Zen's Approach to Philosophy of Time
Shigenori Nagatomo
September 2, 2025 DOI: 10.4324/9781003495611-52 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key points | Argues that Zen's understanding of time and space is grounded in the experiential foundation of Zazen and nondualistic seeing, articulated through the phrases "stillness in motion" and "motion in stillness." |
Abstract
This essay will articulate Zen&s;s understanding of time (and space). Its articulation starts with a description of Zen&s;s standpoint anchored in the practice called “Zazen” (i.e., a seated meditation). This treatment provides the essay with a platform for addressing an issue of how Zen sees things, which will pave a way to investigate Zen&s;s experiential foundation for its understanding of time (and space). The experiential foundation will be discussed by analyzing such experiences as “no-thought, no-image,” “no-mind,” “nothing,” and “emptiness.” With these analyses, the essay will deal with the topic of how things appear to Zen&s;s nondualistic seeing, while drawing out implications for Zen&s;s understanding of time (and space). In this process, the essay will unpack two phrases, “stillness in motion” ( dōchū no sei , 動中の静) and “motion in stillness” ( seichū no dō 、静中の動), both of which are reflective of the Zen&s;s experiential foundation.
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|---|---|---|---|
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| 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 |