DOGEN’S INTERCULTURAL PHILOSOPHY AND ITS ROLE IN CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY
A.S. Kolesnikov
Vestnik of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University 2026 DOI: 10.36979/1694-500x-2026-26-2-77-87 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Viewpoints Buddhist philosophy Destiny iss module Chinese philosophy Philosophy education Chinese buddhism Eastern philosophy Epistemology Aesthetics Western philosophy Period music Intercultural relations Mohism Taoism |
| Key points | Argues that Dōgen's intercultural philosophy, expressed through his writings and the practice of zazen, represents a creative reinterpretation of Indian and Chinese Buddhist traditions for a Japanese context, generating new meanings for traditional worldviews. |
Abstract
This article explores the intercultural philosophy of the Japanese monk Eihei Dōgen (1200–1253), who founded the Zen school during the Kamakura period (1192–1333). While developing Chan/Zen Buddhism in China, he wrote in colloquial Japanese, fully utilizing the resources of both Chinese and Japanese. As a philosopher, he distinguished himself with contributions to culture, religion, philosophy, and linguistics. His Shōbōgenzō (Treasuries of the True Eye of Dharma) is recognized as a masterpiece, and zazen – seated meditation – is a creative means of self-expression, a unity of practice, enlightenment, and expression. He defines philosophy as self-knowledge (the exploration of life and understanding of our place and destiny in the world), the analysis of viewpoints (the «Way of the Buddha»), and the overthrow of conceptual language. The intercultural philosopher Dōgen is an author who creatively interprets Indian texts for a Japanese audience, using a heuristic borrowed from Chinese Buddhist scriptures, creating new meanings for traditional worldviews.
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 |