Sources

Zen Buddhism: A History, Volume 2: Japan

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "Zen Buddhism: A History, Volume 2: Japan." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/zen-buddhism-a-history-volume-2-japan.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). Zen Buddhism: A History, Volume 2: Japan. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/zen-buddhism-a-history-volume-2-japan

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-zen-buddhism-a-history-volume-2-japan,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {Zen Buddhism: A History, Volume 2: Japan},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/zen-buddhism-a-history-volume-2-japan},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Heinrich Dumoulin's history is a two-volume work built from decades of the author's own scholarship on Zen Buddhism's history across both China and Japan, with this second volume tracing the Japanese Soto and Rinzai schools specifically through their documented historical development rather than presenting Zen as one undifferentiated tradition. That named, school-by-school historical method is the work's real evidentiary basis, and its long standing as the reference historians of Japanese Buddhism return to is a checkable measure of sustained scholarly regard rather than a claim about its publisher. This record has not independently traced further scholarly disagreement with Dumoulin's specific periodization. Use it for the historical development of the Soto and Rinzai Zen schools in Japan; a claim about a specific contemporary Zen teacher or lineage's current practice needs a more recent source alongside it.

Facts

Assessment

Reliability Tier

Heinrich Dumoulin's history, built from decades of the author's own scholarship on Zen Buddhism, tracing the Japanese Soto and Rinzai schools through their documented historical development rather than presenting Zen as one undifferentiated tradition.

Notes

Authoritative history of the Japanese Zen schools, Soto and Rinzai.

Citation

Author

Heinrich Dumoulin

Publisher

World Wisdom

Publication Year

2005

Source Type

Scholarly work

Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

China

This source names China directly: "on Zen Buddhism's history across both China and Japan, with this second volume tracing the Japanese Soto and Rinzai schools specifically through their documented historical development rather than..."

Source Zen Buddhism: A History, Volume 2: JapanHeinrich Dumoulin

Japan

This source names Japan directly: "history across both China and Japan, with this second volume tracing the Japanese Soto and Rinzai schools specifically through their documented historical development rather than presenting Zen as..."

Source Zen Buddhism: A History, Volume 2: JapanHeinrich Dumoulin

Rinzai

This source names Rinzai directly: "volume tracing the Japanese Soto and Rinzai schools specifically through their documented historical development rather than presenting Zen as one undifferentiated tradition."

Source Zen Buddhism: A History, Volume 2: JapanHeinrich Dumoulin

Soto

This source names Soto directly: "second volume tracing the Japanese Soto and Rinzai schools specifically through their documented historical development rather than presenting Zen as one undifferentiated tradition."

Source Zen Buddhism: A History, Volume 2: JapanHeinrich Dumoulin

Claims Backed By This Source (140 claims)

This source backs 140 claims across the atlas. As facts: 42 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 65 holds, 2 connected, 1 critiqued Here, 1 rejected Here, 4 held Differently. Plus 24 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.

Disposition By Topic

Denominations, 54 claims: 1 well-attested, 43 holds, 1 rejected Here, 4 held Differently, 5 general references.
Practices, 23 claims: 17 well-attested, 1 holds, 5 general references.
Doctrines, 18 claims: 3 well-attested, 7 holds, 1 connected, 1 critiqued Here, 6 general references.
Articles, 11 claims: 9 well-attested, 1 connected, 1 general references.
Disciplines, 11 claims: 4 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 5 holds, 1 general references.
Sources, 11 claims: 7 well-attested, 4 holds.
Scriptures & Texts, 6 claims: 4 holds, 2 general references.
Beliefs & Restrictions, 2 claims: 2 general references.
Religious Roles & Titles, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
Rituals, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.