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Maseo Abe: Self-Awakening and Faith — Zen and Christianity Abe looks at some of the differences between Zen and Christianity pointing out the contrasts between God and Nothingness, faith and enlightenment and salvation and self-awakening. from Christianity Through Non-Christian Eyes (Faith Meets Faith Series) Orbis Books, 1990
Avram Alpert: On the Role of Zen Buddhism in the Stories of J.D. Salinger Alpert looks at how Salinger's Franny and Zooey struggled with Zen: "I will suggest that the specificity of Zen matters very much to the characters, in large part because they find themselves incapable of living fully in accord with its demands. To be authentic, they will need not to become Zen but to achieve a spectral illumination about its meaning for their lives."
from Literary Hub, April 7, 2021
Christoph Anderl: Zen Rhetoric: An Introduction What Kind of Rhetoric…and Why? Anderl looks at how words and rhetorical structures are used in Zen Buddhist texts to both illuminate as well as promote doctrinal viewpoints. Although Zen texts frequently stress "their incapability to express the ultimate truth", Anderl explores some of the linguistic devices used to spread the message of Zen teachings. from: Zen Buddhist Rhetoric in China, Korea, and Japan
Yoko Arisaka: Beyond "East and West": Nishida's Universalism and Postcolonial Critique Arisaka looks at Kitaro Nishida's philosophical "universalism" which Nishida's defenders claim is incompatible with imperialist nationalism and finds that "Philosophical universalism is not in itself anti-imperialist, but can in fact contribute to imperialist ideology." from The Review of Politics 59:3, Summer 97, pp. 541-560
Michael Berman: Time and Emptiness in the Chao-Lun Berman looks at the Madhyamika Buddhist-Taoist Seng-chao's Book of Chao and discusses the use of language and how Seng-chao, through sunyata and marga, understood time. from Journal of Chinese Philosophy Vol 24, 1997 pp43-58
Jørn Borup: From Elite Zen to Popular Zen: Readings of Text and Practice in Japan and the West This article is a precursor to the one below. The article addresses the theme of "popular" Zen in both Japan and the West. Borup concludes with "reflections on the relation between one particular kind of popular culture, “Zen spirituality,” and its apparent lack of parallel in Japan.Easternization of the East? Zen and Spirituality as Distinct Cultural Narratives in Japan This article aims to investigate how and to what extent "Zen" and "spirituality" are related as narratives and religious practices in a contemporary Japanese context. While there are overlaps, it is argued that the two domains are separate and that such a division is based on general differences in culturally constrained narratives (Western/Japanese, Zen/spirituality). Besides focusing on a concrete Japanese context, the article also contributes to research on global and transnational (Zen) Buddhism as well as to the field of comparative spirituality. from Journal of Global Buddhism Vol. 16 (2015): 70-93
Johannes Bronkhorst : Did the Buddha Believe in Karma and Rebirth? "My main point so far is that the Buddha's path to liberation was essentially different from that of his contemporaries, because his concept of karma was different from theirs. Did the Buddha believe in karma and rebirth? The answer, in so far as the texts allow us to reach an answer, seems to me an unambiguous ‘yes’. The Buddha did believe in rebirth, and he did believe that one's future destiny is determined by what we may call karma, but which is in some essential respects different from what his contemporaries meant by it." . from the Journal of International Association of Buddhist Studies, Volume 21 • Number 1 • 1998
Chung-Ying Cheng
On Zen (Ch'an) Language and Zen Paradoxes “this essay plans to inquire into the logical and semantical significances of the dialogic exchanges (kung-an, koan) in Zen language and discourse as well as to clarify their methodological and ontological basis…In what logically intelligible way does a puzzle or a paradox as generated in a dialogic exchange derive its extraordinary meaningfulness as a tool for reaching or revealing the ultimate truth?…How is the paradoxicality or puzzlement of such a puzzle or paradox to be rationally explained and logically dissolved?” from Journal of Chinese Philosophy
Onto-Epistemology of Sudden Enlightenment in Chan Buddhism: Cheng explores the epistemology of enlightenment and the relationships between enlightenment and knowledge. from Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal, May 2000
Sungtaeik Cho: The Rationalist Tendency in Modern Buddhist Scholarship: A Revaluation The author argues that Buddhism cannot be understood by rational Western philosophical methods but reminds the reader that Buddhist thought is based on knowledge acquired through meditation. A short essay, but worthy. Originally published: Philosophy East and West Vol.52 No. 4 Oct. 2002
Michael Clasquin: Real Buddhas Don't Laugh: Attitudes towards Humour and Laughter in Ancient India and China Clasquin tries to answer why Zen uses humour when the Vinaya and other codes of conduct expressly forbid laughter. He investigates early Hindu humour and uses modern philosophy to discover the types of humour in Zen. from Social Identities, Volume 7, Number 1, 2001
Edward Conze: In this two-part series of essays, Conze looks at similarities and differences between Western philosophy and Buddhist thought. Conze says, "my interpretation of Buddhism is the conviction ... that it is essentially a doctrine of salvation, and that all its philosophical statements are subordinate to its soteriological purpose." In Buddhist Philosophy and It's European Parallels, Conze finds "only three currents of European philosophy which can significantly be compared with Buddhism, i.e., [1] the Greek Skeptics, [2] the wisdom-seeking mystics, and [3] the monists and dialecticians." In the second part, Spurious Parallels to Buddhist Philosophy, Conze points out "When we compare Buddhist and European thought, it happens quite often that the formulations agree, whereas considerations of their context, of the motives behind them, and of the conclusions drawn from them suggest wide discrepancies. Verbal coincidences frequently mask fundamental divergences in the concepts underlying them." from Philosophy East and West 13, no.1, January 1963.
Philip Goodchild : Speech And Silence In The Mumokan: An Examination of the Use of Language In Light of the Philosophy of Gilles Deleuze . This essay attempts to "extract interpretative methods and concepts from Deleuze's work in order to make use of them in observing exactly how language is used in the Mumonkan" — a language-based interpretation of koans. Interesting essay. Originally published in Philosophy East and West, Jan93, Vol. 43 Iss. 1
Peter D. Hershock :
Yun-hun Jan: The mind as the buddha-nature: The concept of the Absolute in Ch'an Buddhism Jan looks at how the Mind has been defined in various Chan schools and how Tsung-mi sought to clear up the confusion between these various schools. from Philosophy East and West Volume 31, Number 4 October 1981From Vulnerability to Virtuosity: Buddhist Reflections on Responding to Terrorism and Tragedy. How do Buddhists approach the terrorism abroad in our world? Hershock has some ideas. A good essay. see also David Loy
Not Buying into Words and Letters: Zen, Ideology, and Prophetic Critique Judging from the active participation of Zen leaders and institutions in modern Japanese imperialism, one might conclude that by its very nature Zen succumbs easily to ideological co-optation. But is this true and can Zen do anything about it? Christopher Ives believes Zen can resist dominant ideologies. from Journal of Buddhist Ethics Vol 13, 2006
Person as Narration: the Dissolution of 'Self' and 'Other' in Ch'an Buddhism Hershock discusses how 'self' and 'other' are only "conventions within a story" as Buddhism recognises neither. The implications of this for 'karma' are explored and Hershock sees tun-wu not as "sudden enlightenment" but as "readiness to awaken." A very interesting and important point is raised here. from Philosophy East and West, Oct., 1994 v44 n4 p685
Linda Holt: From India to China: Transformations in Buddhist Philosophy Holt explores how the foreign religion of Indian Buddhism was adapted to Chinese philosophical ideals, culture and language. from: Qi: The Journal of Eastern Health & Fitness, 1995
Christopher Ives:
What's Compassion Got to Do with It? Determinants of Zen Social Ethics in Japan "Judging from pronouncements by contemporary Engaged Buddhists, one might conclude that historical expressions of Zen social ethics have rested on the foundation of compassion and the precepts. The de facto systems of social ethics in Japanese Zen, however, have been shaped largely by other epistemological, sociological, and historical factors, and compassion should best be understood as a "theological virtue" that historically has gained specificity from those other factors. from Journal of Buddhist Ethics
Deploying the Dharma: Reflections on the Methodology of Constructive Buddhist Ethics " In recent decades “Engaged Buddhists” have been responding to a range of ethical issues. To date, however, their theorizing has not kept pace with their praxis. When formulating moral arguments about environmental and other issues, contemporary Buddhist thinkers have generally tapped metaphysical, epistemological, and preceptive dimensions of Buddhism, but their theorizing has harbored several methodological issues,"
Truth and Zen : a very philosophical look. Kasulis looks at how Aristotle, Thomas, Hui Neng, Lin Chi and Dogen approached the issue of 'truth'. He finds that Zen and Western philosophy diverge "when they consider what the purpose of thinking is and what the basic relationship between man and world is." It's not so much that they think differently, rather they "disagree about what we should think about." from: Philosophy East and West Vol. 30. No. 4 1980Zen as a Social Ethics of Responsiveness One reason traditional Chan or Zen did not develop a comprehensive social ethics is that it arose in an East Asian milieu with axiologies already firmly in place. Since these value orientations did not conflict with basic Buddhist principles, Chan/Zen used its praxes and theories of praxis to supplement and enhance, rather than criticize, those indigenous ethical orientations. When we consider the intercultural relevance of Zen ethics today, however, we must examine how its traditional ethical assumptions interface with its Western conversation partners. This paper analyzes special philosophical problems arising when one tries to carry Zen moral values without modification into Western contexts. from Journal of Buddhist Ethics
John P. Keenan: The Emptiness of Christ: A Mahayana Christology To overcome the conflicting nature between a divine Christ and a human Christ, Keenan turns to Mahayana philosophy where the concept of emptiness and dependent co-arising eliminates the duality. Many will find this an interesting essay. from Anglican Theological Review, Vol. 75 No. 1
Nishida Kitaro: >Nishida Kitaro's Philosophy of Absolute Nothingness (Zettaimu no Tetsugaku) and Modern Theoretical Physics "Nishida Kitarō1 (1870–1945), the founder of the Kyoto school of philosophy, often stated that his philosophy of Absolute Nothingness (zettaimu no tetsugaku), which had in part been inspired by Zen Buddhism, was not a kind of mysticism....Nishida decided that the only way of clarifying his philosophical standpoint was to redefine the concepts of ‘mind’ and ‘logic’ by showing the relation of the philosophy of Absolute Nothingness to the philosophy of science, especially to quantum mechanics and Einstein’s theory of relativity." from Philosophy East and West, Volume 68, Number 2, April 2018
Gereon Kopf:Critical Comments on Nishida's Use of Chinese Buddhism Knopf explores how Nishida uses Buddhism concepts in his philosophy and explores Nishida's hermeneutical method of application of Buddhist texts. from Journal of Chinese Philosophy 32:2 (June 2005) 313–329
Whalen Lai: Nonduality of the Two Truths in Sinitic Madhyamika: Origin of the Third Truth' Lai explores the development of the 'two truths' theory and contrasts the Indian vs Chinese interpretations. from The Journal of International Association of Buddhist Studies, Vol 2, Nuber 2, 1979
Lewis R Lancaster : Discussion of Time in Mahayana Texts : the author discusses some aspects of how Mahayana scriptures perceived time. from: Philosophy East and West 24, no. 2, April 1974
Stephen W. Laycock: The Dialectics of Nothingness: A Reexamination of Shen-hsiu and Hui-neng . A highly abstract philosophical look at the two gathas of Shen-hsiu and Hui-neng. Laycock argues “that Shen-hsiu's position entails that of Hui-neng; and… that Hui-neng's position likewise entails that of Shen-hsiu. But more than simply this, … show[s] that the dialectical interinvolvement of the two contrasting insights has serious ramifications for contemporary occidental phenomenology.” from Journal of Chinese Philosophy Vol.24, 1997
David Loy: How to Reform a Serial Killer: The Buddhist Approach to Restorative Justice This article considers how Buddhist perspectives on crime and punishment support the contemporary movement toward restorative (in place of retributive) justice. Loy concludes with some reflections on why our present criminal justice systems serve the purposes of the state better than the needs of offenders and their victims. from Journal of Buddhist Ethics No. 7 (2000) pp. 145-168
Joanna Rogers Macy: Systems philosophy as a hermeneutic for Buddhist teachings. Macy explores "Correlations between systems philosophy, as developed and articulated by Ervin Laszlo, and Buddhist thought [which] suggest the possibility that the one can serve as a tool for interpreting the other. The hermeneutical possibility appears to be reciprocal."
Shiro Matsumoto: Critical Considerations on Zen Thought : an essay by Professor Matsumoto which discusses zen thought and the cessation of thinking and aatman/Buddha nature.
Stephen McCarthy: Why the Dalai Lama Should Read Aristotle McCarthy argues that the rhetoric of ‘Asian values' as opposed to the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights doesn't hold up. Buddhist values as expressed by the Dalai Lama match closely those values declared by Aristotle. from Journal of Buddhist Ethics 8 (2001): 42 - 60
Douglas K. Mikkelson: Aquinas and Dōgen on Poverty and the Religious Life Recent efforts to articulate Buddhist ethics have increasingly focused on “Western” ethical systems that possess a “family resemblance” sufficient to serve as a bridge. One promising avenue is the employment of Aristotelian-Thomistic thinking in seeking to understand certain manifestations of Buddhism. More specifically, we can explore how the thinking of Thomas Aquinas may serve to illuminate the moral vision of the Zen Master Dōgen on specific topics, such as that of “poverty and the religious life.”
from Journal of Buddhist Ethics
Robert J. Moore: Dereification in Zen Buddhism The goal of this article is to develop the concept of "dereification"
in religion and to explain certain aspects of Zen Buddhism. To this end, Moore argues that conversion to Zen Buddhism is actually a resocialization process characterized by the acquisition of dereifying perception. While earlier accounts of dereification in religion have remained at a very general theoretical level, Moore tries to give a more empirical account of dereification by showing (1) that it corresponds to a concept used by religious practitioners themselves, emptiness, (2) that it is developed through particular religious practices, meditation, and (3) that it is involved in actual forms of religious interaction, koan training.from: Sociological Quarterly, Vol. 36 No. 4 Fall95, p.699-724
Charles Muller: Innate Enlightenment and No-thought: A Response to the Critical Buddhist Position on Zen Muller questions the "characterization of innate enlightenment thought " and how the term is used in Ch'an texts and argues that the concept of "no-thought" does not mean abscence of thought but that the concept means "non-attached thought". A paper delivered to the International Conference on Sŏn at Paekyang-sa, Kwangju, Korea, August 22, 1998
Shigenori Nagatomo: The Logic of the Diamond Sutra: A is not A, therefore it is A Nagatomo looks at the "logic of not" in the Diamond Sutra. Although the logic seems illogical, this is only because one tends to look at it from an Aristotelian dualistic view... "in order to properly understand it, one must effect a perspectival shift from the dualistic, egological stance to a non-dualistic, non-egological stance." from Asian Philosophy, Vol. 10, No. 3, 2000
Jin Y. Park: Zen Language in Our Times: the case of Pojo Chinul's huatau meditation Park discuss the role of language in huatau meditation, focusing on Korean Zen Buddhism. from Philosophy East & West, Vol 55 No. 1, Jan. 2005
The Putative Fascism of the Kyoto School and the Political Correctness of the Modern AcademyThe title says a lot! Parkes goes after "critical treatments of the Kyoto School thinkers at the hands of Tetsuo Najita and H. D. Harootunian, Bernard Faure, Karatani Kojin, and Leslie Pincus." Of serious academic interest only. from Philosophy East and West, V47, N3, July 1997
Fabio Rambelli: Buddhism and Semiotics Rambelli explores some of the basics of Buddhist language, its role in building and articulating perceived reality. If, as stated in some Buddhist sutras, the words of ordinary language are related to superficial aspects of phenomena, uttered in dreams, conditioned by fallacious attachment to wrong ideas, and forever conditioned by the seeds of suffering, what is the status of the words of the Buddha? from Volume 6 (1) of The Semiotic Review of Books
Rein Raud: ‘Place’ And ‘Being-Time’: Spatiotemporal Concepts In The Thought Of Nishida Kitarō And Dōgen Kigen "Perhaps the best known among ... spatiotemporal East Asian concepts are the notions of ‘place’ (basho) of Nishida Kitarō (1870–1945) and the ‘being-time’ (uji) of Dōgen Kigen (1200–1253). This article is an effort at a comparative analysis of these notions, focusing especially on Nishida’s philosophy as a synthesis of Western and Asian philosophical discourses." An interesting essay comparing Nishida and Dōgen's approach to a fundamental philosophical/religious problem. from Philosophy East and West - Volume 54, Number 1, January 2004, pp. 29-51
Henry Rosemont Jr: Is Zen a Philosophy? Rosemont argues that, putting aside the soteriological function of Zen, it is a philosophy, or at least has philosophy embedded in it. So why do Zen commentators such as Alan Watts and D T Suzuki claim there is no philosophy in Zen? An interesting, easy to read essay. Should lead to lots of arguments! from Philosophy East & West
Jana S. Rosker: Classical Chinese Logic Professor Rosker gives a short introduction to ancient Chinese philosophical structures and thought regarding logic and its close link to the Chinese language. Understanding a little of Chinese philosophy may help in the study of Zen Buddhism. from: Philosophy Compass (2015): 1–9, 10.1111/phc3.12226
Anton Sevilla: Approaching the Language of Zen: Clarke, Heidegger, and the Meaning of Articulation in Zen Koans
Through a number of koans, Sevilla explores the notion of Zen articulation as 'unsaying,' and 'poetic speech,' and through Martin Heidegger's theory of language and the notions of logos and aletheia, Sevilla attempts to clarify and expound on the meaning of 'unsaying' and 'poetic speech.' original source
Ben-Ami Scharfstein: Salvation By Paradox: On Zen And Zen-like Thought "If, as I have argued, our intelligence is an anxiety-arousing instrument designed to rid us of anxiety, then Zen is anti-intellectual in the sense of attempting to rid us of anxiety in general (over everything except, perhaps, the attempt to get rid of anxiety). Zen makes its attempt by, among other things, lowering the demands of our intelligence as such. One of the signs that we have in fact arrived at the Zen goal is the ability to suspend our normal logic and play freely with concepts." Journal of Chinese Philosophy, V. 3 (1976) pp. 209-234
Kevin Schilbrack: Metaphysics in Dogen "The first section of this essay introduces a definition of metaphysics that, although drawn from the Western philosophical tradition, is, I hope, generic enough to be useful for the study of philosophy outside the West, and then argues for the legitimacy of metaphysics as an interpretative tool for the understanding of Zen Buddhist thought. The second section spells out what I take to be the basic features of Dogen's metaphysics, and the third deals with a rival non-metaphysical interpretation of Dogen's philosophy. from: Philosophy East and West, Vol. 50, No. 1 (January 2000)
James D. Sellmann & Hans Julius Schneider Liberating Language in Linji and Wittgenstein The aim of this paper is to explicate some unexpected and striking similarities and equally important differences between Wittgenstein's methodology and the approach of Chinese Chan or Japanese Zen Buddhism. "The Zen approach to life most definitely sheds some light on what Ludwig Wittgenstein was ‘pointing’ at or trying to show through his kōanic or kōan-like use of philosophical problems. Wittgenstein’s analysis provides a way for understanding what the Zen master is doing. "Asian Philosophy, Vol. 13, Nos. 2/3, 2003
Leland E Shields: Zen Koans as Myths Jungian psychotherapist Shields looks at how "Jung's methods
of seeking wisdom in myth are applied to Zen koans to explore the process of individuation." from Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche, Volume 4, Number 4
Mark Siderits: On the Soteriological Significance of Emptiness What role does 'emptiness' play in ending suffering? Siderits tackles this question: "The doctrine of emptiness is said to be the remedy that purges itself along with the cause of one’s lingering illness. One sometimes senses that critics of the semantic interpretation believe it would be just too disappointing if this turned out to be all there were to the doctrine of emptiness. Perhaps the feeling of disappointment is a sign that emptiness is doing the purging work for which it was intended. " from: Contemporary Buddhism, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2003
Jonathan Silk: What, If Anything, Is Mahayana Buddhism? Problems Of Definitions And Classifications Silk tries to find a definition of Mahayana Buddhism. It turns out not be as simple as it sounds. This is a very long essay. from Numen Vol. 49
Rethinking Transcendence: The Role of Language in Zen Experience Wright questions whether enlightenment "stands altogether beyond the shaping power of language and culture". He also looks at the role language played in the origins and development of the monsastic community, a community that made the Zen experience of awakening possible. Very interesting essay for those that see the Zen experience "not dependent on language and texts". Is that true? from Philosophy East and West, vol 42, no 1, January 1992George Wrisley: Two Dogmas of Zen Buddhism Wrisley refutes what he calls the two dogmas of Zen: 1) "language not only fails to allow us to say how things really are, but it necessarily obscures reality from us." and 2) "enlightenment is centrally the cultivation of a certain kind of experience, e.g., the experience of realizing the true nature of reality". Some interesting arguements here.
——Satori and the Moral Dimension of Enlightenment This essay addresses the question posed by Brian Victoria's description of"moral blindness" in twentieth-century Japanese Zen masters by claiming that since Zen monastic training does not include practices of reflection that cultivate the moral dimension of life, skill in this dimension of human character was not considered a fundamental or necessary component of Zen enlightenment. Journal of Buddhist Ethics Vol 13, 2006
Desheng Zong: Three Language-Related Methods In Early Chinese Chan Buddhism The primary concern of this essay is the history and philosophical significance of three language-related methods widely used in Chan practice during the golden age of Chinese Chan Buddhism, roughly from the eighth to the twelfth centuries. Zong looks at "the Bodhidharma Method", "the naming game" and "the four ways of Ju and Yi". An interesting essay about early Chan methodology. from Philosophy East and West 55.4 (Oct 2005): p584 (19)
