Suzuki, Beatrice Lane

Beatrice Erskine Lane Suzuki (c. 1878–1939) was an American Theosophist, who was instrumental in promoting Theosophy in Japan. Lane Suzuki is often eclipsed by her famous husband, Japanese writer and scholar D. T. Suzuki. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Lane was educated at Radcliffe College, where one of her tutors was William James, graduating in 1898. She also completed a Master of Arts degree in social work at Columbia University in 1908. Lane married Suzuki in 1911. The Suzukis, along with her mother, joined the Tokyo International Lodge of the Theosophical Society in 1920. Lane Suzuki fulfilled various official roles in the Lodge. Lane Suzuki and her husband later founded the Mahayana Lodge with a more explicitly Buddhist focus. Letters from the time speak of the difficulty of spreading Theosophy in Buddhist Japan, since Theosophy draws heavily on Buddhism. Lane Suzuki published numerous books on Buddhism and Japanese culture. These have seen many reprints and editions as well as being translated into many languages.