Casey Collins

Biography

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Casey Collins moved to Vancouver in 2005 to study Asian languages and cultures at the University of British Columbia. He lived in Tokyo from 2009 through 2012 while working for a Buddhist lay organization that later became the subject of his graduate research on Japanese new religions. His doctoral dissertation, “Walking in the Founders’ Footsteps,” focuses on sacred narratives and devotionalism in Japanese new religions. Casey’s research demonstrates how every aspect of one such organization called Shinnyo-en is linked with emotional stories about its founders, which he edited into the first sequential compilation of such narratives using Shinnyo-en sources. Casey’s ongoing research interests include sacred narratives, material culture, Japanese esoteric Buddhism, and new religions. Casey is actively involved in the Vancouver Jewish community as a lay service leader and a Wexner Heritage Program fellow. He is also connected with the Shingon Buddhist community of the Pacific Northwest, and an avid student of the Omotesenke tea tradition. Casey has taught undergraduate students since 2016.