Gleanings in Buddha-Fields: Studies of Hand and Soul in the Far East

The book is organized into eleven essays. “A Living God” explores Japanese religious consciousness through the idea of living divinity, village worship, Shintō shrines, communal ethics, and the story of Hamaguchi Gohei. “Out of the Street” observes religious and social life through everyday urban scenes. “Notes of a Trip to Kyōto” reflects on travel, sacred places, and cultural memory in Japan’s old capital. “Dust” develops a meditation on impermanence, matter, and Buddhist feeling. “About Faces in Japanese Art” studies Japanese artistic representation and the spiritual meaning of facial expression. “Ningyō-no-Haka” turns to dolls, memorial practice, and the emotional world of objects. “In Osaka” presents impressions of the city and its human atmosphere. “Buddhist Allusions in Japanese Folk-Song” examines how Buddhist ideas circulate in popular poetry and song. “Nirvana” reflects on the Buddhist goal of liberation and the difficulty of translating it into Western categories. “The Rebirth of Katsugorō” studies a Japanese rebirth narrative as a case of religious memory and popular belief. “Within the Circle” closes the volume with broader reflections on existence, recurrence, and spiritual interdependence.