Keiji Nishitani – författare

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.

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.

Wie eine Schlange müsse eine Tradition ihre Haut abstreifen, um sich altmodischer und nicht mehr gelebter Aspekte zu entledigen. Der japanische Religionsphilosoph Keiji Nishitani kritisiert am Buddhismus, dass er sich nicht auf die Auseinandersetzung mit der Moderne eingelassen hat, und fordert ihn auf, aus seiner weltfernen Situation – »vom Berg Hiei« – herunterzusteigen. Er warnt vor der Gefahr der Erstarrung im Althergebrachten und zugleich vor dem Verlust der Tradition.Ausgehend vom Wandel der Kulturen und dem Bedeutungsverlust von Familie und Religion macht Nishitani auf Gefahren der Moderne für den Menschen und seine Menschlichkeit aufmerksam. Mit tiefen Einblicken in den Buddhismus und das Christentum nähert er sich der Natur authentischer Existenz, der Rolle, die das Gewissen dabei spielt, und einer notwendigen Transformation der Religion.