ABSTRACT

First published in 2006. The third book of Lafcadio Hearn’s Japanese period, Gleanings in Buddha-Fields is a volume of philosophical essays and sketches inspired by the teachings of Buddha. Through a series of loosely connected essays, the author offers readers a wealth of insights into Japanese life, art and religion. When the book was first published in 1897, it attracted the attention of the New York Times: ...it is only Mr. Hearn who has made us understand something of the Japanese way of looking at life and things, something of that religion which is the very soul and substance of Japanese existence, thought, and action. Today’s readers are sure to recognize the elegance and depth of thought which have made the work a classic.

chapter 1|28 pages

A Living God

chapter 2|14 pages

Out of the Street

chapter 3|41 pages

Notes of a Trip to Kyōto

chapter 4|13 pages

Dust

chapter 5|27 pages

About Faces in Japanese Art

chapter 6|8 pages

Ningyō-No-Haka

chapter 7|53 pages

In Ōsaka

chapter 8|26 pages

Buddhist Allusions in Japanese Folk-Song

chapter 9|56 pages

Nirvana

A Study in Synthetic Buddhism

chapter 10|24 pages

The Rebirth of Katsugorō

chapter 11|6 pages

Within the Circle