Lecture by Masaki Matsubara: Revisiting Japanese Zen Master Hakuin

Masaki Matsubara received his Ph.D. in Asian Religions at Cornell University. His dissertation focused on the dynamics of tradition formation, (re) invention, and maintenance, and the role of cultural memory. It considered eighteenth-century Japanese Zen master Hakuin Ekaku's neglected role as a social critic and reformer. Matsubara has published articles on Hakuin (2004) and on Yasukuni Shrine and cultural memory (2007). He is presently engaged in translating Hakuin's political treatise Hebiichigo (banned soon after its publication in 1754), comparing the four extant materials (three autographed manuscripts and one published version of an autographed manuscript) with one another. He is also an ordained priest in the Rinzai tradition.