Graduate Theological Union
Center for Art, Religion and Education
Professor of Buddhist Art and Culture
Core Doctoral Faculty Member

At GTU since 1987

Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Buddhist Studies, 1980 (Ph.D. Minor in Philosophy)
M.A. Ryukoku University, Kyoto, Japan, Buddhist Studies, 1975
M.A. University of Hawaii-Manoa, Oriental Art History, 1967
B.A. University of Hawaii-Manoa, Philosophy, 1965

Phone: 510/659-8560
E-mail: rynakasone@sbcglobal.net

Current Research and Teaching Interests

• Buddhist Aesthetics, Art, and Ethics
• Interfaith Aesthetics
• Okinawan Studies
• Spirituality and Aging

Selected Publications

• “Buddhist Thought in the New Millennium: The Structure and Relevance of Buddhist Thinking.” In Bukkyōseimeikan kara meta inochi. Takeda Ryūsei, ed. Kyoto: Hozokan, 2006.
• “Spirituality and Aging in the San Francisco Japanese Community.” In Religious Healing in Urban America. Susan Sered and Linda Barnes, eds. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
• Okinawan Diaspora, ed. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2002.
• “Buddhist views on Biotechnology.” In Encyclopedia of Ethical, Legal & Policy Issues in Biotechnology. Thomas H. Murray & Maxwell J. Mehlman, eds. New York: Wiley, 2000.
• “Buddhist Issues in End-of-Life Decision Making.” In Issues in End-of-Life Decision Making. Kathryn Braun, editor, New York: Sage Publications, 1999.
• “Yanagi Soetsu and the Pure Land of Beauty.” In Kitabatake Tensei kyōjè koki kinen ronshu Kyoto: Nagata, 1998.