Imaging Japanese Religion in the Classroom: Mandala, Manga, Pizza, and Gardens

Abstract

How does my research influence my pedagogy? As a teacher of Japanese religions at a small liberal arts college, I realized long ago that I wasn’t teaching in grad school. Few of my students can speak or read Japanese or have ever traveled to Japan. So, chances are I’m not going to be teaching a small seminar on pre-modern Buddhist pilgrimage focusing on original texts in the classical vernacular. Yet, in teaching undergraduates, I keep Shunryu Suzuki’s comment in mind: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” The trick is how to trigger those possibilities. How do I open the door to a subject that is totally new and perhaps even strange? What do I find so fascinating in my own research that will also fascinate my students?

How to Cite

Williams, M.M., 2009. Imaging Japanese Religion in the Classroom: Mandala, Manga, Pizza, and Gardens. ASIANetwork Exchange: A Journal for Asian Studies in the Liberal Arts, 16(2), pp.86–103. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/ane.226

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Mark Mac Williams (St. Lawrence University)

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