Liangkang Ni on Husserl and Buddhism: a comparative phenomenological analysis.
Christopher Gutland, Huan Liu
Frontiers in Psychology 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1655534 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Edmund husserl Liangkang ni Yogācāra Consciousness research Transcendentality |
| Key points | Proposes that Liangkang Ni's work reveals genetic and structural parallels between Husserl's genetic phenomenology and Yogācāra Buddhist doctrines. |
Abstract
Over several decades, Liangkang Ni has developed a distinctive perspective on the parallels and divergences between Edmund Husserl's phenomenology and Buddhism, particularly Yogācāra Buddhism. Despite the significance of his contributions, Ni's writings remain largely unavailable in English and have thus had limited exposure in Western phenomenological discourse. This article addresses that gap by offering a thematic reconstruction of Ni's key insights. The first part examines Ni's reading of Husserl's own philosophical reflections on Buddhism in relation to phenomenology. The second part explores Ni's reconstruction of genetic and structural parallels between Husserl's genetic phenomenology and Yogācāra doctrines such as vijñaptimātra (consciousness-only), ālaya-vijñāna, and manas. The article assumes some familiarity with Husserl and uses his framework as an entry point to introduce Buddhist concepts. Rather than offering new empirical data, the article provides conceptual clarification and theoretical integration aimed at informing contemporary debates in consciousness studies.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Cultivating the Meditative Mind: The Philosophical Integration of Śamatha and Vipaśyanā in Early Yogācāra Thought Religions February 6, 2026
- When Merleau-Ponty Encounters Fazang: Comparing Merleau-Pontian Body-Network with Fazang’s Interpretation of Indra’s Net for a Critical Techno-Ethics Religions November 7, 2025