Kodera, T.

Kodera, T. on the DRL

Authors of English Works • Professors

English Phonetics	Takashi James Kodera

Tibetan calendar dates

Dates of birth

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Gender
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Rab Jyung

Dates of passing

Day
Month
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Animal
Rab Jyung

About

Primary Affiliation (Workplace)

Wellesley College

PhD University

Ph.D., Columbia University

Education

Ph.D., Columbia University B.A., Carleton College; M.A., M.Phil.

Biographical Information

Jim Kodera is committed to the academic study of religion from the historical and comparative perspective, with a focus on Asia, broadly including both East Asia and South Asia. More specifically, he offers courses on Buddhism from its origin in India through its development in Tibet, China, Korea, Japan and the West and is also interested in the inner relationship between a contemplative life and social and political responsibility, involving a variety of religious and cultural traditions.

At Wellesley, he helped develop Japanese Studies as part of East Asian Studies Program and Asian American Studies as part of American Studies.

Earlier research focused on individuals and issues in East Asian Buddhism, especially in the Ch’an/Zen tradition. Kodera has written on the place and the role of Christianity in East Asia, including the Jesuits in the 16th century and Uchimura Kanzo. More recently, his research has focused on the plight of “Untouchables” in India (Dalits) and Japan (Burakumin). He is in an early stage of research on Nagasaki from Francis Xavier, who arrived in Nagasaki in 1549, and Takashi Nagai, affected by radiation after the atomic bomb and yet turned Nagasaki into the “City of Prayer” as it remains today, in contrast to Hiroshima. (Source Accessed May 7, 2020)

Links

Wiki Pages

• Kodera, T. on the DRL
• Kodera, T. on the LIB
• Kodera, T. on the BNW

Buddha Nature Project

Person description or short bio

Expand to see this person's philosophical positions on Buddha-nature.

Is Buddha-nature considered definitive or provisional?
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All beings have Buddha-nature
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If "Qualified", explain:
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Which Wheel Turning
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Yogācāra vs Madhyamaka
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Zhentong vs Rangtong
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Promotes how many vehicles?
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Analytic vs Meditative Tradition
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What is Buddha-nature?
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Svātantrika (རང་རྒྱུད་) vs Prāsaṅgika (ཐལ་འགྱུར་པ་)
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Causal nature of the vajrapāda
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Refers to something that is taught for a specific reason, rather than because it is entirely true.

Along with Madhyamaka, it was one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Asaṅga and Vasubandhu around the fourth century CE, many of its central tenets have roots in the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra and the so-called third turning of the dharma wheel (see tridharmacakrapravartana).

Along with Yogācāra, it is one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Nāgārjuna around the second century CE, it is rooted in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, though its initial exposition was presented in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

The state of being devoid of that which is wholly different rather than being void of its own nature. The term is generally used to refer to the ultimate, or buddha-nature, being empty of other phenomena such as adventitious defiling emotions but not empty of its true nature.

The state of being empty of self, which references the lack of inherent existence in relative phenomena.

Tsen Khawoche's "meditative tradition" of exegesis of the Uttaratantra; it is one of two major Tibetan traditions of exegesis, both stemming from students of Sajjana.