Ibunto Bookstore 彙文堂書店 and Naitō Konan 内藤湖南

Before arriving in Japan in May 28, 2017, I happened to pick up a Chinese book on Kyoto bookstores 京都古书店风景 written by Su Zhenshu 苏枕书, which has a nice chapter on Ibunto Bookstore 彙文堂書店. I followed the instruction and visited the bookstore after I arrived in Kyoto. It was famous because Naitō Torajirō (Japanese: 内藤 虎次郎, August 27, 1866 – June 26, 1934), commonly known as Naitō Konan (内藤 湖南), wrote the plaque for the bookstore.

Terebess Online exhibition of Yinyuan Longqi 隱元隆琦 (1592-1673)

Art Dealer Terebess in Hungary keeps an online exhibition of Zen Master Yinyuan. See the link below.
https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/Ingen.html
Several of my works have been listed as references.

Magnolia Grove Monastery established by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in Mississippi

In April 2017, during my trip to the University of Mississippi, I was surprised to learn from my host at Oxford that a Vietnamese Buddhist Temple is close by. Magnolia Grove Monastery was established by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh 釋一行 who is a Buddhist activist and founded the Plum Village in France. I attended his service many years ago when he visited Harvard. He is famous for walking meditation and monastic singing chorus. I took a few photos on my way to the Memphis airport.

Lecture on the Lotus Sutra at University of Mississippi at Oxford (April 3, 2017)

I was glad to be invited by the Department of Philosophy and Religion at University of Mississippi at Oxford to deliver a public lecture on the Lotus Sutra. Ole Miss has a beautiful campus. Oxford is famous because William Faulkner, the Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature (1949), lived at Rowan Oak, which I had a chance to visit during my short stay.

Here is the information about the talk:

Title: The Lotus Sutra and Religious Imagination

Abstract: The Lotus Sutra is one of the most influential scriptures in the Buddhist world. However, interpretations about its meaning vary considerably. Some regard it as profound religious teaching, or sophisticated philosophy and some dismiss it as superstitious. In this talk, Dr. Wu attempts to approach the Lotus Sutra from the perspective of religious imagination, a neglected but potentially powerful category in religious studies, to gain new insights into this scripture.  

South China Morning Post on Yinyuan (Ingen): HOW A 17TH-CENTURY MONK IS BOOSTING CHINA-JAPAN TIES

South China Morning Post just published an ediotrial on President Xi Jinping's 习近平 mention of Zen Master Yinyuan (Ingen) 隐元 on 30 APR 2017. The title is

HOW A 17TH-CENTURY MONK IS BOOSTING CHINA-JAPAN TIES BY TAKEHIRO MASUTOMO. Click the link to view.