DOGEN’S INTERCULTURAL PHILOSOPHY AND ITS ROLE IN CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY
Vestnik of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University January 1, 2026 A.S. Kolesnikov
This article examines the intercultural philosophy of the Japanese Zen monk Eihei Dōgen (1200–1253), who wrote in colloquial Japanese while drawing on Chinese and Indian Buddhist sources. Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō is presented as a masterpiece, and his practice of zazen (seated meditation) is described as a unity of practice, enlightenment, and expression. He defines philosophy as self-knowledge, the analysis of viewpoints (the "Way of the Buddha"), and the overthrow of conceptual language. The authors contend that Dōgen creatively interprets Indian texts for a Japanese audience, using a heuristic from Chinese Buddhist scriptures to generate new meanings for traditional worldviews.