Christianity and the Notion of Nothingness
Contributions to Buddhist-Christian Dialogue from the Kyoto School.
Muto Kazuo (author), Dr Martin Repp (ed.)
This book introduces the thoughts of the Japanese Christian philosopher of religion Muto Kazuo (1913-1995), who was a student of Tanabe Hajime and a colleague and close friend of Nishitani Keiji at Kyoto University, both important representatives of the Kyoto School. Hence he was fully recognized as a Christian member of this predominantly Buddhist school of philosophy. This publication consists of the editor's introduction to his life, work and the social context of his thought, and (in the main part) of a number of his important treatises, translated by a renowned expert in the field. Muto held the (for a state university) unique chair for "Christian Studies" in the Faculty of Literature where previously the distinguished scholars Hatano Sei'ichi and Ariga Tetsutaro had taught. Since Muto had been nurtured by Nishida Kitaro's and Tanabe's philosophies and continuously communicated with Nishitani, he conducted the Auseinandersetzung with the Kyoto School as a Christian philosopher quasi from within, whereas most theologians and philosophers did so from outside. This becomes particularly clear in comparison with the later Buddhist-Christian dialogue with theologians and philosophers mainly from Germany and the USA which was conducted in European languages and thereby faced numerous difficulties in intercultural communication.
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