Widzenie pustki a doświadczenie mistyczne – przypadek madhjamaki

Author(s): Krzysztof Jakubczak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2017

The problem of Buddhist religiosity is one of the most classic problems of Buddhist studies. A particular version of this issue is the search for mystical experience in Buddhism. This is due to the conviction that mystical experience is the essence of religious experience itself. The discovery of such an alleged experience fuels comparative speculations between Buddhism and the philosophical and religious traditions of the Mediterranean area. Madhyamaka is the Buddhist tradition which many researchers saw as the fulfillment of such mystical aspirations in Buddhism. In this paper I specify the standard parameters of mystical experience (non conceptuality, ineffability, paradoxicality, silence, oneness, fullness) and I conclude that they either cannot be applied to Madhyamaka or that the application is only illusory.

Nierozróżniający wgląd w medytacji buddyzmu chan i jego wczesnobuddyjskie analogie

Author(s): Kamil Nowak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2017

In the paper a comparative analysis of Chan Buddhist meditation and the early Buddhist meditation has been conducted. In the first part the meditational instructions present in Zuochan yi and the corresponding texts of Chinese Buddhism have been demonstrated. Subsequently, based on those texts, the ideal type of Chan Buddhist meditation is created. The second part consists of the analysis of Aṭṭhaka¬ vagga with the corresponding motifs from the other Pali Canon Suttas. The last part consists of a comparative analysis of the ideal type of Chan Buddhist meditation and meditation as shown in Aṭṭhaka¬ vagga. The whole of the analysis aims at demonstrating the topos common for the early Buddhist tradition and Chan Buddhism.

Klasyfikacja doktryn buddyjskich według Zongmiego a istota religii

Author(s): Kamil Nowak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2017

In the paper the system of doctrinal classification (pànjiào 判教) created by the Buddhist scholar of the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618–907) Guifeng Zongmi (Guīfēng Zōngmì 圭峰宗密, 780–841) has been analyzed. The paper consists of two parts. In the first part the author describes Zongmi’s doctrinal classification, focusing on the process of the deconstruction of consecutive Buddhist doctrines. In the second part the author compares particular doctrines with the most important theories on the essence of religion. The comparison aims at revealing the limitations of those theories, when applied to the understanding of the religious systems, based on the gradual attaining of gnosis, such as the system of panjiao. In the conclusion the author suggests the creation of a synthesis of the enlisted concepts of religious studies, based on the synthesis of the Buddhist doctrines combined within the panjiao system.

Oko i Skarbiec Prawdziwego Prawa, zwój siódmy: Głęboka wiara w przyczynę i skutek

Author(s): Dōgen Kigen / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2017

[U] czcigodnego Huáihǎia mistrza medytacji Dàzhì z góry Báizhàngshān wśród przybywających doń uczniów był pewien starzec, który zawsze ze zgromadzeniem przysłuchiwał się Prawu. Gdy członkowie zgromadzenia odchodzili, starzec ów również odchodził. Niespodziewanie pewnego dnia nie odszedł.

50th Annual Conference of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2017

50th Annual Conference of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy; Kraków, June 8–11, 2018

Кабала медитации

Author(s): Yurij Borisov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2023

Thomo Kasulio civilizacinio mąstymo bruo

Author(s): Žilvinas Vareikis / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 113/2022

The scholarly work of Lithuanian-born American philosopher Thomas Kasulis has been little studied in Lithuania. Kasulis has contributed to Japanese studies by translating numerous Japanese philosophical texts and writing works on Zen – Buddhism and Shinto. In his studies of Zen – Buddhism, he highlighted the importance of pre-reflective experience to explain reality. In his studies of Shinto, he revealed the profound meanings of essentialist and existential spirituality. In the comparative philosophy he emphasized two significant concepts of intercultural interaction: integrality and intimacy. With it the thinker tries to substantiate the dynamics of different cultures by explicating art, policy, mentality. Basing on the relevant national analogies the author of the article deepens his knowledge into the most important ideas of Kasulis, his comparative philosophy and his research contexts of Zen – Buddhism and Shinto.

Ar Algis Mickūnas – laimingiausias filosofas?

Author(s): Tomas Kačerauskas / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 113/2022

The article deals with the sources and principles of the famous Lithuanian philosopher Algis Mickūnas in emigration. The philosophy of Mickūnas covers the attitudes of phenomenology, Zen Buddhism, and intercultural studies. Mickūnas is characterized by a practical (ethical) approach, dialogical attitude, and attractive speaking instead of theoretical philosophizing. The characteristic of his speaking is that it is easy to listen to because of the anecdotes and stories, but difficult to understand because of the philosophical content behind them. According to his own words, he is "dancing" with the theories. The paper examines the five happiness principles of Algis Mickūnas, comparing them with the principles of Aristotle and Epicurus. These are 1) sharing and participation, 2) openness to the world, "floating" in it, 3) movement of ourselves and movement of others, 4) "drive" by enjoying life, 5) struggle while living life – reasoning afterward. The sources of these principles are discussed. The method of "boring" is used to comment on five quotations from two books.

SHOOTING WITH BOW AND ARROW IN JAPANESE VERSUS WESTERN CULTURES

Author(s): Irina-Ana Drobot / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

This paper will use sociological cultural analysis to compare values and practices of shooting with the bow and arrow in Japanese vs Western culture, focusing on Eugen Herrigel’s Zen in the Art of Archery, first published in 1948. Herrigel shows the differences in mentalities between the two cultures with respect to shooting with a bow, which in Japanese culture is considered a philosophical act, rather than an act of strength. Japanese archery requires extensive training, as well as a certain state of mind, together with specific values related to the deep respect of the student for the master. As Herrigel is a Westerner, he can use the Japanese cultural approach to archery to guide his readers regarding their expectations for learning the practice. Herrigel’s book is of particular interest, due to current fascination with the specificities of the mindset and values inherent to any culture and civilization. The contemporary world urges us to be aware of the differences among cultures, and also to respect each and every way of thinking. Showing empathy towards cultural differences in thinking is customary, and even necessary, for anyone wishing to live in today’s society. Moreover, the contemplation of Zen archery, as presented by Herrigel, can be helpful even to those who have no intention of taking up the sport, particularly, though not intuitively, academics.The practice of archery and the symbol of the bow and arrow has been analysed from several viewpoints: religion, philosophy, cultural awareness and evolutionary anthropology.

Through Asceticism to Creativity: The Influence of Nikolai Berdyaev’s Philosophy on St Maria Skobtsova’s Spirituality

Author(s): Raul Ovidiu Bodea / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

This paper argues that for St Maria Skobtsova, creativity is connected with asceticism or rather a critique of a certain understanding of asceticism based on the anthropological claims of creativity developed by the Russian religious philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev. Berdyaev warns of the dangers of a narrow view of asceticism that can lead to a struggle against life itself and not against its fallen consequences. This view is also shared by St Maria in her project for a new monasticism. This narrow view of asceticism that both Berdyaev and St Maria denounce lacks an authentic eschatological earning for the otherworldly and tries to adapt to the limited horizon of the fallen world in a one-sided rejection of its sinfulness that envelops it as a spiritual totality. The overcoming of this narrow ascetical spiritual vision is achieved in creative activity that also ennobles asceticism, thus giving it its proper character in the Christian life. This understanding is grounded in an anthropology that recognizes the divine image of the human being that is called to a creative participation in God’s creative work, a spiritual vision that both Berdyaev and St Maria share in their own particular ways.

The Virtues of Xiao (Filial Piety) and Ti (Brotherly Obedience) as Two Pillars of Confucian Familism

Author(s): Zbigniew Wesołowski / Language(s): English Issue: 59/2022

In imperial China (221 BC – 1911), filial piety (xiao) and brotherly obedience (ti) were two core values of family life. Confucian familism made filial piety a cornerstone of the entire social order. The original use of the word xiao from the Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1045–771 BC) refers primarily to ritual services to deceased parents and ancestors. Later, the Confucians of the Warring States (475–221 BC) thought of xiao particularly as showing obedience and displaying respect towards parents. After the late Warring States, the Confucians again reinterpreted xiao extending it to a political dimension, i.e., obedience and respect to one’s lord. Since then, xiao as the dutiful submission of children to their parents has become the basis for both self-cultivation and the political order. Filial sons were also understood as loyal retainers to meet the needs of the emerging bureaucratic state in imperial China. Down through the centuries, parents constantly taught their children to treat elders with filial piety and brotherly obedience, this behavior being a central measure of the children’s moral worth. Although Confucian thought on the family still has its value and relevance in present-day China, it is increasingly exposed to many challenges. This situation is a consequence of the profound transformation of traditional family ethics, values and institutions brought about by the processes of modernization and globalization.

Rola metafor w soteriologii wczesnego buddyzmu tantrycznego

Author(s): Marek Szymański / Language(s): Polish Issue: 64/2023

The functions of new metaphors in early tantric Buddhism are analysed in the paper. Two models of religious practice are concerned. According to both of them, the goal of tantric practice is permanent modification of the practitioner’s cognitive activity. That modification can be understood as willingness to implement particular metaphors spontaneously into the process of perceptive data interpretation. Those metaphorical concepts are closely related to the conception of buddha nature. Religious practice of Vajrayāna can be seen as striving for experiential substantiation for the main of those metaphors (mind is mandala). Special act of visualization in ritual context is expected to be such substantiation. Six types of metaphors important in the soteriology of the early Vajrayāna can be distinguished. All of them are discussed in the paper.

Karoshi jako śmierć z przepracowania ciała (i duszy?) – perspektywa psychoantropologiczna

Author(s): Matylda Łazarczyk,Andrzej Pankalla / Language(s): Polish Issue: 33/1/2023

The aim of this article is a presentation of karoshi—an idea of the annihilation of a body and a soul as seen by James Hillman from the perspective of Japaneses work ethos based on the samurai code and Japanese mythology as a phenomenon registered today, also in the spectrum of Euro-American culture and in a relation to significantly different axiology.

PRZEMIANY TRADYCJI ZEN NA ZACHODZIE

Author(s): Maksymilian Roszyk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2023

Review of: Agnieszka KOZYRA. Neo-zen? Filozofia zen a racjonalizm, libertynizm i hedonizm. Warszawa: Uniwersytet Warszawski, Wydział Orientalistyczny, Katedra Japonistyki, 2019, 308 ss.

On the Notion of Person in Confucianism

Author(s): Bogumił Gacka / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2021

The article presents the notion of person in Confucianism in the context of biographical back- ground of Confucius (551-479 B.C.). As an itinerant sage Confucius taught the practical signifi- cance of moral values in the social and political life. His disciples collected his teachings in Ana- lects, in which Confucius noticed that at his age of 50 he knew the will of Heaven (A 11:4). He began to teach Humanism with respect to Transcendence (T’ien).According to the great specialists, Prof. Tu Wei-Ming (Harvard University) and Prof. John Berthrong (Boston University), “the social dimension” of the human person in Confucianism is important and the person is conceived as “a center of relationships” and as a self of personal devel- opment (selfhood as creative transformation). There are five universal ways in human relations which are governed by five moral principles. The five ways are those governing the relationships between ruler and minister, between father and son, between husband and wife, between elder and younger brothers, and those in the intercourse between friends. The core of the human person is humanity (jen or ren).Just as “compassion” is the greatest Buddhist virtue, and “love” the Christian, jen is the ulti- mate goal of conduct and self-transformation for the Confucian. According to Confucius, educa- tion reforms a personal life as well as a social and political life in order to realize a universal love and a personal development of man (juncy).

Krytyka ethosu ru 儒 w Daodejingu

Author(s): Katarzyna Pejda / Language(s): Polish Issue: 9/2023

The Dao De Jing is a text traditionally attributed to the Daoist school of early Chinese thought. There are two dominant terms in this text – dao and de – which appear in every school of early Chinese thought, but in Daoism they are connected with mysticism. The Dao De Jing discusses the oneness of dao, which is shared by giving names to things that cannot endure, because reality itself is constantly changing. Using names or language which is inadequate to describe the reality of dao creates a superficial social world – and, for that, Daoists blame the Confucian school of thought. The main aim of this article is to analyse this criticism of the Confucian ethos, its main ideas of self-development in a social context and the acquirement of social skills, as well as of adjusting oneself to dao, understood as the traditions of Former Kings and the natural order. Daoists claim that Confucian teachings divert us from dao by creating a partial reality and morality which is merely a substitute for the undivided reality of dao, as language becomes a tool for social control. Instead of natural dao and its attributes – spontainety ziran, and non-action wuwei – the Confucian morality of ren appears. This is the main concern for the authors of the Dao De Jing, who call for the abandonment of knowledge, i.e. of Confucian moral rules, and for a return to the newborn child’s state of mind.

INDIVIDUAL-STATE RELATIONSHIP FROM EAST TO WEST THROUGH COLLECTIVITIES: THE SOCIAL INDIVIDUAL IN CONFUCIAN, HEGELIAN, AND COMMUNITARIAN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHIES

Author(s): Nurcan CEYHAN / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2023

This study aims to analyze the nature of the individual-state relationship from a descriptive approach and a holistic perspective. The importance attributed to the sociality of the individual is embedded in both Eastern and Western political philosophies. The position of the individual vis-à-vis the state and other social structures depends on the philosophical understanding of the period and context. The emphasis on the sociality of the individual, which is put forward in the critique of classical liberalism’s perception of the individual is also observed in Confucian ethics and Hegel’s philosophical approach and thus implies a linear understanding. Especially since the last quarter of the 20th century, liberal communitarians have revived the debate by criticizing classical liberal conception of the individual. In contrast to classical liberalism’s understanding of transcendental individual who is free from social/collective features, liberal communitarians highlight the significance of social ties and structures. Recognizing the importance of the individual’s collective ties, this study examines the individual’s relationship with collective structures, especially the state, in Confucianism, Hegelian political thought, and communitarianism and argues that the relationship between the two has been a subject of constant debate from past to present.

TOWARDS THE PHILOSOPHICAL MEDITATION ON THE TECHNICAL SCIENCE AND THE HUMANITIES

Author(s): Zbigniew Cywiński,EWA MARIA KIDO / Language(s): English Issue: 82/2022

The main purpose of this study, treated as a kind of meditation, was to show the interconnections between various forms of human thought and those concerning real life issues – where spirit and matter interact. Hereby, the assumption was taken that the spirit – in order to achieve mature effects – should precede matter. In a feedback loop, predicted goals have a chance to become more perfect.Similarly, the thesis was formulated and proved that each individual human domain can be considered as an element of a more general one – where philosophy can play the role of a “common denominator”. Such general statements were addressed in particular to the technical and human sciences – as well on native soil as in Japan – referring simultaneously to various spiritual attributes given to the Cosmos.

Astrologers and the Hungarian State Security Agency

Author(s): Márton Veszprémy / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The history of astrology in twentieth-century Hungary has not yet been a subject of research. Consequently, the attitude of Hungarian state se- curity agency towards astrologers and astrology during the communist era is unknown – especially since the files of agents have not been made public in Hungary. In the present article, I examine the question through the cases of Sándor Raisz, András László, Zoltán Lemhényi and Viktor Juhász-Schlatter, using sources preserved in the Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security Services (Állambiztonsági Szolgálatok Történeti Levéltára). I conclude that the secret service was only interested in astrologers because they met regularly with their students, all regular and secret meetings being politically suspicious. Astrology as an illegal activity or a subject of contempt only appears in sources from the 1980s. All the astrologers discussed in my article were in one way or another opposed to the ruling communist regime. Part of the reason for this is that astrology was a popular intellectual, mid- dle-class activity in the Horthy era, and representatives of this stratum were considered enemies of the regime after 1945. Also, the communist system represented an avowedly materialist ideology, while astrology flourished primarily among those interested in mysticism, theosophy and anthroposophy. The picture that emerges from the sources is that astrology classes were not overtly political, but their participants were nevertheless bound together by the knowledge that they were listening to forbidden, secret teachings. In this respect, astrology can be classified as counterculture in the era. The topic also offers a valuable insight into the overlap- ping subcultures in twentieth-century Hungary.

Kult przodków w Chinach — geneza, formy, znaczenie

Author(s): Wiktoria Karpińska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2023

Worshiping the spirits of departed ancestors is an essential element of traditional Chinese beliefs. As time passed, these beliefs underwent many transformations, but the cult of the dead remained a fundamental pillar of Chinese culture, linking the beliefs of the Chinese people from the Neolithic to the present. Thanks to Confucianism, it developed significantly and gained a new meaning, thanks to which it has a significant influence on Chinese society to this day. This article presents the origin and development of ancestor worship, indicates the role of Confucianism in its development, as well as discusses the most important feasts in honor of the dead and funeral rites. In addition, the author drew attention to the political dimension and place of ancestor worship in Chinese culture to this day.