Tanaka, Kenneth
| English Phonetics | Kenneth K. Tanaka |
|---|---|
| Sort Name | Tanaka, Kenneth |
| Birth: | 1947 |
|---|
Tibetan calendar dates
Biographical Information
Kenneth Ken'ichi Tanaka (born 1947), also known as Kenshin Tanaka or Ken'ichi Tanaka is a scholar, author, translator and ordained Jōdo Shinshū priest. He is author and editor of many articles and books on modern Buddhism.
Tanaka was born in 1947 in Japan but grew up in Mountain View, California. He received his B.A in Anthropology from Stanford University in 1970. He then received his masters in Philosophy and Indian Studies and his Ph.D. through the Graduate School of Humanities Doctoral Program in Buddhist Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1991 Tanaka was appointed the Rev. Yoshitaka Tamai Professor at the Institute of Buddhist Studies, an affiliate of the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, California. He was president of the Buddhist Council of Northern California and served as editor of Pacific World: The Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies. In 1995 he became the pastor of the Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church.
Tanaka is the author of numerous articles and books on the subject of Buddhism. He was interviewed as part of the PBS report Tensions in American Buddhism in 2001and Talk of the Nation program of National Public Radio. In 1998 he became professor of Buddhist Studies at Musashino University in Tokyo, Japan. He produced and appeared in a television series sponsored by the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai foundation that aired in 2005, with DVDs later distributed. He gave the keynote address at the 750th memorial observance of Shinran in February 2010. (Source Accessed July 21, 2021)
- Wiki Pages
- Person description or short bio
Expand to see this person's philosophical positions on Buddha-nature.
| Is Buddha-nature considered definitive or provisional? | |
|---|---|
| Position: | |
| Notes: | |
| All beings have Buddha-nature | |
| Position: | |
| If "Qualified", explain: | |
| Notes: | |
| Which Wheel Turning | |
| Position: | |
| Notes: | |
| Yogācāra vs Madhyamaka | |
| Position: | |
| Notes: | |
| Zhentong vs Rangtong | |
| Position: | |
| Notes: | |
| Promotes how many vehicles? | |
| Position: | |
| Notes: | |
| Analytic vs Meditative Tradition | |
| Position: | |
| Notes: | |
| What is Buddha-nature? | |
| Position: | |
| Notes: | |
| Svātantrika (རང་རྒྱུད་) vs Prāsaṅgika (ཐལ་འགྱུར་པ་) | |
| Position: | |
| Notes: | |
| Causal nature of the vajrapāda | |
| Position: | |
Full Name[edit]
Kenneth K. Tanaka
Affiliation[edit]
Musashino University, Tokyo
President of the International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies
Education[edit]
Other Information[edit]
He taught at the Institute of Buddhist Studies of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California before being appointed professor of Buddhist Studies at Musashino University, Tokyo in 1998. He currently serves as President of the International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies, and had been an active member of the International Buddhist-Christian Theological Encounter sessions centered at Purdue University. His publications include, 1) The Dawn of Chinese Pure Land Buddhist Doctrine: Ching-ying Hui-yuan's Commentary to the Visualization Sutra. (The State University of New York, 1990); 2) Ocean: An Introduction to Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in America.(Wisdom Ocean Publication, 1997); 3) The Faces of Buddhism in America (co-editor) (The University of California Press, 1998); 4) Pure Land Buddhism: Historical Development and Contemporary Manifestation. (Dharmaram College, Bangalore, India, 2004). He recently produced and appeared in a weekly year-long Buddhist T.V. program, sponsored by Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai. This program was aired in Los Angeles on Sundays in 2005; its DVDs are being distributed to religious and educational institutions throughout the world. Source (Accessed April 22, 2012)