Taitetsu Unno
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Taitetsu Unno (海野 大徹 ''Unno Taitetsu'') was a scholar, lecturer, and author on the subject of
Pure Land Buddhism Pure Land Buddhism or the Pure Land School ( zh, c=淨土宗, p=Jìngtǔzōng) is a broad branch of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Pure land, Pure Land. It is one of the most widely practiced traditions of East Asi ...
. His work as a translator has been responsible for making many important Buddhist texts available to the English-speaking world and he is considered one of the leading authorities in the United States on Shin Buddhism, a branch of
Pure Land Buddhism Pure Land Buddhism or the Pure Land School ( zh, c=淨土宗, p=Jìngtǔzōng) is a broad branch of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Pure land, Pure Land. It is one of the most widely practiced traditions of East Asi ...
. Dr. Unno was an ordained Shin Buddhist minister and the founding Sensei of the
Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...
Shin Buddhist
Sangha Sangha or saṃgha () is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used b ...
in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. He published extensively on the subject of Pure Land Buddhism, his most famous works include: ''Shin Buddhism: Bits of Rubble Turn Into Gold'', ''River of Fire, River of Water'', and ''Tannisho: A Shin Buddhist Classic''.


Biography

Born in Japan in 1929, Taitetsu Unno immigrated to the United States at the age of six. During World War II, following the enforcement of Executive Order 9066, he spent three and a half years imprisoned in the Rohwer internment camp in
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
, and Tule Lake in California. He graduated from the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
with a degree in English literature and received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Buddhist Studies from Tokyo University. From 1971 to 1998 he taught Buddhism and Japanese aesthetics and was the Jill Ker Conway Professor Emeritus of Religion at
Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
. He retired in December 1998. After his retirement, he continued to travel as a lecturer on Japanese Buddhism, religion, and culture.The New York Buddhist Church
Unno died on December 13, 2014.


Essays

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Bibliography

*''Buddhism of the Heart: Reflections on Shin Buddhism and Inner Togetherness'' oreword(Wisdom Publications, 2009) *''Coffinman: The Journal of a Buddhist Mortician'' oreword(Buddhist Education Center, 2004) *''The Global Myths: Exploring Primitive, Pagan, Sacred, and Scientific Mythologies'' reface(Plume, 1994) *''Living in Amida's Universal Vow: Essays in Shin Buddhism'' ontributor( World Wisdom, 2004) *''Mahayana Buddhism: An approach to its essence'' (Pure Land Publications, 1989) *''Notes on "Essentials of Faith Alone": A Translation of Shinran's Yuishinsho-mon'i'' ranslator(Hongwanji International Center, 1979) *''Praying With Our Hands: 21 Practices of Embodied Prayer from the World's Spiritual Traditions'' fterword(Skylight Paths Publishing, 2000) *'' River of Fire, River of Water'' (Image, 1998) * ith James W. Heisig (editors) ''The Religious Philosophy of Tanabe Hajime: The Metanoetic Imperative''(Nanzan Studies in Religion and Culture), Asian Humanities Press (June 1990), , . *''Sermons of a Buddhist Abbot: A Classic of American Buddhism'' ntroduction(Three Leaves, 2004) *''Shin Buddhism: Bits of Rubble Turn into Gold'' (Image, 2002) *''Shin Buddhism: Monograph Series'' (Pureland Publications, 1993) *''The Spirit of Aikido'' ranslator(Kodansha America, 1984) *''Tannisho: A Shin Buddhist Classic'' ranslator(Buddhist Study Center Press, 1996)


External links


Northampton Shin Buddhist SanghaAuthor Page


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unno, Taitetsu 1929 births 2014 deaths 20th-century Buddhists 21st-century Buddhists 20th-century Japanese translators American Shin Buddhists American Buddhist studies scholars American people of Japanese descent American writers of Japanese descent Buddhist translators Buddhist writers Japanese-American internees Japanese emigrants to the United States Japanese scholars of Buddhism Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist priests People related to Jōdo Shinshū Shin Buddhists Smith College faculty UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni University of Tokyo alumni