Overview
Richard Jaffe specializes in the study of Buddhism in early modern and modern Japan. In particular he has focused his research and teaching on the transformations that took place in Japanese Buddhist practice in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Jaffe's current research centers on the role of D.T. Suzuki in the globalization of Japanese Buddhism in the twentieth century.
Office Hours
Please note, I will be on research leave from July 1st, 2023, through December 31st, 2024.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Religious Studies
·
2019 - Present
Religious Studies,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Bass Fellow
·
2011 - Present
Religious Studies,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Recent Publications
Seeking Sakyamuni South Asia in the Formation of Modern Japanese Buddhism
Book · May 22, 2019 In the richly illustrated Seeking Śākyamuni, Richard M. Jaffe reveals the experiences of the first Japanese Buddhists who traveled to South Asia in search of Buddhist knowledge beginning in 1873. ... CitePURE LAND, REAL WORLD: Modern Buddhism, Japanese Leftists, and the Utopian Imagination
Journal Article PACIFIC AFFAIRS · March 1, 2019 Link to item CiteD. T. Suzuki and the Two Cranes: American Philanthropy and Suzuki’s Global Agenda
Journal Article Matsugaoka Bunko kenkyū nenpō · 2018 CiteRecent Grants
Buddhist Meditation Community at Duke
Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Khyentse Foundation · 2020 - 2022View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
Yale University ·
1995
Ph.D.
Yale University ·
1993
M.Phil.
Yale University ·
1986
M.A.
San Francisco State University ·
1979
B.A.