The Philosophy of Zen Buddhism

Zen Buddhism is a form of Mahāyāna Buddhism that originated in China and is strongly focused on meditation. It is characteristically sceptical towards language and distrustful of conceptual thought, which explains why Zen Buddhist sayings are so enigmatic and succinct. But despite Zen Buddhism’s hostility towards theory and discourse, it is possible to reflect philosophically on Zen Buddhism and bring out its philosophical insights. In this short book, Byung-Chul Han seeks to unfold the philosophical force inherent in Zen Buddhism, delving into the foundations of Far Eastern thought to which Zen Buddhism is indebted. Han does this comparatively by confronting and contrasting the insights of Zen Buddhism with the philosophies of Plato, Leibniz, Fichte, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Heidegger and others, showing that Zen Buddhism and Western philosophy have very different ways of understanding religion, subjectivity, emptiness, friendliness and death. This important work by one of the most widely read philosophers and cultural theorists of our time will be of great value to anyone interested in comparative philosophy and religion.Review ‘For anyone seriously interested in both Zen Buddhism and Western philosophy, and in what the masters of the former might say to the giants of the latter, this sparkling gem of a book will be astonishingly enlightening.’ Bret W. Davis , author of Zen Pathways: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Zen Buddhism From the Back Cover ‘For anyone seriously interested in both Zen Buddhism and Western philosophy, and in what the masters of the former might say to the giants of the latter, this sparkling gem of a book will be astonishingly enlightening.’ Bret W. Davis, author of Zen Pathways: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Zen Buddhism Zen Buddhism is a form of Mahāyāna Buddhism that originated in China and is strongly focused on meditation. It is characteristically sceptical towards language and distrustful of conceptual thought, which explains why Zen Buddhist sayings are so enigmatic and succinct. But despite Zen Buddhism’s hostility towards theory and discourse, it is possible to reflect philosophically on Zen Buddhism and bring out its philosophical insights. In this short book, Byung-Chul Han seeks to unfold the philosophical force inherent in Zen Buddhism, delving into the foundations of Far Eastern thought to which Zen Buddhism is indebted. Han does this comparatively by confronting and contrasting the insights of Zen Buddhism with the philosophies of Plato, Leibniz, Fichte, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Heidegger and others, showing that Zen Buddhism and Western philosophy have very different ways of understanding religion, subjectivity, emptiness, friendliness and death. This important work by one of the most widely read philosophers and cultural theorists of our time will be of great value to anyone interested in comparative philosophy and religion. Byung-Chul Han is a full-time writer and the author of more than twenty books including The Scent of Time , Saving Beauty and The Burnout Society. Cover illustration: Top: Minh Bách Trương on Unsplash; Bottom: AvigatorPhotographer Cover design by Ferrand, Bicker & Associates polity politybooks.com [Hardback 978-15095-4509-4 Paperback 978-15095-4510-0] About the Author Byung-Chul Han is a full-time writer and the author of more than 20 books including The Scent of Time , Saving Beauty and The Burnout Society.