Hello! My name is Andrea and I am applying for an M.A. in Asian Studies. My focus will be on Japanese and Japanese folk religion. This is my first draft SOP and it would be nice to have other pairs of eyes look over it for me. Your honest criticism will be greatly appreciated! The instructions simply asked for me to describe my interests and my future goals.
Thankyou.
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I remember watching with wide eyed curiosity as paper lanterns floated gently by on the rivers dark waters. The lanterns worked on brightening the star swept sky with their flickering lights as they coursed across the water. The entire river had been filled from bank to bank with these lanterns, placed by loving hands down into the water to guide the spirits of loved ones who have passed, guiding them back home for the festival of the dead. I remember watching the O-bon festival for the first time when I was seven years old. My mother and father and I had just moved to Japan only a week before and this was my first experience with the culture of a country that I had never even heard of before. This first glimpse into an ever expanding new world was one that sparked my imagination and ignited the flame of curiosity that I have carried with me ever since.
My B.A. in Asian Studies is the result of this flame. For me it is an ongoing thirst for knowledge on the culture and religions of Japan. Having lived in Japan for three years as a child I was exposed to the various daily rituals and festivals that the people of Japan celebrate, without fail, throughout the year. Even after leaving Japan I was still fascinated by the synchronistic relationship of Buddhism and Shinto and, as soon as I began my undergraduate study, I began to research Japanese religion, culture, and life-marking rituals in earnest. Despite this it wasn't until after I took a class in Zen Buddhism that my interest in the Buddhist traditions of Japan was firmly cemented in with my love of the Japanese culture. To satisfy my burning desire to learn more, I took several classes in Japanese history, art, and popular culture. These were followed up with several more classes on Buddhism and Asian philosophies. I also took a class on the Geography of Asia, a large part of which was focused on Japan, and in this class I was given to the idea that religion and geography go hand in hand with the culture of its people. This was a unique idea to me and was something that I wanted to explore further. And so it was during this growing awareness of the possible geographically induced magico-religious customs of the Japanese that led me to my investigations of Japanese folk religions so that when my history Professor introduced me to the mountain religion of Shugendo, I was struck. My Professor, knowing of my growing interest in mountain based folk religions introduced me to the works of Allan Grapard and Hitoshi Miyake. And through their work I found what I was looking for. A religion that was formed on ancient shamanistic beliefs based on the geographic formations of the land, allowing its practitioners, ancient and modern, an accessible path of speaking with the Gods. Having found a subject that inspired me towards further study I contacted my Religious Studies advisor and initiated a two semester long independent study, the accumulation of which was a paper on the rituals practiced and the pilgrimages taken by the adherents of Shugendo; and also led to my minor in Religious studies.
Along with these various classes I also began to study the Japanese language in preparation of further study. I immediately understood that in order for me to progress along my studies in Japanese folk religion I would need to develop language competency. This is one of the many reasons I chose to apply to Ohio State University. One of the critical things I looked for when researching for graduate schools was a solid program in the Japanese language along with a strong support system for learners of the language. Though I recognize that my language abilities in Japanese are still young, I know that with the resources and support offered by your program I have no doubts that I will obtain the proficiency needed for study beyond the M.A. degree. And, after reviewing the numerous amounts of classes offered by your university in both language and religious studies, in particular Buddhism and philosophy, I grew excited on the prospect of being a student at Ohio State.
On further research into your university I found several Professors who might share my interests and whom I would be grateful to work alongside. One of which would be Thomas Kasulis. His book, Zen Action/Zen Person, was one that my Zen Buddhism Professor had included on the curriculum. My main interest lies in Japanese folk religion, namely Shugendo, and how its modern adherents have blended their lives with ancient practices. I want to further investigate how sacred places become, in turn, sacred spaces in both the minds of practitioners and in the religious geographies associated with these pilgrimages as they travel from valley to mountain and back again. I believe that these interests of mine could be applicable toward a better understanding of the effects of religious pilgrimages found in other areas of the world as it is my belief that society and culture are affected by the natural environments in which they develop.
I believe that with my unique interests in Japanese folk religion, and with the previous experiences that I have in the subject matter, I would make and ideal candidate for the M.A. in East Asian Studies. If I am given the opportunity to study at Ohio State, I believe that my research in Shugendo as a folk religion would contribute greatly to an understanding of how people, religion, and the environment in which they live, interact on overlapping and interlacing boundaries. In the future, on gaining my PhD, I want to offer classes on the various religious traditions of Japan, the mode and mind of the pilgrim and pilgrimages, and also examine the contemporary issues that followers of minority religions must deal with in order to gain a sense of significance within the modern world. If you ask me if I knew what I would be doing ten years from now I could tell you, without hesitation, that I will find my life's satisfaction while working as a Professor of within the Asian Studies or Religious Studies department at a university that needs someone to help implement a productive scholastic program for individuals who, like me, fill the indescribable need to take their exploration across the waves to the islands of Japan.
Thankyou.
****
I remember watching with wide eyed curiosity as paper lanterns floated gently by on the rivers dark waters. The lanterns worked on brightening the star swept sky with their flickering lights as they coursed across the water. The entire river had been filled from bank to bank with these lanterns, placed by loving hands down into the water to guide the spirits of loved ones who have passed, guiding them back home for the festival of the dead. I remember watching the O-bon festival for the first time when I was seven years old. My mother and father and I had just moved to Japan only a week before and this was my first experience with the culture of a country that I had never even heard of before. This first glimpse into an ever expanding new world was one that sparked my imagination and ignited the flame of curiosity that I have carried with me ever since.
My B.A. in Asian Studies is the result of this flame. For me it is an ongoing thirst for knowledge on the culture and religions of Japan. Having lived in Japan for three years as a child I was exposed to the various daily rituals and festivals that the people of Japan celebrate, without fail, throughout the year. Even after leaving Japan I was still fascinated by the synchronistic relationship of Buddhism and Shinto and, as soon as I began my undergraduate study, I began to research Japanese religion, culture, and life-marking rituals in earnest. Despite this it wasn't until after I took a class in Zen Buddhism that my interest in the Buddhist traditions of Japan was firmly cemented in with my love of the Japanese culture. To satisfy my burning desire to learn more, I took several classes in Japanese history, art, and popular culture. These were followed up with several more classes on Buddhism and Asian philosophies. I also took a class on the Geography of Asia, a large part of which was focused on Japan, and in this class I was given to the idea that religion and geography go hand in hand with the culture of its people. This was a unique idea to me and was something that I wanted to explore further. And so it was during this growing awareness of the possible geographically induced magico-religious customs of the Japanese that led me to my investigations of Japanese folk religions so that when my history Professor introduced me to the mountain religion of Shugendo, I was struck. My Professor, knowing of my growing interest in mountain based folk religions introduced me to the works of Allan Grapard and Hitoshi Miyake. And through their work I found what I was looking for. A religion that was formed on ancient shamanistic beliefs based on the geographic formations of the land, allowing its practitioners, ancient and modern, an accessible path of speaking with the Gods. Having found a subject that inspired me towards further study I contacted my Religious Studies advisor and initiated a two semester long independent study, the accumulation of which was a paper on the rituals practiced and the pilgrimages taken by the adherents of Shugendo; and also led to my minor in Religious studies.
Along with these various classes I also began to study the Japanese language in preparation of further study. I immediately understood that in order for me to progress along my studies in Japanese folk religion I would need to develop language competency. This is one of the many reasons I chose to apply to Ohio State University. One of the critical things I looked for when researching for graduate schools was a solid program in the Japanese language along with a strong support system for learners of the language. Though I recognize that my language abilities in Japanese are still young, I know that with the resources and support offered by your program I have no doubts that I will obtain the proficiency needed for study beyond the M.A. degree. And, after reviewing the numerous amounts of classes offered by your university in both language and religious studies, in particular Buddhism and philosophy, I grew excited on the prospect of being a student at Ohio State.
On further research into your university I found several Professors who might share my interests and whom I would be grateful to work alongside. One of which would be Thomas Kasulis. His book, Zen Action/Zen Person, was one that my Zen Buddhism Professor had included on the curriculum. My main interest lies in Japanese folk religion, namely Shugendo, and how its modern adherents have blended their lives with ancient practices. I want to further investigate how sacred places become, in turn, sacred spaces in both the minds of practitioners and in the religious geographies associated with these pilgrimages as they travel from valley to mountain and back again. I believe that these interests of mine could be applicable toward a better understanding of the effects of religious pilgrimages found in other areas of the world as it is my belief that society and culture are affected by the natural environments in which they develop.
I believe that with my unique interests in Japanese folk religion, and with the previous experiences that I have in the subject matter, I would make and ideal candidate for the M.A. in East Asian Studies. If I am given the opportunity to study at Ohio State, I believe that my research in Shugendo as a folk religion would contribute greatly to an understanding of how people, religion, and the environment in which they live, interact on overlapping and interlacing boundaries. In the future, on gaining my PhD, I want to offer classes on the various religious traditions of Japan, the mode and mind of the pilgrim and pilgrimages, and also examine the contemporary issues that followers of minority religions must deal with in order to gain a sense of significance within the modern world. If you ask me if I knew what I would be doing ten years from now I could tell you, without hesitation, that I will find my life's satisfaction while working as a Professor of within the Asian Studies or Religious Studies department at a university that needs someone to help implement a productive scholastic program for individuals who, like me, fill the indescribable need to take their exploration across the waves to the islands of Japan.