Rude Awakenings: Zen, the Kyoto School, & the Question of Nationalism

by James W. Heisig, John C. Maraldo

Overview

Can Zen tell us whether particular wars are right or wrong? What role did D. T. Suzuki and other Zen figures play in the Japanese nationalism that fueled World War II? What are we to make of nationalistic elements in the thought of Nishida Kitaro, Tanabe Hajime, Nishitani Keiji, and other philosophers of the Kyoto School? What connection was there between the Japanese project of overcoming the modernity of the West and the militarism of its 15-year war in Asia?

In a collection of carefully documented essays, 15 Japanese and Western scholars take up these and other questions about the political responsibility of Japanese Buddhist intellectuals. This well-indexed and meticulously edited volume offers a variety of critical perspectives and a wealth of information for those interested in prewar and wartime history, Zen, Japanese philosophy, and the problem of nationalism today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780824817466
Publisher:	University of Hawaii Press, The
Publication date:	06/01/1995
Series:	Nanzan Library of Asian Religion and Culture , #10
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	390
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.89(d)
Lexile:	1530L (what's this?)

About the Author

James W. Heisig is a permanent research fellow at the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture in Nagoya, Japan.

John C. Maraldo is distinguished professor of philosophy emeritus at the University of North Florida.