DOCSLIB.ORG

Nietzsche and Zen

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Nietzsche and Zen Stephen Priest Page 1 05/12/2007 NIETZSCHE AND ZEN An Essay in Philosophical Theology Stephen Priest Stephen Priest is a member of the Faculty of Philosophy in the University of Oxford. He is Senior Research Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford and a member of Wolfson College, Oxford and Hughes Hall, Cambridge. Stephen Priest is the author of The British Empiricists Penguin and Routledge), Theories of the Mind (Penguin and Houghton Mifflin), Merleau-Ponty (Routledge) and The Subject in Question (Routledge). He is editor of Hegel’s Critique of Kant (Oxford University Press), Jean-Paul Sartre: Basic Writings (Routledge) and co-editor (with Antony Flew) of A Dictionary of Philosophy (Macmillan). He has lectured widely in the United States and Europe and his writing has been translated into Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Macedonian. A dunce once searched for a fire with a lighted lantern. Joshu Washes the Bowl, The Gateless Gate No. 7 Zen Flesh, Zen Bones Compiled by Paul Reps. Translated by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki p. 176 Nietzsche and Zen 2 PREFACE This book is a philosophical examination of the work of the nineteenth century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the Chinese and Japanese philosophy of life, Zen. Although both philosophies appear radically anti-metaphysical, I argue that they tacitly presuppose the metaphysics and theology they disparage or putatively eschew. Nietzsche and the Zen Buddhists make some strikingly similar claims about life, death, suffering, illusion and reality, life after death, and the possible transformation of what it is to be human. A central conclusion that I argue for is that Nietzsche's Übermensch is an enlightened being. The life of that 'superman' who is more quintessimally human than the average human being is similar in philosophically important respects to that of the the Zen monk who has undergone the transformation in being called Satori or 'Enlightenment'. These affinities show that Nietzsche's philosophy is, or essentially contains, Zen. However, my aim is not comparative History of Ideas but the philosophical appraisal of Nietzsche's philosophy and Zen. I first sat, or ‘learned’ the meditative practice of letting-be that is zazen, over thirty years ago. My interest in Nietzsche was caused by lectures delivered by Michael Tanner and Bernard Williams in the University of Cambridge. I am grateful to Keith Ansell-Pearson, Daniel Came, Richard Fitch, Benedikt Goecke, Michael Inwood, Grahame Locke and Alexander Norman for useful discussion. I thank Professor Hitoshi Nagai and his research student Shogo Shimizu, both of Chui University, Japan, for visiting me in Oxford and for such a worthwhile exhange of ideas. Stephen Priest Oxford Michaelmas 2007 3 CONTENTS Preface INTRODUCTION 5 Who is Nietzsche? 5 What is Zen? 7 (1) BEYOND DEATH AND SUFFERING 10 Facing Death 10 The End of Suffering 23 Is There Any Point in it All? 33 (2) THE ILLUSION OF THE WORLD 35 Perspectivism 37 Eating the Menu 40 What is What is? 44 (3) THE DOCTRINE OF 'NO-SELF' 45 Sense and Spirit 49 Pain and the Self 50 Do I Exist? 62 (4) REBIRTH AND THE ETERNAL RETURN 64 The Eternal Sandglass 64 Buddahood and Time 72 What Changes? 77 (5) THE ÜBERMENSCH IN SATORI 78 Freedom 84 Language and its Limits 87 Is God Dead? 105 Bibliography 107 4 Abbreviations Nietzsche BGE: Beyond Good and Evil. trans. Walter Kaufmann. New York: Random House, 1966 The Birth of Tragedy. trans. Walter Kaufmann, in The Birth of Tragedy and The Case of Wagner. New York: Random House, 1967 CW: Friedrich Nietzsche The Case of Wagner. trans. Walter Kaufmann, in The Birth of Tragedy and The Case of Wagner. New York: Random House, 1967 D: Friedrich Nietzsche Daybreak: Thoughts on the Prejudices of Morality. trans. R. J. Hollingdale. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982 GM: Friedrich Nietzsche The Genealogy of Morals Cambridge: Cambridge University Press HATH: Friedrich Nietzsche Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits. trans. R. J. Hollingdale. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986 GS: Friedrich Nietzsche The Gay Science, with a Prelude of Rhymes and an Appendix of Songs. tr. WalterKaufmann. New York: Random House, 1974 W: The Will to Power. trans. Walter Kaufmann. New York: Random House, 1967 Z: Friedrich Nietzsche Thus Spoke Zarathustra. trans. Walter Kaufmann, in The Portable Nietzsche. New York: Viking Press, 1968 Zen WD Kapleau, Philip, and Paterson Simons, eds. The Wheel of Death: A Collection of Writings from Zen Buddhist and Other Sources on Death, Rebirth, Dying. (Harper and Row, New York, 1971) WZ Alan Watts The Way of Zen (Vintage Books, New York, 1957) ZB D. T. Suzuki Essays in Zen 3 vols. (Rider and Co., 1949-53) ZNM D. T. Suzuki The Zen Doctrine of No-Mind ed. Christmas Humphreys. (Rider and Co., London, 1969) 5 INTRODUCTION Here I offer a summary of Nietzsche’s philosophical development and say something about what Zen is. There is something inherently paradoxical about trying to do either. Nietzsche’s philosophy and Zen are elusive, aphoristic and practical in ways that render any précis of them incomplete and misleading. Paradoxically, their essence is to have no essence. The only way to understand Nietzsche is to read him and think. The only way to understand Zen is to do it or, more accurately, be it. Who is Nietzsche? Nietzsche describes his own life phases as like masks. I suggest they are like the phases in the development of a Zen monk. Nietzsche is concerned with the efficacy of ideas, rather than establishing their realistic truth. Nietzsche is concerned to change people's lives rather than to refute or prove their beliefs and theories. He seeks to discredit and explain metaphysical and theological philosophy, he does not seek to refute it by deductive argument. A brilliant prose stylist, Nietzsche authored sharp philosophical interventions. He lived from 1844-1900 but went mad in January 1889 at the age of 44. It is possible to discern five main philosophical influences which motivate his thought. Firstly, Nietzsche was immersed in the literature and culture of ancient Greece as a student at the Universities of Bonn and then Leipzig from 1864, and then as professor of classical philology at the University of Basel at the age of twenty-four. Secondly, Nietzsche discerns the crisis of Western civilisation in the 'Death of God', that is, in atheism, and in 'the advent of nihilism' which implies that there is no theological foundation for ethics. His own philosophy may be understood as an attempt to overcome this crisis; to ‘go beyond’ nihilism and 'affirm life'. Nietzsche’s profound anti-Christianity is arguably also a reaction against the faith of his family. His father and maternal grandfather were both Lutheran ministers. His paternal grandfather was a Christian author. Thirdly, Nietzsche studied the major work of the German neo-Kantian idealist Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860); The World as Will and Representation, while a student at Leipzig. Nietzsche understood Schopenhauer as a pessimistic atheist whose thought encapsulates the problem of the Death of God. In Schopenhauer’s thought, the individual strives and suffers. Nietzsche aimed for a positive, or optimistic, solution to this suffering and the possibility of a point to this striving. Fourthly, through the personal and artistic influence of the German operatic composer and music theorist Richard Wagner (1813-1883) Nietzsche thought suffering could be transfigured though aesthetic creation. Finally, Nietzsche was steeped in contemporary scientific materialist philosophy, notably the then influential work of F.A. Lange: The History of Materialism (1865). 6 This seemed to open the possibility of sweeping away the old superstitions of theology and metaphysics forever. It is possible to discern four phases of Nietzsche's life, three sane and one mad: an anti Socratic phase, a positivistic pro-Socratic phase, a relativist and pragmatist Phase, and the final mad phase. The anti-Socratic Phase lasts from 1869 to 1876. While holding the Chair of Philology at the University of Basel (1864-1879) Nietzsche visited Richard Wagner at Lake Lucerne. In The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music (1872) Nietzsche searched for a new non-Christian ethics in the Ancient Greeks and subsequently in Wagner. Nietzsche contrasts Greek culture before and after Socrates with German culture before and after Wagner. He argues that life is essentially tragic and inexplicable but transmuted by art. The affirmation of life through creative genius transmutes life into an aesthetic phenomenon. Creative genius is the goal and justification of culture. The Dionysian and the Appollonian were fused in the tragedies of Aeschylus before the advent of Socrates effected their bifurcation. If their fusion could not be reinstated, it is a model to be emulated. During this phase, Nietzsche was heavily influenced by Schopenhauer. In Untimely Meditations (1873- 6), Nietzsche is critical of the German theologican David Strauss (1808-1874), author of the controversial Leben Jesu (Life of Jesus) (1835) and advocates Schopenhauer’s philosophy, and Wagner’s opera and operatic theory. In 1870 Nietzsche served as a volunteer medical orderly in the Franco-Prussian War. The positivistic pro-Socratic phase lasts from 1876 to 1883. Nietzsche resigned from the chair at Basel in 1879 through ill-health and spent 1879-1889 in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, devoting his time to writing. The book Human, All-too- Human (1898-9) is profoundly anti-metaphysical and materialist and includes naturalistic explanations of morality. For example: that a distinction is drawn between good and evil is a necessary condition for a society. Conscience is the internalised voice of secular, not divine, authority: the father, the mother, the teacher. Daybreak (1881) is a tirade against ‘morality’. There is no God, no responsibility and no morality.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Exploring the Applications of Second-Generation Mindfulness-Based Interventions For
    Exploring the Applications of Second-Generation Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Improving Health and Human Functioning: A Mixed-Methods Investigation William Van Gordon, BSc, MSc Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottinghamshire, UK, NG1 4BU A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Nottingham Trent University for the degree of Doctorate of Psychology December 2017 1 © William Van Gordon, 2017 This work is the intellectual property of the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level, and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the owner of the Intellectual Property Rights. Recommended citation: Van Gordon, W. (2017). Exploring the Applications of Second-Generation Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Improving Health and Human Functioning: A Mixed-Methods Investigation [PhD Thesis]. Nottingham: Nottingham Trent University. Keywords: Mindfulness, Second-Generation Mindfulness-based Interventions, Meditation, Meditation Awareness Training, Buddhist-Derived Interventions, Mindfulness-Based Interventions, Emptiness, Ontological Addiction, Buddhism, Workaholism, Work Addiction, Sex Addiction, Fibromyalgia, Psychopathology, Job Performance, Civic Engagement, Stress, Anxiety, Randomised Controlled Trial Aspects of this doctoral project
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism and Non-Violent World: Examining a Buddhist Contribution to Promoting the Principle of Non-Violence and a Culture of Peace
    Volume 8 Number 2 (2014): 122-149 http://www.infactispax.org/journal Buddhism and Non-Violent World: Examining a Buddhist Contribution to Promoting the Principle of Non-Violence and a Culture of Peace Juichiro Tanabe Coventry University [email protected] Introduction This paper examines a Buddhist contribution to promoting the principle of non-violence and culture of peace. The opposition to violence has been one of the cardinal principles of Buddhism, which is stated in the Dhamapada1: “All tremble at violence; all fear death. Seeing others as being like yourself, do not kill or cause others to kill. All tremble at violence; life is dear for all. Seeing others as being like yourself, do not kill or cause others to kill.”2 Further, Buddhism since its beginning has developed the analysis of psychologically-oriented suffering including violence by means of eradication of its cause and achievement of internal serenity3 and this paper 1 Dhamapada is a collection of sayings of the Buddha. 2 Fronsdal, G. (2005). The Dhammapada: A New Translation of the Buddhist Classic with Annotations. Boston: Shambala: 35. 3 Burton, D. (2002). Knowledge and Liberation: Philosophical Ruminations on a Buddhist Conundrum. 122 In Factis Pax Volume 8 Number 2 (2014): 122-146 http://www.infactispax.org/journal explores how the Buddhist analysis of human mind deepens the psychological dynamics of violence and unfolds internal dimension of peace for more humane world. To this end, three sections constitute this paper. The first section expounds the Four Noble Truths doctrine that is the core of Buddhist teaching. Based on the analysis, the second section examines a Buddhist view of dynamics of violence.
    [Show full text]
  • Nancy Wilson Ross
    Nancy Wilson Ross: An Inventory of Her Papers at the Harry Ransom Center Descriptive Summary Creator: Ross, Nancy Wilson, 1901-1986 Title: Nancy Wilson Ross Papers Dates: 1913-1986 Extent: 261.5 document boxes, 12 flat boxes, 18 card boxes, 7 galley folders (138 linear feet) Abstract: The papers of this American writer encompass her entire literary career and include manuscript drafts, extensive correspondence, and subject files reflecting her interest in Eastern cultures. Call Number: Manuscript Collection MS-03616 Language: English Access Open for research Administrative Information Acquisition Purchase, 1972 (R5717) Provenance Ross's first shipment of materials to the Ransom Center accompanied her husband Stanley Young's papers, and consisted of Ross's literary output to 1975, including manuscripts, publications, and research materials. The second, posthumous shipment contained manuscripts created since 1974, and all her correspondence, personal, and financial files, as well as files concerning the estate of Stanley Young. Processed by Rufus Lund, 1992-93; completed by Joan Sibley, 1994 Processing note: Materials from the 1975 and 1986 shipments are grouped following Ross's original order, with the exception of pre-1970, special, and current correspondence which were interfiled during processing. An index of selected correspondents follows at the end of this inventory. Repository: Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin Ross, Nancy Wilson, 1901-1986 Manuscript Collection MS-03616 2 Ross, Nancy Wilson, 1901-1986 Manuscript Collection MS-03616 Biographical Sketch Nancy Wilson was born in Olympia, Washington, on November 22, 1901. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 1924, and married Charles W.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhist Bibio
    Recommended Books Revised March 30, 2013 The books listed below represent a small selection of some of the key texts in each category. The name(s) provided below each title designate either the primary author, editor, or translator. Introductions Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction Damien Keown Taking the Path of Zen !!!!!!!! Robert Aitken Everyday Zen !!!!!!!!! Charlotte Joko Beck Start Where You Are !!!!!!!! Pema Chodron The Eight Gates of Zen !!!!!!!! John Daido Loori Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind !!!!!!! Shunryu Suzuki Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening ! Stephen Batchelor The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation!!!!!!!!! Thich Nhat Hanh Buddhism For Beginners !!!!!!! Thubten Chodron The Buddha and His Teachings !!!!!! Sherab Chödzin Kohn and Samuel Bercholz The Spirit of the Buddha !!!!!!! Martine Batchelor 1 Meditation and Zen Practice Mindfulness in Plain English ! ! ! ! Bhante Henepola Gunaratana The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English !!! Bhante Henepola Gunaratana Change Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Buddhist Meditation ! Paramananda Making Space: Creating a Home Meditation Practice !!!! Thich Nhat Hanh The Heart of Buddhist Meditation !!!!!! Thera Nyanaponika Meditation for Beginners !!!!!!! Jack Kornfield Being Nobody, Going Nowhere: Meditations on the Buddhist Path !! Ayya Khema The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation Thich Nhat Hanh Zen Meditation in Plain English !!!!!!! John Daishin Buksbazen and Peter
    [Show full text]
  • Gateless Gate Has Become Common in English, Some Have Criticized This Translation As Unfaithful to the Original
    Wú Mén Guān The Barrier That Has No Gate Original Collection in Chinese by Chán Master Wúmén Huìkāi (1183-1260) Questions and Additional Comments by Sŏn Master Sǔngan Compiled and Edited by Paul Dōch’ŏng Lynch, JDPSN Page ii Frontspiece “Wú Mén Guān” Facsimile of the Original Cover Page iii Page iv Wú Mén Guān The Barrier That Has No Gate Chán Master Wúmén Huìkāi (1183-1260) Questions and Additional Comments by Sŏn Master Sǔngan Compiled and Edited by Paul Dōch’ŏng Lynch, JDPSN Sixth Edition Before Thought Publications Huntington Beach, CA 2010 Page v BEFORE THOUGHT PUBLICATIONS HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA 92648 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. COPYRIGHT © 2010 ENGLISH VERSION BY PAUL LYNCH, JDPSN NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS, GRAPHIC, ELECTRONIC, OR MECHANICAL, INCLUDING PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING, TAPING OR BY ANY INFORMATION STORAGE OR RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, WITHOUT THE PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY LULU INCORPORATION, MORRISVILLE, NC, USA COVER PRINTED ON LAMINATED 100# ULTRA GLOSS COVER STOCK, DIGITAL COLOR SILK - C2S, 90 BRIGHT BOOK CONTENT PRINTED ON 24/60# CREAM TEXT, 90 GSM PAPER, USING 12 PT. GARAMOND FONT Page vi Dedication What are we in this cosmos? This ineffable question has haunted us since Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree. I would like to gracefully thank the author, Chán Master Wúmén, for his grace and kindness by leaving us these wonderful teachings. I would also like to thank Chán Master Dàhuì for his ineptness in destroying all copies of this book; thankfully, Master Dàhuì missed a few so that now we can explore the teachings of his teacher.
    [Show full text]
  • New American Zen: Examining American Women's Adaptation of Traditional Japanese Soto Zen Practice Courtney M
    Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 2011 New American Zen: Examining American Women's Adaptation of Traditional Japanese Soto Zen Practice Courtney M. Just Florida International University, [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FI11120903 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Just, Courtney M., "New American Zen: Examining American Women's Adaptation of Traditional Japanese Soto Zen Practice" (2011). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 527. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/527 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida NEW AMERICAN ZEN: EXAMINING AMERICAN WOMEN’S ADAPTATION OF TRADITIONAL JAPANESE SOTO ZEN PRACTICE A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in LIBERAL STUDIES by Courtney Just 2011 To: Dean Kenneth Furton College of Arts and Sciences This thesis, written by Courtney Just, and entitled New American Zen: Examining American Women’s Adaptation of Traditional Japanese Soto Zen Practice, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this thesis and recommend that it be approved. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Laurie Shrage ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Kiriake Xerohemona ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Lesley A. Northup, Major Professor Date of Defense: November 10, 2011 The thesis of Courtney Just is approved. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dean Kenneth Furton College of Arts and Science ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dean Lakshmi N.
    [Show full text]
  • Zen Masters at Play and on Play: a Take on Koans and Koan Practice
    ZEN MASTERS AT PLAY AND ON PLAY: A TAKE ON KOANS AND KOAN PRACTICE A thesis submitted to Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Brian Peshek August, 2009 Thesis written by Brian Peshek B.Music, University of Cincinnati, 1994 M.A., Kent State University, 2009 Approved by Jeffrey Wattles, Advisor David Odell-Scott, Chair, Department of Philosophy John R.D. Stalvey, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements iv Chapter 1. Introduction and the Question “What is Play?” 1 Chapter 2. The Koan Tradition and Koan Training 14 Chapter 3. Zen Masters At Play in the Koan Tradition 21 Chapter 4. Zen Doctrine 36 Chapter 5. Zen Masters On Play 45 Note on the Layout of Appendixes 79 APPENDIX 1. Seventy-fourth Koan of the Blue Cliff Record: 80 “Jinniu’s Rice Pail” APPENDIX 2. Ninty-third Koan of the Blue Cliff Record: 85 “Daguang Does a Dance” BIBLIOGRAPHY 89 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are times in one’s life when it is appropriate to make one’s gratitude explicit. Sometimes this task is made difficult not by lack of gratitude nor lack of reason for it. Rather, we are occasionally fortunate enough to have more gratitude than words can contain. Such is the case when I consider the contributions of my advisor, Jeffrey Wattles, who went far beyond his obligations in the preparation of this document. From the beginning, his nurturing presence has fueled the process of exploration, allowing me to follow my truth, rather than persuading me to support his.
    [Show full text]
  • Zen Buddhism: Volume 2: a History (Japan) Free
    FREE ZEN BUDDHISM: VOLUME 2: A HISTORY (JAPAN) PDF Heinrich Dumoulin | 520 pages | 31 Mar 2006 | World Wisdom Books | 9780941532907 | English | Bloomington, IN, United States Heinrich Dumoulin, S.J. () Though Zen is said to be based on a "special transmission outside scriptures" which "did not stand upon words", [1] the Zen-tradition has a rich doctrinal and textual background. It has been influenced by sutras such as the Lankavatara Sutra[2] [3] the Vimalakirti Sutra[4] [5] [6] the Avatamsaka Sutra[7] and the Lotus Sutra. Subsequently, the Zen tradition produced a rich corpus of written literature which has become a part of its practice and teaching, including the Platform Sutra[3] [8] lineage charts, collected sayings of Zen-masters, and the koan-literature. Contrary to the popular image, literature does play a role in the Zen-training. UnsuiZen-monks, "are expected to become familiar with the classics of the Zen canon". Nevertheless, Zen is often pictured as anti-intellectual. Zen Buddhism: Volume 2: A History (Japan) use of koans, which are highly stylized literary texts, reflects this popularity among the higher classes. One view was that of jiaowai biechuan"a special transmission outside the teaching". The famous saying "do not establish words and letters", attributed in this period to Bodhidharma, [14]. The Zen tradition, especially Rinzai Zen, aims to give a direct transmission of insight, and stresses the impossibility of giving any positive statement of this insight. Not founded upon words and letters. It lets one see into [one's own true] nature and [thus] attain Buddhahood. An example of this non- dependence on words and scripture in 9th century China is Teshan Tokusan From the Zen perspective, scriptures are nothing but scraps of paper for wiping up filth.
    [Show full text]
  • Jean-Paul Sartre: Basic Writings
    Jean-Paul Sartre: BasicWritings 'This immensely useful volume makes it possible for readersto get a substantialand comprehensiveknowledge of Sartreanphilosophy. It is a remarkableachievement.' HazelE. Barnes,University ofColorado at Boulder ' ... this is a worthwhile andilluminating book.' BaronessMary Warnock ' ... bringstogether just the right texts,ordered in the right way, to draw the studentinto Sartre.' JohnJ. Compton,EmeritusProfessor of Philosophy, Vanderbilt University 'StephenPriest's succinct, analytical introductions are invaluable ... a wide- rangingcollection of extracts.' ChristinaHowells, WadhamCollege, Oxford Jean-PaulSartre is one of the most famous philosophersof the twentieth century. The principal founder of existentialism,a political thinker and famousnovelist and dramatist,his work hasexerted enormous influence in philosophy,literature, politics and cultural studies.lean-Paul Sartre: Basic Writings is the first collection of Sartre'skey philosophicalwritings and providesan indispensableresource for all studentsand readers of his work. StephenPriest's clear and helpful introductionsset each reading in context, makingthe volume an idealcompanion for thosecoming to Sartre'swritings for the first time. A key featureof the anthologyis that it includesthe full text of Sartre's famousExistentialism and Humanism. The selectionsare from: Existentialismand Humanism Beingand Nothingness Transcendenceof the Ego The Psychologyof Imagination Whatis Literature? Searchfor a Method Notebooksfor an Ethics The Family Idiot Critique
    [Show full text]
  • Dongshans Five Ranks: Keys to Enlightenment Pdf, Epub, Ebook
    DONGSHANS FIVE RANKS: KEYS TO ENLIGHTENMENT PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Ross Bolleter | 152 pages | 09 Jun 2014 | Wisdom Publications,U.S. | 9780861715305 | English | Somerville, United States Dongshans Five Ranks: Keys to Enlightenment PDF Book The group is actually quite large but I only see and know a few of them, as with any and every experience. More Details This engaging and accessible little book is filled with both humor and profound teaching. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Lists with This Book. Mumonkan, The Gateless Gate. When we have seen deeply into the nature of words, statements about the Way, such as the captions of the Five Ranks, are no longer solely scripts that choreograph our changing relationship with the whole but are the dance itself. He is a composer with numerous CD releases, especially in the field of ruined piano. This rank describes enlightened behaviour: "Enlightened beings do not dwell in the state of result they have realized; from the ocean of effortlessness, they radiate unconditional compassion". Allison Tait rated it it was amazing Dec 19, Nevertheless, she still mistakes. Books by Ross Bolleter. More filters. Many bows to Bolleter for introducing me to Dongshan and carefully unpacking the Five Ranks line by line. Book Description Wisdom Publications, Ross makes it all more real by bringing in another from zen folk stories, friends and poems, which engage us with the here and now, not just flight of fancy. In Stephanie Kaza; Kenneth Kraft eds. Though brief, it offers a lifetime of advice for all who wish to engage in-and Return to Book Page.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gateless Gate Copyright 2010 Stephen H
    Zen Book Two The Great Unraveling p The Gateless Gate Copyright 2010 Stephen H. Wolinsky, PhD An imprint of Quantum Press, under the auspices of Quantum Institute Inc. Stephen H. Wolinsky, PhD Library ISBN 0-9749954-3-6 114 Rio Del Mar Blvd. Aptos, California 95003-4648 website stephenhwolinskyphdlibrary.com Typesetting: Bramble Books www.bramblebooks.com Book Cover Design by Mike Dowdall [email protected] ealizing there is no within or without Realizing there is no inside or outside R is to enter the gateless gate pproach a poet with a poem A warrior with a sword AWhat is the approach for someone who is not? AcknowledgementsSalutations to Master Mumon, complier of the “Gateless Gate” My never ending love and gratitude to Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj The Gateless Gate. A Note on the In an attemptLexicon to fairly presentof the the materialText and its “sources”, and to not confuse Zen Sayings and Zen Koans from Sayings and Koans which naturally appear through the text, please note the following. In the original all numbered Zen Koans and Zen stories were written using the word Case, as in Case 1, Case 2 etc. with a title. A Case can mean a barrier or a checkpoint. These cases, (barriers or checkpoints) were given to students to check where they were, and what they need, or are they ready to go through (checkpoint). Cases were also referred to as a barrier which was set up as an obstacle, (barrier), to test students and see where they were. In the text you are about to read, “I” use the words wave, as in wave in the ocean.
    [Show full text]
  • Gushan: the Formation of a Chan Lineage During the Seventeenth Century and Its Spread to Taiwan
    Gushan: the Formation of a Chan Lineage During the Seventeenth Century and Its Spread to Taiwan Hsuan-Li Wang Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2014 © 2014 Hsuan-Li Wang All rights reserved ABSTRACT Gushan: the Formation of a Chan Lineage During the Seventeenth Century and Its Spread to Taiwan Hsuan-Li Wang Taking Gushan 鼓山 Monastery in Fujian Province as a reference point, this dissertation investigates the formation of the Gushan Chan lineage in Fujian area and its later diffusion process to Taiwan. From the perspective of religion diffusion studies, this dissertation investigates the three stages of this process: 1. the displacement of Caodong 曹洞 Chan center to Fujian in the seventeenth century; 2. Chinese migration bringing Buddhism to Taiwan in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and 3. the expansion diffusion activities of the institutions and masters affiliated with this lineage in Taiwan during the Japanese rule (1895-1945), and the new developments of humanistic Buddhism (renjian fojiao 人間佛教) after 1949. In this spreading process of the Gushan Chan lineage, Taiwanese Buddhism has emerged as the bridge between Chinese and Japanese Buddhism because of its unique historical experiences. It is in the expansion diffusion activities of the Gushan Chan lineage in Taiwan that Taiwanese Buddhism has gradually attained autonomy during the Japanese rule, leading to post-war new developments in contemporary humanistic Buddhism. Table of Contents List of Chart, Maps and Tables iii Acknowledgements iv Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1. Research Motives and Goals 2 2.
    [Show full text]