Buddhism as Philosophy: Exercise in Observing Observation: The Nonduality of Paradoxical and Representational Thinking in Chinese Buddhism
Hans-Rudolf Kantor
Yearbook for Eastern and Western Philosophy May 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1515/yewph-2025-0014 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key points | Argues that Tiantai "contemplating mental activity" (guanxin) reveals the nonduality of representational and paradoxical thinking: representational constructs are empty yet cannot simply be erased, and the mind's self-induced deceptions, though inevitable, are instructive. Contemplation is perfected when construction and deconstruction are realized as mutually entailing, as exemplified in the textual transmission of the Buddhadharma. |
Abstract
Abstract The article provides a philosophical interpretation of the practice of “contemplating mental activity” (guanxin 觀心) in sixth-century Chinese Tiantai Buddhism and explains its relevance to the development of East Asian Buddhism in general. As the title suggests, the topic is about the philosophical question of the nonduality of representational and paradoxical thinking. According to Tiantai, representational thinking creates empty constructs; deconstruction reveals the unreal but does not eliminate it. Paradoxically, deconstructive contemplation recognizes that nothing real can be found in linguistic representations and therefore no “language” can be erased. From Tiantai’s soteriological perspective, the mind’s self-induced deceptions are inevitable but retain an instructive quality that must be disclosed by “contemplating the mind”. The perfection of contemplation can be achieved through the realization that construction can become deconstruction, just as deconstruction brings construction, as manifested in the textual transmission of Buddhist doctrine (Buddhadharma).
Comparable studies
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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 |