Kenneth L. Kraft *84

Kenneth Kraft, a professor in the Department of Religion Studies at Lehigh University, died of cancer Oct. 1, 2018. He was 69.

Kraft graduated from Harvard in 1971 and earned a master’s degree from Michigan in 1978. In 1984 he earned a Ph.D. in East Asian studies from Princeton. He had studied and practiced in Japan for four years. He also spent time as a visiting professor at the Stanford University Japan Center and was a visiting scholar at the International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism, both in Kyoto, Japan. He also taught at Pennsylvania and Swarthmore.

In 1990 Kraft joined the Department of Religion Studies at Lehigh, teaching courses in Buddhism, Japanese religions, and environmental ethics. In 2005 he received a Lindback Foundation Award for distinguished teaching.

Kraft edited and published several books and many articles on engaged Buddhism. His most recent book, Zen Traces, was published in June 2018. This book explores American Zen by pairing passages from four sources: traditional zen, contemporary zen, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain. In 1992 Kraft was featured in The Creative Spirit, a PBS television series.

Kraft is survived by his wife, Trudy; two daughters; and one grandson.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.