Professor Thomas Kasulis

Professor
Department of Comparative Studies, The Ohio State University 

Thomas Kasulis is an internationally recognized scholar of Japanese philosophy and religion. The international value of his scholarship is built on his unique ability to describe the subtlety and nuance of concepts deeply embedded in Japanese culture and history in terms accessible not only to Western students of philosophy but to the generally educated reader. His first book, Zen Action/Zen Person , established the field of Japanese philosophy. His two other single-author books established new specialties in Asian studies, comparative philosophy and
religious studies. 

One colleague stated that, “His knowledge of the Japanese tradition in the original literature is unparalleled, and he brings real philosophical rigor to his research.” 

Another said, “His work makes not only esoteric Japanese religions and philosophy accessible but is also actually relevant to modern Westerners, and his weaving together of the disparate and sometimes contentious fields of philosophy and religious studies is respected and well known around the world. It is no exaggeration to state that Tom Kasulis approaches being a living legend in the field internationally.” 

Kasulis is a leading figure in the American Academy of Religion, the world's largest scholarly organization devoted to the study of religion. He has served as president of the American Society for the Study of Religion and of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy. He serves on the editorial boards of several leading publications in his field, including T he Eastern Buddhist , the Nanzan Library of Asian Religion and Culture's series on Japanese Thought and Culture and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy . He has published three single-author books, five co-edited collections and 70 articles and book chapters. His works have been translated into eight languages. 

Kasulis received his BA and MPhil from Yale University, his MA from the University of Hawaii and his PhD from Yale University. He has been at Ohio State since 1991. 

Thomas Kasulis (also published as T.P. Kasulis) is professor of comparative studies and director of the Religious Studies program at Ohio State University.