The Religious Philosophy Of Nishitani Keiji

A collection of essays by scholars, theologians, and students originating from a symposium held to discuss the religious philosophy of one of the great 20th century religious philosophers of Japan. The topics cover the meaning of emptiness in relation to God, science, ethics and history.

In Religion and Nothingness the leading representative of the Kyoto School of Philosophy lays the foundation of thought for a world in the making, for a world united beyond the differences of East and West. Keiji Nishitani notes the irreversible trend of Western civilization to nihilism, and singles out the conquest of nihilism as the task for contemporary philosophy. Nihility, or relative nothingness, can only be overcome by being radicalized to Emptiness, or absolute nothingness. Taking absolute nothingness as the fundamental notion in rational explanations of the Eastern experience of human life, Professor Nishitani examines the relevance of this notion for contemporary life, and in particular for Western philosophical theories and religious believes. Everywhere his basic intention remains the same: to direct our modern predicament to a resolution through this insight. The challenge that the thought of Keiji Nishitani presents to the West, as a modern version of an Eastern speculative tradition that is every bit as old and as variegated as our own, is one that brings into unity the principle of reality and the principle of salvation. In the process, one traditional Western idea after another comes under scrutiny: the dichotomy of faith and reason, of being and substance, the personal and transcendent notions of God, the exaggerated role given to the knowing ego, and even the Judeo-Christian view of history itself. Religion and Nothingness represents the major work of one of Japan's most powerful and committed philosophical minds.

©2019 Chisokudō Publications The essays collected in this volume represent early responses to Nishitani Keiji's monumental Religion and Nothingness. Based on a symposium held at Smith and Amherst Colleges in 1984, scholars from the world of Buddhist studies, philosophy, theology, and ethics tackle the thought-provoking reflections contained in this book and their relevance for today's world. Also available as an Apple ibook.

In recent years several books by major figures in Japan's modern philosophical tradition have appeared in English, exciting readers by their explorations of the borderlands between philosophy and religion. What has been wanting, however, is a book in a Western language to elucidate the life and thought of Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945), Japan's first philosopher of world stature and the originator of what has come to be called the Kyoto School. No one is more qualified to write such a book than Nishitani Keiji, whose lifetime coincides with the rise and flowering of the Kyoto School and whose own critical contribution to Japanese thought has been so important. Nishida Kitaro is a translation of essays Nishitani wrote about his teacher from 1936 to 1968 and published as a book in 1985. This series of meditations by one master on another provides a remarkable, living portrait of Nishida the person and conveys the enthusiasm he aroused in his students. Examining Nishida's most important work, An Inquiry into the Good, Nishitani penetrates to the core of his thought and presents it in language that is a marvel of clarity.

The first English translation (by Graham Parker, with Setsuko Aihara) of a forty-year-old Japanese classic--Nishitani's treatment of the problem of nihilism, with particular reference to Nietzsche's philosophical ideas, and from a perspective influenced by Buddhist thought. Paper edition (unseen), $14.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Nishitani Keiji has often been regarded as one of the foremost Japanese thinkers of the second half of the twentieth century. For those who are unacquainted with the writings of Nishitani Keiji, it is essential to situate him in the prewar intellectual climate of Kyoto University. This volume features Nishitani's lectures and essays.

Nishitani Keiji was an influential member of the 20th century Japanese philosophical scene known as the Kyoto School. His work fuses existentialism, notably that of Martin Heidegger, with Eastern influences such as Confucianism, various strands of Buddhist thinking, and even Christianity into a melting pot of original ideas. There are deep discussions of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and philosophy of religion which showcase KeijiOCOs broad range of interests."

The past twenty years have seen the publication of numerous translations and commentaries on the principal philosophers of the Kyoto School, but so far no general overview and evaluation of their thought has been available, either in Japanese or in Western languages. James Heisig, a longstanding participant in these efforts, has filled that gap with Philosophers of Nothingness. In this extensive study, the ideas of Nishida Kitaro, Tanabe Hajime, and Nishitani Keiji are presented both as a consistent school of thought in its own right and as a challenge to the Western philosophical tradition to open itself to the original contribution of Japan.