Toward a Philosophy of Zen Buddhism

This is the third book by Toshihiko Izutsu that I have had the pleasure of reading, and as it was with the others, I could not move on to another book without first taking time to leave a 5-star review for it. In my estimation, no list of the 20th century’s greatest philosopher-authors and/or religious scholars would be worth much without Professor Izutsu on it. The essays here, along with his other two texts that I have previously read (and appreciatively reviewed) — “Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts” and “Creation and the Timeless Order of Things: Essays in Islamic Mystical Philosophy” — have left me feeling that he was one of the most precise and eloquent writers on philosophy and religion that I have encountered.This collection of seven essays, representing his talks and writings from the late 1960’s and early-mid 1970’s, are seamlessly woven together to provide the reader with a wide-ranging yet detailed look at Zen’s major philosophical themes and its greatest Masters, along with its famously bizarre mondos and koans, which are designed to foment Enlightenment. In particular, I found Essay #1, “The True Man Without Any Rank” with its descriptions of the egoic structure (along with the mind’s bifurcation of Nondual Existence into a dualistic, subject-object perception of reality) to be one of the best on this important topic that I have ever encountered. Essay #4, “The Philosophical Problem of Articulation” provides the reader with an excellent examination of the inherent difficulties in utilizing language (which is unavoidably dualistic) to convey the ineffable and ultimately impossible to fully describe nature of Zen’s Satori, and the mystical experience in general. Lastly, I found Essay # 5, “Thinking and A-Thinking Through Koan” and Essay #6, “The Interior and Exterior in Zen” to be fascinating deep dives into the nature of nondual awareness-experience and the inescapable considerations that go with it.If you’re looking at this book, you are likely already familiar with Izutsu’s work, and therefore you don’t need me to tell you that his efforts to disseminate the essential tenets of Islam-Sufism, Taoism, and Zen Buddhism were top-of-the-line. However, if you’ve just found this book and are considering purchasing it, then I would say that if you have a sincere interest in what Professor Izutsu wrote about (in this case Zen), then this book will not disappoint. For anyone looking at furthering their conceptual understanding of Zen and its highly unique “technologies” for awakening its practitioners from the dream state of samsara, I am enthusiastically recommending “Toward a Philosophy of Zen Buddhism.”

Toshihiko Izutsu has written a readable yet deep description of some aspects of Chan/Zen non-dualism. On the personal level, the moment one becomes awareness of oneself, or metacognitively aware, the subject becomes an object among all other objects. Zen techniques, such as zazen, try to realize an awareness that has no object, "pure Awareness." On the ontological level, we read that "the phenomenal world is constantly and uninterruptedly emerging out of, and sinking instantaneously back into, the metaphysical depths of the Nothing," similar to Quantum Field Theory, perhaps. The book is profound yet not too technical. For those who love philosophy of mind, ontology, Bernardo Kastrup, Yogacara Buddhism, Dogen, and Rinzai, for example, this book is a coherent and clear exposition. I think it requires two readings, a pleasurable experience.

More than philosophical, a logical approach to Zen. Toshihiko Izutsu has a wonderful, clear style of writing and explains Zen concepts that can be instantly grasped. One of the best books on Zen I have ever read! Right up there with D.T. Suzuki.

An excellent attempt to make Zen understandable in the context of western philosophical thought.

An extremely well written and well organized explanation in Western termsof the processes of the Zen Buddhism experience. I highly recommend this bookto further your understanding of Zen.

Profound, brilliant, and insightful. Izutsu's work captures the quintessence of Being in a well-written and enlightened manner. If you are seeking Knowledge, then this is one of those books that will stay with you for life.

Toshihiko Izutsu has done a marvelous job in explaining the nuts and bolts of Zen thought.Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.