Michael Pye was Professor of Religionswissenschaft at Marburg University in Germany until his formal retirement in 2004, and since then he has been a visiting professor at Otani University in Kyoto. For many years he was the General Secretary and then the President (1995-2000) of the International Association for the History of Religions. His writings have ranged widely over the methodology of the study of religions, studies in Buddhist thought and many aspects of contemporary Japanese religion. Major publications include Skilful Means, A Concept in Mahayana Buddhism (London 1978; 2nd ed. London 2003) and Emerging from Meditation (Translations from Tominaga Nakamoto) (London and Honolulu 1990).