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Kenneth K. Inada, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the UB Department of Philosophy and one of the world’s foremost authorities in the field of Buddhism and East-West comparative philosophy, died on March 26 in Honolulu. He was 87.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Inada received a BA from the University of Hawaii and an MA from the University of Chicago. Encouraged by the famous Zen scholar D.T. Suzuki, he studied Asian Buddhism at the University of Tokyo (Todai) and received a PhD in 1960, becoming the first U.S. citizen to receive a doctorate from Todai.
After spending 10 years on the faculty of the philosophy department at the University of Hawaii, he joined the faculty of the UB philosophy department in 1969. He retired from UB in 1997.
A prolific scholar with numerous publications, Inada was recognized internationally for his work in the field of Buddhism and East-West comparative philosophy. In 1990, he was the second American in 150 years to receive the Cultural Award from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Buddhism. He also was the first non-Chinese to be elected as president of the prestigious International Society for Chinese Philosophy in 1990. In addition, he served as president of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy.
The author, editor and translator of numerous books, book chapters and journal articles, he is noted, in particular, for his distinguished translation and commentary on Nagarjuna’s “Mulamadhyamakakarika,” a seminal work in Western studies of that great Buddhist thinker.
As a long-serving editor of SUNY Press’ Buddhist Studies Series, Inada oversaw the publication of some 30 critically acclaimed volumes and was instrumental in turning SUNY Press into the largest, most successful publisher of philosophy books in North America.
At UB, Inada is remembered as a kind and gifted teacher, and an exemplanry university citizen. He served for many years as a member of the University Council on International Studies and Programs, and was one of the principal organizers of the Asian Studies Program and the Japanese Language and Culture Program. He was a mentor to many junior faculty and graduate students in philosophy and Asian studies.
Inada served in the U.S. Army from 1943-45 and was wounded in action in France. He served as a member of the famous 442 Infantry Battalion that was deployed to Europe and participated in the famous rescue operations of the Lost Battalion consisting mostly of soldiers from Texas. Some 65 years later, he was invited to Houston to attend an appreciation gathering organized by the survivors of the Lost Battalion, where he was honored as a special guest.
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