism and the Japanese state. We talk about High Treason Incident and its very interesting connection to Japanese railroads. 

Song:

The Preacher and the Slave - Utah Phillips

The Sound of Breath - SiM