The Creed of Half Japan

by Arthur Lloyd

[1911]

Contents Start Reading Page Index Text [Zipped]

This is a scholarly study of the evolution of Mahayana Buddhism in Japan. Lloyd was particularly interested in how Eastern religions interacted with those in the west. A Christian clergyman and long-time resident in Japan at the turn of the 20th century, Arthur Lloyd felt that Buddhism has much in common with Christianity, including possible historical links. In this book he discusses doctrinal and narrative parallels between Mahayana Buddhism and early Christian, Gnostic, and Manichean beliefs.

The book is particularly strong in its exposition of the various Buddhist sects in Japan, with extensive material on Nichiren, including a translation of the Namudaishi and the Rissho Ankoku ron, two important Nichiren texts. He also discusses the Amida (Pure Land), Shingon and Zen schools. The historical account covers one and a half millennia of Japanese history, from the first entry of Buddhism in the fifth century via Korea, through the Nara, Heian, Gempei, Kamakura, Muromachi and the Tokugawa periods. If you are looking for a comprehensive volume which covers the development of modern Japanese Buddhism, this is an essential reference. This is also a great read for religious studies students and others interested in Buddhism and the development of eastern religions.--J. B. Hare, November 26th, 2008.

Title Page
Preface
Contents
Chapter I. Mahāyāna
Chapter II. The Stage on which S’akyamuni made his Appearance
Chapter III. The Buddha and his Greatest Disciple
Chapter IV. The Pre-Christian Expansion of Buddhism
Chapter V. Pusityamitra
Chapter IV. The New Testament in Touch with the East
Chapter VII. Alexandria and Antioch at the Time of Christ
Chapter VIII. The Legend of St. Thomas
Chapter IX. The Call from China
Chapter X. Buddhism just before the Coming of Christianity
Chapter XI. As’vaghosha
Chapter XII. Nāgārjuna
Chapter XIII. The Missionaries of the Han
Chapter XIV. Dharmagupta
Chapter XV. Manichæism
Chapter XVI. China in the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Centuries
Chapter XVII. Buddhism Reaches Japan
Chapter XVIII. The Crown Prince Shōtoku Taishi
Chapter XIX. Buddhism during the Nara Period
Chapter XX. Heian Buddhism
Chapter XXI. “Namudaishi”
Chapter XXII. The Buddhism of the Gempei Period
Chapter XXIII. The Buddhism of Kamakura
Chapter XXIV. Nichiren and the Earlier Sects
Chapter XXV. “Risshō Ankoku Ron”
Chapter XXVI. The Mongols
Chapter XXVII. The Buddhism of the Muromachi Age
Chapter XXVIII. The Period of the Catholic Missions
Chapter XXIX. The Buddhism of the Tokugawa Period
Chapter XXX. Recapitulation
Index