{"podcast":{"title":"AI Buddhism University: The History of Japanese Buddhism","slug":"ai-buddhism-university-the-history-of-japanese-buddhism-7833161","podcast_index_feed_id":7833161,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/11133f934/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shomon-akita7","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/45735861/45735861-1775682221876-bb025e697506c.jpg","author":"Japanese Buddhist monk Shomon","episode_count":18,"summary":"Discover Japanese Buddhism—guided by an authentic monk & AI! \"AI Buddhism University\" unlocks profound philosophy and epic history hidden in ancient texts. ■ Topics ・History: Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, Samurai vs Monks, Kukai vs Saicho. ・Roots: Early Buddhism & Mindfulness. ■ Guide: Shomon Akita 33rd Head Priest of Guzeiin Temple. He trained globally to explore Buddhism beyond borders. *Audio generated by NotebookLM. Please forgive any mispronunciations! ■ Links Lotus Radio: youtube.com/@lotus_radio Guzeiin: www.guzeiin-toyota.com","last_synced_at":"2026-06-21T12:17:17.681785+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ai-buddhism-university-the-history-of-japanese-buddhism-7833161"},"episode":{"title":"The Mad Engineer Monk Who Rebuilt Japan's Greatest Temple | Biographies of Great Monks","slug":"the-mad-engineer-monk-who-rebuilt-japan-s-greatest-temple-biographies-of-great-monks","published_at":"2026-05-13T13:18:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ai-buddhism-university-the-history-of-japanese-buddhism-7833161/the-mad-engineer-monk-who-rebuilt-japan-s-greatest-temple-biographies-of-great-monks","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ai-buddhism-university-the-history-of-japanese-buddhism-7833161","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shomon-akita7/episodes/The-Mad-Engineer-Monk-Who-Rebuilt-Japans-Greatest-Temple--Biographies-of-Great-Monks-e3ht2pg","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/11133f934/podcast/play/118442224/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-3-14%2F7ed53b9a-c262-5f1d-01b0-bc4bd0f3c79b.m4a","summary":"Discover the hidden history and profound philosophy of Japanese Buddhism—guided by an authentic Japanese monk and powered by AI. Welcome back to "AI Buddhism University"! When you think of ancient Buddhist monks, you probably picture quiet saints meditating in the mountains. But Shunjobo Chogen was entirely different. He was a relentless mastermind, an illegal tech smuggler, and the greatest "Producer" in Japanese history! In this special biographical episode, Ren (The Storyteller) and En (The Curious Listener) explore the wild, rule-breaking life of the monk who achieved the impossible: rebuilding the completely destroyed Great Buddha of Todai-ji Temple. We discuss: The Tech Broker: How Chogen sneaked into Song Dynasty China to bring back cutting-edge architecture and pulley systems. The Ultimate Crowdfunder: How he aggressively pressured the Retired Emperor to donate the clothes right off his back! Mad Engineering: How he built 118 dams to unleash flash floods and transport giant timber, terrifying the locals who thought he was using dark magic. The Hidden Heart: Why this aggressive, hyper-active "man of action" was secretly devoted to the quiet, peaceful teachings of Honen. ■ Meet Your Guide: Shomon Akita 33rd Head Priest of Guzeiin Temple / Ordained Jodo Shu Priest / Buddhist Researcher After graduating from Osaka University with a degree in French Literature and working in the legal field, Shomon returned to his roots to take over his family's centuries-old temple. Seeking the rational core of Early Buddhism, he trained at meditation centers across the world. Today, his exploration transcends borders, incorporating Yoga philosophy from India and authentic Nenbutsu practices from Mount Lu, China. ■ 💡 About the Audio (AI Generation) Thi…","meta_description":"Discover the hidden history and profound philosophy of Japanese Buddhism—guided by an authentic Japanese monk and powered by AI. Welcome back to \"AI…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2369,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ai-buddhism-university-the-history-of-japanese-buddhism-7833161/episodes/the-mad-engineer-monk-who-rebuilt-japan-s-greatest-temple-biographies-of-great-monks/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ai-buddhism-university-the-history-of-japanese-buddhism-7833161/the-mad-engineer-monk-who-rebuilt-japan-s-greatest-temple-biographies-of-great-monks.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}