Misplaced Pages

William Marvin Bodiford (born December 3, 1955) is an American professor and author. He teaches Buddhist Studies and religion in the cultures of Japan and East Asia at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Education and early career

In his section "Acknowledgments" in his book Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan, Bodiford thanks the monks of the Eihei-ji temple in Japan who "kindly broke the rules" to teach him, before his university education began, about Sōtō Zen and Japanese beer.

Bodiford earned his PhD in Buddhist Studies at Yale University and did additional graduate training at the University of Tsukuba and Komazawa University.

Before moving to UCLA, he taught at Davidson College, the University of Iowa, and Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan.

Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan

Bodiford's book Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan (1993 and 2008) began as his dissertation written at Yale (1989) under Stanley Weinstein. Fabio Rambelli, who reviewed the book in 1994 for The Journal of Asian Studies, writes that the author delivers an alternative to the "traditional dichotomy between 'pure' Zen and 'popular' religion". Christopher Ives writes in the Journal of Japanese Studies that the book is the "most important English work on Sōtō Zen to date".

Other activities and research

He presented his paper on the birth of Ise Shinto at the 2008 annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) in a session organized by Rambelli. In 2009, Bodiford participated with Shoji Yamada of International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Japan and William R. Lafleur of the University of Pennsylvania in a panel at the AAS annual meeting. In 2011, he sat on a panel with Steven Heine, Taigen Dan Leighton, Shohaku Okumura and others for a conference on Dogen Zenji organized by Heine's school, Florida International University. In May 2023, he gave a lecture on "Buddhist and Samurai Views of the Japanese 'Watery Moon' Motif" at UC Santa Barbara.

Bodiford researches Japanese history from medieval times to the present. He has published works on the Tendai and Vinaya Buddhist traditions, on Shinto, and other subjects. He is an associate editor of Macmillan Reference USA's Encyclopedia of Buddhism.

Publications

Books

• Bodiford, William M. (2008) . Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0824833039.
• Bodiford, William M. (2005). Going Forth: Visions of Buddhist Vinaya. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0824827872.
• Bodiford, William M., ed. (2005) The UCLA Guide to East Asian Buddhist Studies: Reference Works.
• Buswell, Robert E. Jr., ed. (2003). Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Bodiford, William (associate editor). Macmillan. ISBN 0028657187.

Articles

• Bodiford, William M. 2023. “La relecture des écritures bouddhiques en Chine et chez Dōgen” (“The Re-reading of Buddhist Scriptures in China and in Dōgen,” translated by Frédéric Girard), in L’identité du japonais face aux traductions: les cas du bouddhisme, de la philosophie et du kanbun (special issue). Des mots aux actes 12: 163–192.
• Bodiford, William M. 2020. "Shamon Dōgen at Ninety". Annual Report of the Zen Institute, n.32 (2020.12), pp. 59–86.
• Bodiford, William M. 2019. "Rewriting Dōgen". International Zen Studies, pp. 219–302. https://doi.org/10.34428/00012065
• Bodiford, William M. 2018. "Lives and Afterlives of Bushidō: A Perspective from Overseas". Asian Studies 6(2): University of Ljubljana, pp. 33–50. DOI: 10.4312/as.2018.6.2.33-50
• Bodiford, William M. 2018. “Anraku Ritsu: Genealogies of the Tendai Vinaya Revival in Early Modern Japan.” The Eastern Buddhist 49, 1 & 2. pp. 181–210.
• Bodiford, William M. 2015. "Keizan’s Denkōroku: A Textual and Contextual Overview." In Steven Heine ed., Dōgen and Sōtō Zen. Oxford University Press, pp. 167-187.
• Bodiford, William M. 2012. "Remembering Dōgen: Eiheiji and Dōgen Hagiography". In Steven Heine ed., Dōgen: Textual and Historical Studies. Oxford University Press, pp. 207-222.
• Bodiford, William M. 2011. "The Rhetoric of Chinese Language in Japanese Zen." In Christoph Anderl ed., Zen Buddhist Rhetoric in China, Korea, and Japan, pp. 285-314. Brill.
• Bodiford, William M. 2010. "Zen and Esoteric Buddhism." In Orzech, Charles D. (ed). Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in Eastern Asia. Brill, pp. 924–935.
• Bodiford, William M. 2010. “The Monastic Institution in Medieval Japan - The Insider's View.” In Buddhist Monasticism in East Asia, edited by James A. Benn, Lori Meeks, and James Robson, 125-147, New York: Routledge.
• Bodiford, William M. 2008. "Dharma Transmission in Theory and Practice." In Steven Heine, Dale S. Wright ed., Zen Ritual: Studies of Zen Buddhist Theory in Practice. Oxford University Press, pp. 261-331.
• Bodiford, William M. 2006. "When Secrecy Ends: The Tokugawa Reformation of Tendai Buddhism.” In Bernhard Scheid, Mark Teeuwen ed., The Culture of Secrecy in Japanese Religion, Routledge, pp. 309-330.
• Bodiford, William M. 2006. "Koan Practice" In John D. Loori ed., Sitting with Koans: Essential Writings on Zen Koan Introspection, Wisdom Publications, pp. 77-96.
• Bodiford, William M. 2006. “Remembering Dōgen: Eiheiji and Dōgen Hagiography." The Journal of Japanese Studies, Volume 32, Number 1, pp. 1-21.
• Bodiford, William M. 2006. "Matara: A Dream King Between Insight and Imagination." Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie, Vol. 16, pp. 233-62.
• Bodiford, William M. 2005. "Zen and Japanese Swordsmanship Reconsidered." In Alexander Bennett ed., Budo Perspectives. Auckland: Kendo World Publications, pp. 69-103.
• Bodiford, William M. 2005. "Bodhidharma's Precepts in Japan." In: Going Forth: Visions of Buddhist Vinaya. (Studies in East Asian Buddhism 18), University of Hawaii Press, pp. 185-209.
• Bodiford, William M. 2005. "A Chronology of Religion in Japan." In: Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions, pp. 395-432.
• Bodiford, William M. 2005. "The Medieval Period - Eleventh to Sixteenth Centuries." In: Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions, pp. 163-183.
• Bodiford, William M. 2003. "Monastic Militias." In Robert E. Buswell ed., Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Vol. 2 pp. 560-561. New York: Macmillan Reference USA.
• Bodiford, William M. 2002. "Soke: Historical Transformations of a Title and its Entitlements." In Diane Skoss ed., Keiko Shokon. Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, vol. 3, pp. 129-143.
• Bodiford, William M. 2002. "Zen Buddhism." In Theodore A. Barry et al, ed., Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume One: From Earliest Times to 1600, pp. 306-335.
• Bodiford, William M. 2001. "Written Texts: Japan." In Thomas A. Green, ed., Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia Volume One: A–Q. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Abc-Clio.
• Bodiford, William M. 2001. "Religion and Spiritual Development: Japan." In Thomas A. Green, ed., Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia Volume One: A–Q. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Abc-Clio, pp. 472-505.
• Bodiford, William M. 2000. "Emptiness and Dust - Zen Dharma Transmission Rituals." In David Gordon White, ed.,Tantra in Practice. Princeton University Press, pp. 299-307.
• Bodiford, William M. 1996. "Zen and the Art of Religious Prejudice. Efforts to Reform a Tradition of Social Discrimination." Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 23 (1-2).
• Bodiford, William M. 1994. "Soto Zen in a Japanese Town - Field Notes on a Once-Every-Thirty-Three-Years Kannon Festival."Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1994 21/1: 3-36.
• Bodiford, William M. 1993. "The Enlightenment of Kami and Ghosts - Spirit Ordinations in Japanese Sōtō Zen." Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie, pp. 267–282.
• Bodiford, William M. 1992. "Zen in the Art of Funerals: Ritual Salvation in Japanese Buddhism." History of Religions 32, no. 2: 146-64.
• Bodiford, William M. 1991. "Dharma Transmission in Sōtō Zen. Manzan Dōhaku's Reform Movement." Monumenta Nipponica, Vol.46, no. 4: 423-51.
• Bodiford, William M. "Zen." Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zen.

Translations

• Foulk T. Griffith, William M Bodiford, Carl Bielefeldt, and John R McRae. 2021. Record of the Transmission of Illumination Volume 2: A Glossary of Terms, Sayings, and Names Pertaining to Keizan's Denkōroku. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
• 瑩山 1268-1325 T. Griffith Foulk (ed), William M Bodiford (trans.), Sarah J Horton (trans.), Carl Bielefeldt (trans.), and John R McRae (trans.) 2021. Record of the Transmission of Illumination. Volume 1 an Annotated Translation of Zen Master Keizan's Denkōroku. Tokyo Honolulu: Sōtōshū Shūmuchō; University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 9780824890001
• In Donald S. Lopez Jr. ed. 2004. Buddhist Scriptures :
• Kyōkai's “Karma Tales.” pp. 24–33
• Genshin's “Avoiding Hell, Gaining Heaven.” pp. 69–77
• “Taking the Vinaya Across the Sea.” pp. 306–317
• "Zen for National Defence." pp. 318-328
• "A Zen Master Interprets the Dharma: Bassui Tokushō (1327–1387)."" pp. 531-539
• “Colloquial Transcriptions as Sources for Understanding Zen in Japan.", by Ishikawa Rikizan. The Eastern Buddhist, Vol. 34, No. 1, 2002.
• "Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma - Book 31 - Not Doing Evils (Shoaku Makusa)", Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō. Introduction and translation by William M. Bodiford. Dharma Eye: News of Sōtō Zen Buddhism - Teachings and Practice. pp. 21–26, December 2002.
• "Kokan Shiren's “Zen Precept Procedures.” In Religions of Japan in Practice (1999) Chapter 8.
• "Keizan's “Dream History." in: Religions of Japan in Practice (1999) Chapter 44.
• "Chidō's Dreams of Buddhism." In Donald S. Lopez Jr. ed., Religions of Asia in practice: an anthology. Princeton University Press, pp. 649–659, 2002.
• Takuan Soho's “Marvelous Power of Immovable Wisdom." In Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume 2: 1600 to 2000. Columbia University Press, pp. 527–531.

The Sōtō Zen Text Project

• Introduction to the Shōbōgenzō.” In Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō, vol. 8, edited by Carl Bielefeldt.

Notes

1. "William M. Bodiford". Library of Congress Authorities. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
2. Lattin, Don (October 29, 2010). "50 years of work brings age-old wisdom to West". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
3. ^ Bodiford, William M. (2008) . Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan. University of Hawaii Press. p. xvii. ISBN 978-0824833039.
4. ^ "William M. Bodiford". Asian Languages and Cultures Department, UCLA. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
5. Rambelli, Fabio (1994). "Review of Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan". The Journal of Asian Studies. 53 (1). The Association for Asian Studies: 191–193. doi:10.2307/2059570. JSTOR 2059570.
6. Blurb reproduced at: Bodiford, William M. (1993). Soto Zen in Medieval Japan (Studies in East Asian Buddhism). University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0824814827.. Source of blurb is: Ives, Christopher (Summer 1995). "Review of Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan". Journal of Japanese Studies. 21 (2). The Society for Japanese Studies via JSTOR: 521–525. doi:10.2307/133038. JSTOR 133038.
7. "Shrine Estates and the Birth of Ise Shinto in Medieval Japan".
8. "Interarea Session 102". Association for Asian Studies. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
9. ADZG. "Ancient Dragon Zen Gate – Q&A Discussion by William Bodiford, Griffith Foulk, Steven Heine, Taigen Dan Leighton, and Shohaku Okumura at Bringing Dōgen Down to Earth conference, FIU Miami". Ancient Dragon Zen Gate. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
10. "Conference on Zen Master Dogen". June 26, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
11. "Reflected Moons UCSB.pdf". PDF Host. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
12. "Buddhist and Samurai Views of the Japanese 'Watery Moon' Motif". Division of Humanities and Fine Arts. June 17, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
13. "UBC Buddhist Studies Forum 2003- Monasticism| Asia Perspective.pdf". PDF Host. Retrieved August 9, 2023.

External links

• William Bodiford, UCLA, Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies
• Bibliographies:
  • East Asian Buddhist Studies: A Reference Guide
  • Suggested Readings on Women and Buddhism
  • Neo-Confucianism and the Japanese Martial Arts
  • Chronology of Religion in Japan: Explanatory Notes, Caveats, and Acknowledgements

v t e    Topics in Buddhism
Outline Glossary Index
Foundations	Four Noble Truths Three Jewels Buddha Dharma Sangha Noble Eightfold Path Nirvana Middle Way
The Buddha	Tathāgata Birthday Four sights Eight Great Events Great Renunciation Physical characteristics Life of Buddha in art Footprint Relics Iconography in Laos and Thailand Films Miracles Family Suddhodāna (father) Māyā (mother) Mahapajapati Gotamī (aunt, adoptive mother) Yaśodharā (wife) Rāhula (son) Ānanda (cousin) Devadatta (cousin) Places where the Buddha stayed Buddha in world religions
Bodhisattvas	Avalokiteśvara Guanyin Mañjuśrī Mahāsthāmaprāpta Ākāśagarbha Kṣitigarbha Samantabhadra Vajrapāṇi Skanda Tārā Metteyya/Maitreya
Disciples	Kaundinya Assaji Sāriputta Mahamoggallāna Ānanda Mahākassapa Aṅgulimāla Anuruddha Mahākaccana Nanda Subhūti Puṇṇa Mantānīputta Upāli Mahapajapati Gotamī Khema Uppalavanna Asita Channa Yasa
Key concepts	Avidyā (Ignorance) Bardo Bodhicitta Buddha-nature Dhamma theory Dharma Enlightenment Five hindrances Indriya Karma Kleshas Mental factors Mindstream Parinirvana Pratītyasamutpāda Rebirth Saṃsāra Saṅkhāra Skandha Śūnyatā Taṇhā (Craving) Tathātā Ten Fetters Three marks of existence Anicca Dukkha Anattā Two truths doctrine
Cosmology	Ten spiritual realms Six Paths Deva realm Human realm Asura realm Hungry Ghost realm Animal realm Naraka Three planes of existence
Branches	Mahayana Zen Chinese Chan Japanese Zen Korean Seon Vietnamese Thiền Pure Land Tiantai Huayan Risshū Nichiren Madhyamaka Yogachara Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism Chinese Esoteric Buddhism Shingon Dzogchen Theravada Navayana Early Buddhist schools Pre-sectarian Buddhism Basic points unifying Theravāda and Mahāyāna Southern, Eastern and Northern Buddhism
Practices	Bhavana Bodhipakkhiyādhammā Brahmavihara Mettā Karuṇā Mudita Upekkha Buddhābhiṣeka Dāna Devotion Deity yoga Dhyāna Faith Five Strengths Iddhipada Meditation Mantras Kammaṭṭhāna Recollection Smarana Anapanasati Samatha-vipassanā (Vipassana movement) Shikantaza Zazen Tukdam Koan Ganana Mandala Tonglen Tantra Tertön Terma Merit Mindfulness Mindful Yoga Satipatthana Nekkhamma Nianfo Pāramitā Paritta Puja Offerings Prostration Music Refuge Sādhu Satya Sacca Seven Factors of Enlightenment Sati Dhamma vicaya Pīti Passaddhi Śīla Five precepts Eight precepts Bodhisattva vow Pratimokṣa Threefold Training Śīla Samadhi Prajñā Vīrya Four Right Exertions Twenty-two vows of Ambedkar
Nirvana	Bodhi Bodhisattva Buddhahood Pratyekabuddhayāna Four stages of awakening Sotāpanna Sakadagami Anāgāmi Arhat
Monasticism	Bhikkhu Bhikkhunī Śrāmaṇera Śrāmaṇerī Anagārika Ajahn Sayadaw Zen master Rōshi Lama Rinpoche Geshe Tulku Western tulku Kappiya Donchee Householder Upāsaka and Upāsikā Achar Śrāvaka Ten principal disciples Shaolin Monastery
Major figures	The Buddha Nagasena Aśvaghoṣa Nagarjuna Asanga Vasubandhu Kumārajīva Buddhaghosa Buddhapālita Dignāga Bodhidharma Zhiyi Emperor Wen of Sui Songtsen Gampo Xuanzang Shandao Padmasambhava Saraha Atiśa Naropa Karmapa Hōnen Shinran Dōgen Nichiren Shamarpa Dalai Lama Panchen Lama Ajahn Mun B. R. Ambedkar Ajahn Chah Thích Nhất Hạnh
Texts	Early Buddhist texts Tripiṭaka Mahayana sutras Pali Canon Chinese Buddhist canon Tibetan Buddhist canon Dhammapada Sutra Vinaya Madhyamakālaṃkāra Abhidharmadīpa
Countries	Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Russia Buryatia Kalmykia Tuva (ru) Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam Africa Senegal South Africa Central Asia Uzbekistan Middle East Iran Saudi Arabia Western countries Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Costa Rica Czech Republic France Germany Italy Mexico New Zealand Norway Poland Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom United States Venezuela
History	Timeline Ashoka Kanishka Buddhist councils History of Buddhism in India Decline of Buddhism in India Huichang persecution of Buddhism Greco-Buddhism Gandharan Buddhism Texts Menander I Buddhism and the Roman world Buddhism in the West Silk Road transmission of Buddhism Persecution of Buddhists In Afghanistan In Vietnam Rimé movement Banishment of Buddhist monks from Nepal Dalit Buddhist movement Chinese invasion of Tibet 1959 Tibetan uprising Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism Buddhist modernism Vipassana movement 969 Movement Engaged Buddhism Women in Buddhism
Philosophy	Abhidharma Atomism Buddhology Creator Buddhism and democracy Economics Eight Consciousnesses Engaged Buddhism Eschatology Ethics Evolution Humanism Logic Reality Secular Buddhism Socialism The unanswerable questions
Culture	Architecture Temple Vihāra Kyaung Wat Ordination hall Stupa Pagoda Burmese pagoda Candi Dzong architecture List of Buddhist architecture in China Japanese Buddhist architecture Buddhist temples in Korea Thai temple art and architecture Tibetan Buddhist architecture Art Greco-Buddhist Bodhi Tree Budai Buddha in art Calendar Cuisine Funeral Holidays Vesak Uposatha Māgha Pūjā Asalha Puja Vassa Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Kasaya Mahabodhi Temple Mantra Om mani padme hum Mudra Music Pilgrimage Lumbini Maya Devi Temple Bodh Gaya Sarnath Kushinagar Poetry Prayer beads Hama yumi Prayer wheel Symbolism Dharmachakra Flag Bhavacakra Swastika Thangka Temple of the Tooth Vegetarianism
Miscellaneous	Abhijñā Amitābha Brahmā Dharma talk Hinayana Iddhi Kalpa Koliya Lineage Māra Siddhi Sacred languages Pāḷi Sanskrit
Comparison	Baháʼí Faith Christianity Influences Comparison East Asian religions Gnosticism Hinduism Jainism Judaism Psychology Science Theosophy Violence Western philosophy
Lists	Bodhisattvas Buddhas Buddhists Suttas Sutras Temples Festivals
Category Buddhism portal

• Living people
• American philosophy academics
• American religion academics
• American Buddhist studies scholars
• Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
• University of Tsukuba alumni
• Komazawa University alumni
• Davidson College faculty
• University of Iowa faculty
• University of California, Los Angeles faculty
• American Japanologists
• 1955 births
• Academic staff of Meiji Gakuin University