On Buddhism

by Nishitani Keiji, Jan Van Bragt (Foreword), Seisaku Yamamoto (Translator)

Six lectures by eminent Buddhist thinker Keiji Nishitani reflecting on Buddhism for the modern world.

On Buddhism presents the first English-language translation of a series of lectures by Keiji Nishitani (1900–1990), a major Buddhist thinker and a key figure in the Kyoto School of Japanese philosophy. Originally delivered in the early 1970s, these lectures focus on the transformation of culture in the modern age and the subsequent decline in the importance of the family and religion. Nishitani’s concern is that modernity, with its individualism, materialism, and contractual ethics, is an insufficient basis for human relationships. With deep insight into both Buddhism and Christianity, he explores such issues as the nature of genuine human existence, the major role of conscience in our advance to authenticity, and the needed transformation of religion. Nishitani criticizes contemporary Buddhism for being too esoteric and asks that it “come down from Mt. Hiei” to reestablish itself as a vital source of worthy ideals and to point toward a way of remaining human even in a modern and postmodern world.

“…through it all, the creative, even playful, mind that made Nishitani one of the philosophers most beloved by modern Japanese Buddhist scholars shines bright and unclouded by the shift from one culture and language to another.” — Eastern Buddhist

“These lectures throw new light on Buddhism from the vantage point of a philosopher versed in both Japanese and Western thought. They develop some themes not usually discussed in Buddhism, while also presenting other themes and ideas that are discussed in Nishitani’s books but which are much more accessible here.” — John C. Maraldo, coeditor of Rude Awakenings: Zen, the Kyoto School, and the Question of Nationalism

“Nishitani is one of Buddhism’s wisest modern exponents, and so it’s wonderful to have more of his work available in English, and especially an important yet accessible text like this one.” — Graham Parkes, cotranslator of Keiji Nishitani’s The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism

Seisaku Yamamoto is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Kyoto University, Japan. Robert E. Carter is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Trent University, Canada. They are cotranslators of Watsuji Tetsuroµ’s Rinrigaku: Ethics in Japan, and Carter is the author of Encounter with Enlightenment: A Study of Japanese Ethics, both also published by SUNY Press.

Genres: Philosophy, Buddhism, Religion, Spirituality, Japan

187 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Chant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book of lectures from, what I think to be, the best of the Kyoto School philosophers.

Not hard to read or understand, however, this is coming from a person that has studied Buddhism and the philosophy of religion for years (in and out of University).

I would only hope more untranslated works of Keiji Nishitani are translated or I ramp up my Japanese study to be able to read the source texts. I hope the latter will come true but I'm not against the former either.

[Eugen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently writing on these lectures that Nishitani gave at Otani University.