User:James

Hailing from a long line of Irish mariners, Scottish accountants, Anglo-Dutch Loyalists (i.e., US traitors), and Spanish-Filipino rebels and adventurers, I was born and raised in the Maritime Canadian province of New Brunswick, educated in Montréal, Cambridge, and Kyoto, and spend as much time as possible in Japan, where I occasionally immerse myself in waterfalls and research Buddhist anarchist movements. A central theme in my work is the crafting of viable forms of religious humanism—the merging of rational, humanist philosophy and religious practice—to address pressing social problems such as poverty and the climate crisis. As a comparative humanist specializing in Asian thought and practice, I aim to build bridges across seemingly disparate eras, cultures, and ways of being, with the ultimate goal of changing the world by shifting habits of mind and body. For fun, I enjoy listening to first wave and post-punk music, imbibing Symbolist art and Futurist poetry, studying human evolution, engaging in madcap conversations with friends and strangers, hiking a little, and walking a lot.

My work on the RBP emerges from more than two decades of research on left-wing Buddhist figures and movements throughout Asian history.