Jason Protass
@protass.bsky.social
Assoc. Prof. of Religious Studies at Brown Univeristy; Chinese Buddhist stuff
Google Gemini just invented a koan. No, literally.
I was searching for anything out there about koan number 73 of the Blue Cliff Record. It’s a classic. About master Mazu and two of his disciples.
Instead, Google just, like, made up this abysmal garbage:
I was searching for anything out there about koan number 73 of the Blue Cliff Record. It’s a classic. About master Mazu and two of his disciples.
Instead, Google just, like, made up this abysmal garbage:
August 13, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Google Gemini just invented a koan. No, literally.
I was searching for anything out there about koan number 73 of the Blue Cliff Record. It’s a classic. About master Mazu and two of his disciples.
Instead, Google just, like, made up this abysmal garbage:
I was searching for anything out there about koan number 73 of the Blue Cliff Record. It’s a classic. About master Mazu and two of his disciples.
Instead, Google just, like, made up this abysmal garbage:
Cold War in Asia is my new favorite podcast. Or it would be.
Stories like Lee Meng 李明 (1926-2012), communist fighter of Malaya. She was ferocious. Irene Lee was widowed when her husband, a prominent detective, was assassinated. Plot twist, Irene enrolls as a detective and tracks down the killers.
Stories like Lee Meng 李明 (1926-2012), communist fighter of Malaya. She was ferocious. Irene Lee was widowed when her husband, a prominent detective, was assassinated. Plot twist, Irene enrolls as a detective and tracks down the killers.
August 13, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Cold War in Asia is my new favorite podcast. Or it would be.
Stories like Lee Meng 李明 (1926-2012), communist fighter of Malaya. She was ferocious. Irene Lee was widowed when her husband, a prominent detective, was assassinated. Plot twist, Irene enrolls as a detective and tracks down the killers.
Stories like Lee Meng 李明 (1926-2012), communist fighter of Malaya. She was ferocious. Irene Lee was widowed when her husband, a prominent detective, was assassinated. Plot twist, Irene enrolls as a detective and tracks down the killers.
My translation is featured in the new issue of Tricycle Magazine. First time that’s happened.
tricycle.org/magazine/chi...
tricycle.org/magazine/chi...
August 12, 2025 at 7:53 PM
My translation is featured in the new issue of Tricycle Magazine. First time that’s happened.
tricycle.org/magazine/chi...
tricycle.org/magazine/chi...
Gallup Poll asking Americans about “paranormal belief”
Some interesting data— but a few of these prompts are about normal religious ideas (ie reincarnation for billions of people) or poorly worded (ie ‘can mind heal body’? See placebo effect).
Source : news.gallup.com/poll/692738/...
Some interesting data— but a few of these prompts are about normal religious ideas (ie reincarnation for billions of people) or poorly worded (ie ‘can mind heal body’? See placebo effect).
Source : news.gallup.com/poll/692738/...
July 24, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Gallup Poll asking Americans about “paranormal belief”
Some interesting data— but a few of these prompts are about normal religious ideas (ie reincarnation for billions of people) or poorly worded (ie ‘can mind heal body’? See placebo effect).
Source : news.gallup.com/poll/692738/...
Some interesting data— but a few of these prompts are about normal religious ideas (ie reincarnation for billions of people) or poorly worded (ie ‘can mind heal body’? See placebo effect).
Source : news.gallup.com/poll/692738/...
Made a pilgrimage to honor Peter Gregory at the 5C Buddhist Studies workshop last night. An incredible group of faculty from the area gathered at Smith College, talked about Peter’s work, shared warm memories.
Wandering the hallways, I stumbled on this door art.
Wandering the hallways, I stumbled on this door art.
April 25, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Made a pilgrimage to honor Peter Gregory at the 5C Buddhist Studies workshop last night. An incredible group of faculty from the area gathered at Smith College, talked about Peter’s work, shared warm memories.
Wandering the hallways, I stumbled on this door art.
Wandering the hallways, I stumbled on this door art.
Price realized $150k
March 27, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Price realized $150k
Just for fun, I decided to copy-paste the poem into the DharmaMitra LLM translator.
It does a good job picking up some obscure terms, but as a translation it is quite bad.
It does a good job picking up some obscure terms, but as a translation it is quite bad.
March 25, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Just for fun, I decided to copy-paste the poem into the DharmaMitra LLM translator.
It does a good job picking up some obscure terms, but as a translation it is quite bad.
It does a good job picking up some obscure terms, but as a translation it is quite bad.
And it turns out the modern Taisho edition was based on a comparison of two Gozan Japanese reproductions of the Song edition, and thus is quite reliable. And, the Taisho is the source for the modern digital canon by CBETA. Thus the poem in the manuscript is online there
March 25, 2025 at 12:33 AM
And it turns out the modern Taisho edition was based on a comparison of two Gozan Japanese reproductions of the Song edition, and thus is quite reliable. And, the Taisho is the source for the modern digital canon by CBETA. Thus the poem in the manuscript is online there
Xutang’s manuscripts are great examples because we also have a Song era woodblock print of his collected sayings 虛堂和尚語錄.
The exact poem from the manuscript is also found in the 13th c. imprint. This is not unusual—I show many examples in my book.
The exact poem from the manuscript is also found in the 13th c. imprint. This is not unusual—I show many examples in my book.
March 25, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Xutang’s manuscripts are great examples because we also have a Song era woodblock print of his collected sayings 虛堂和尚語錄.
The exact poem from the manuscript is also found in the 13th c. imprint. This is not unusual—I show many examples in my book.
The exact poem from the manuscript is also found in the 13th c. imprint. This is not unusual—I show many examples in my book.
After the poem, Xutang added a short note that records the name of the disciple to whom it is addressed: “Librarian Yuan” 元藏主. Japanese Zen students were often librarians in China, so maybe his name was “Gen.” This same information was later used by an editor to reconstruct a title for the poem.
March 25, 2025 at 12:33 AM
After the poem, Xutang added a short note that records the name of the disciple to whom it is addressed: “Librarian Yuan” 元藏主. Japanese Zen students were often librarians in China, so maybe his name was “Gen.” This same information was later used by an editor to reconstruct a title for the poem.
A very rare Song dynasty #manuscript up for auction this week. A parting poem to a Zen student written by Chan Master Xutang Zhiyu 虛堂智愚 (1185-1269), signed and dated 1254. This is exactly the kind of poem and manuscript I studied at length in my book “The Poetry Demon.”
March 25, 2025 at 12:33 AM
A very rare Song dynasty #manuscript up for auction this week. A parting poem to a Zen student written by Chan Master Xutang Zhiyu 虛堂智愚 (1185-1269), signed and dated 1254. This is exactly the kind of poem and manuscript I studied at length in my book “The Poetry Demon.”
A new translation of Li Qingzhao just arrived. Her poem about surviving after the loss of the nation grabbed my attention.
February 27, 2025 at 1:27 PM
A new translation of Li Qingzhao just arrived. Her poem about surviving after the loss of the nation grabbed my attention.
Good Bones, by Maggie Smith
February 7, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Good Bones, by Maggie Smith
What do you think of Lin Yutang’s pseudo-chemical formulae for traits of well-known historical writers and poets?
January 11, 2025 at 9:22 PM
What do you think of Lin Yutang’s pseudo-chemical formulae for traits of well-known historical writers and poets?
A bereft Yaśodharā as Prince Siddhartha leaves home, 1845 woodblock by the great Hokusai 北斎 (1760-1849).
December 24, 2024 at 12:51 PM
A bereft Yaśodharā as Prince Siddhartha leaves home, 1845 woodblock by the great Hokusai 北斎 (1760-1849).
Anyone know a translation of this “cat contract”?
A student asked me, and I 🤷
I remember @bokane.org mentioned it a few months ago…
www.burninghou.se/p/the-naming...
A student asked me, and I 🤷
I remember @bokane.org mentioned it a few months ago…
www.burninghou.se/p/the-naming...
December 6, 2024 at 10:43 PM
Anyone know a translation of this “cat contract”?
A student asked me, and I 🤷
I remember @bokane.org mentioned it a few months ago…
www.burninghou.se/p/the-naming...
A student asked me, and I 🤷
I remember @bokane.org mentioned it a few months ago…
www.burninghou.se/p/the-naming...
That is a great photo. It is interesting to compare it to photos from before the restoration ten years ago. Here is a photo from when I visited in 2007. AFAIK, the previous restoration work was done in the 19th century -- so this photo shows their work 100 years later. It's a very impressive site.
November 29, 2024 at 9:29 PM
That is a great photo. It is interesting to compare it to photos from before the restoration ten years ago. Here is a photo from when I visited in 2007. AFAIK, the previous restoration work was done in the 19th century -- so this photo shows their work 100 years later. It's a very impressive site.
The book's title "Countless Sands" refers to the unimaginably large number of grains of sand in the Ganges. A common image in sutra literature.
There are countless ways we could study medieval Buddhists and their environments. We can only hope these case studies provide a useful start for others.
There are countless ways we could study medieval Buddhists and their environments. We can only hope these case studies provide a useful start for others.
November 28, 2024 at 9:23 PM
The book's title "Countless Sands" refers to the unimaginably large number of grains of sand in the Ganges. A common image in sutra literature.
There are countless ways we could study medieval Buddhists and their environments. We can only hope these case studies provide a useful start for others.
There are countless ways we could study medieval Buddhists and their environments. We can only hope these case studies provide a useful start for others.
(3b) Finally, Ryuichi Abe explores Kukai's esoteric interpretation of his large dam projects. Dams destroy forests and create artificial lakes. But Kukai articulates the success or failure of a large dam as a manifestation of the dharmakaya. (Nonduality is not "good" for the environment.)
November 28, 2024 at 9:23 PM
(3b) Finally, Ryuichi Abe explores Kukai's esoteric interpretation of his large dam projects. Dams destroy forests and create artificial lakes. But Kukai articulates the success or failure of a large dam as a manifestation of the dharmakaya. (Nonduality is not "good" for the environment.)
(Part 3) "Environments as Mediums of Practice" includes some particularly strong essays. This section includes Maria Heim's very insightful study of charismatic trees in early Buddhist texts. As well as Sonya Lee's analysis of the Dazu caves and the role of deities there in healing practices.
November 28, 2024 at 9:23 PM
(Part 3) "Environments as Mediums of Practice" includes some particularly strong essays. This section includes Maria Heim's very insightful study of charismatic trees in early Buddhist texts. As well as Sonya Lee's analysis of the Dazu caves and the role of deities there in healing practices.
(2c) Vice versa, Bloom presents a botanist in medieval China who created an arboreal park that participated in Buddhist practice (non-human agency). Protass studies one monastery repeatedly rebuilt on the Yangzi River, and shows how Buddhist practice was shaped by the realities of the river.
November 28, 2024 at 9:21 PM
(2c) Vice versa, Bloom presents a botanist in medieval China who created an arboreal park that participated in Buddhist practice (non-human agency). Protass studies one monastery repeatedly rebuilt on the Yangzi River, and shows how Buddhist practice was shaped by the realities of the river.
(2b) Sears shows how architecture at Ellora Caves encodes practices that depended on the seasonal monsoons to create waterfalls. Bryson argues that Buddhist caves in Yunnan are better understood as the result of affordances (not agency). She connects the qualities of rocks to male or female icons.
November 28, 2024 at 9:21 PM
(2b) Sears shows how architecture at Ellora Caves encodes practices that depended on the seasonal monsoons to create waterfalls. Bryson argues that Buddhist caves in Yunnan are better understood as the result of affordances (not agency). She connects the qualities of rocks to male or female icons.
(Part 2) "Environments in the Shaping of Medieval Buddhism" debates the presence of non-human agencies in medieval Buddhist communities. Our authors found some really fascinating examples. These provocative case studies model different ways to do religious-environmental history.
November 28, 2024 at 9:21 PM
(Part 2) "Environments in the Shaping of Medieval Buddhism" debates the presence of non-human agencies in medieval Buddhist communities. Our authors found some really fascinating examples. These provocative case studies model different ways to do religious-environmental history.
(1c) Moser, looking at the Feilaifeng caves, Hangzhou, shows how the carvers incorporated the geomorphology of the living rock into the images--and how this made distant India feel present. Finally, Moerman shows us how to read a Buddhist world map from late medieval Japan. The images are stunning.
November 28, 2024 at 9:19 PM
(1c) Moser, looking at the Feilaifeng caves, Hangzhou, shows how the carvers incorporated the geomorphology of the living rock into the images--and how this made distant India feel present. Finally, Moerman shows us how to read a Buddhist world map from late medieval Japan. The images are stunning.
(1b) Ohnuma focuses on the human body as a metaphor for vast numbers in the Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkasūtra. It is a macabre read. Next, Huntington describes several possible relationships between landscape and icons, giving examples that encode the movement of bodies, and fractal or iterative patterns.
November 28, 2024 at 9:19 PM
(1b) Ohnuma focuses on the human body as a metaphor for vast numbers in the Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkasūtra. It is a macabre read. Next, Huntington describes several possible relationships between landscape and icons, giving examples that encode the movement of bodies, and fractal or iterative patterns.