Signifier Pointing at the Moon: Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism

by Raul Moncayo

Within the context of a careful review of the psychology of religion and prior non-Lacanian literature on the subject, Raul Moncayo builds a bridge between Lacanian psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism that steers clear of reducing one to the other or creating a simplistic synthesis between the two. Instead, by making a purposeful "One-mistake" of "unknown knowing," this book remains consistent with the analytic unconscious and continues in the splendid tradition of Bodhidharma who did not know "Who" he was and told Emperor Wu that there was no merit in building temples for Buddhism.Both traditions converge on the teaching that "true subject is no ego," or on the realisation that a new subject requires the symbolic death or deconstruction of imaginary ego-identifications. Although Lacanian psychoanalysis is known for its focus on language and Zen is considered a form of transmission outside the scriptures, Zen is not without words while Lacanian psychoanalysis stresses the senseless letter of the Real or of a jouissance written on and with the body. The Signifier Pointing at the Moon proposes that the truths of desire do not conflict with the teaching of emptiness because a desire for emptiness, or the emptiness at the root of desire, regenerates rather than annihilates desire.

Genres: Philosophy, Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Nonfiction

273 pages, ebook

First published April 30, 2012

Reviews

[Mariam Rawwas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the connections this text is attempting to make between Buddhism and Lacanian psychoanalysis are more or less correct, but perhaps also remain superficial. The book is written through the lens of Lacanian psychoanalysis, though, so rather than a reciprocal reading between the two, what we get instead is one read through the other, which is unfortunate. I am also unsure why the subtitle names this second school of thought "Zen Buddhism" when the main reference points are to Nāgārjuna, et al., for it seems that what is really being compared to Lacan is Mahāyāna Buddhism (one would think a treatment of Zen would include a greater focus on East Asian authors.)

[Valentín Serrano García · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. Excellent. A must for all those interested in oriental thought and psychoanalysis, ethics and spirituality (understood from an atheist standpoint).
It mixes up a deep understanding of lacanian theory with a deep insight of Zen Buddhism.