When the monks took up weapons, it was clear they had become a significant threat to the government. Tensions rose even further by 949 A.D., which was when the first major armed conflict occurred.

Japanese monk Seigaku lives a Zen life with as little money as possible in Berlin. The desire for popularity led Seitaro Higuchi from Tottori on the Sea of Japan to Germany's capital, ...

In the fall of 742, a Japanese emissary invited Jianzhen to lecture in Japan, and the monk agreed (although some of his disciples were displeased). But the crossing did not succeed.

Dedicated Japanese monks spent years going through the horrifying process of turning themselves into mummies whilst they were still alive, mimicking a ninth-century monk named Kūkai ...

Why did these monks in Japan choose to mummify themselves? The sacred mountains of Yamagata are home to 13 sokushinbutsu, who are believed to be in a state of deep meditation between life and death.

The Art of Simple Living: 100 Daily Practices from a Japanese Zen Monk for a Lifetime of Calm and Joy Shunmyo Masuno, trans. from the Japanese by Allison Markin Powell. Penguin, $20 (224p) ISBN ...

For Ryushun Kusanagi, Buddhism is more than a religion, as it can serve as a philosophy of life to cope with modern daily life. On the other side of the screen appears a Buddhist monk. He appears ...

Shukubo: The Japanese temples where you can sleep alongside monks (Credit: John S Lander/LightRocket via Getty Images) There is perhaps no more immersive spiritual experience in Japan than ...

Japanese monk Osho Taigu will collaborate with the Pure Land Foundation in London to advocate for the adoption of ancient teachings and precepts ...