[Buddha-l] Query--forest tradition monks in Japan today?

[Franz Metcalf]

Gang,

To add a socio-historical level to this issue, ara.nya monks need not 
be in forests, jungles, or wildernesses, but rather need be away from 
centers of power (and thus in the metaphorical wilderness). One might 
speak of centric monks and eccentric monks; the latter are the folks 
we're discussing. Stanley Tambiah has written persuasively on these 
issues with respect to Thailand. As far as Japan goes, I think 
immediately of the Daruma-Shu Zen school, the sennin (Hakuin goes on 
about one of these who saved him as a young man), and maybe the 
myokonin (the homespun bodhisattvas of the Jodo traditions). No doubt 
there are other groups who fit the bill.

Cheers,

Franz Metcalf