SHIU, HENRY C.H. “Buddhists.” The Religions of Canadians, edited by JAMIE S. SCOTT and JAMIE S. SCOTT, University of Toronto Press, 2012, pp. 261–306, www.jstor.org/stable/10.3138/j.ctt2ttxz8.11.
Shiu chronicles the exploits of Buddhist immigrants in early Canada. While not terribly informative about doctrine, it provides interesting insight about how Buddhists assimilated into Western society. This could provide an interesting point of comparison when I do more research into Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and other major religions and compare and contrast how they assimilated--or, conversely, shaped--into Western culture.
Ghose, Lynken. “‘Karma’ and the Possibility of Purification: An Ethical and Psychological Analysis of the Doctrine of ‘Karma’ in Buddhism.” The Journal of Religious Ethics, vol. 35, no. 2, 2007, pp. 259–289., www.jstor.org/stable/40014869.
Ghose explores the meaning of "karma" within Buddhism by contrasting it within Western psychology and what it resembles within that field. In short, Ghose asserts that karma is both action and the effects of action. Ghose also questions whether unintentional actions affect karma and how much does karma affect one's life condition at any given time. This expanded my understanding of karma further than what I had learned in my own studies (I study parts of Buddhism as part of my practice and worship).
Chappell, David W. “Monumenta Nipponica.” Monumenta Nipponica, vol. 36, no. 4, 1981, pp. 482–483., www.jstor.org/stable/2384235.
Chappell essentially raves about Nichiren Daishonin, a pioneer in Japanese Buddhism, and his genius and magnanimity. It also nitpicks translations of his autobiography and selected works, but the most important part of the review is when he describes Nichiren's doctrine and charisma, which allowed him to gain more followers. This gives insight into how Nichiren communicated with his followers and presented himself to the public as well as private, as the article contains a summation of his letters to select peoples while he was in exile.
Payne, Richard K. “Monumenta Nipponica.” Monumenta Nipponica, vol. 46, no. 3, 1991, pp. 401–403., www.jstor.org/stable/2385225.
Payne argues that Nichiren Daishonin, a pioneer of sorts in Japanese Buddhism, is the most controversial figure within Japanese Buddhism due to his apparent disregard for certain tenets of Buddhism and egomaniac personality. (I actually follow Nichiren Buddhism, and I take issue with some of what the author says...but that's for a different time). Nichiren seems to utilize questionable methods to encourage his followers and challenges doctrines and accuses the people that follow them of foolishness. This portrayal is starkly different from Nichiren's general portrayals, often as a positive influence and the creator of the Nichiren Buddhist denomination, the largest Buddhism denomination in the United States. This helps bring a different perspective to my arguments.
Hyman, Bronwen, and Alfred H. Shephard. “Zeitgeist: The Development of an Operational Definition.” The Journal of Mind and Behavior, vol. 1, no. 2, 1980, pp. 227–246., www.jstor.org/stable/43852825.
The article attempts to define a zeitgeist, or the spirit of an era. The zeitgeist of an era is hard to encompass due to multiple civilizations valuing different things and differing opinions. Religion could be a considered a zeitgeist in some areas; indeed, religion defines certain time periods, although that is not what the article argues. Instead, the article refers to the literary pieces of specific eras in order to define an era. Religions often rely on texts to explain their doctrine due to the inefficiency of spoken word.
