Why has Buddhism been accepted in Japan so far? The message of 'emptiness' embedded in our roots
Since the Meiji Restoration, Japanese philosophers have struggled. They have considered what "words," "body," "nature," and "society and nation" are. Today, we continue the intellectual struggles of our predecessors. We present what the Japanese people have thought.
A) What is "emptiness"?
In his essay "Emptiness and Soku", Nishitani Keiji writes something interesting about the concept of "emptiness". According to Nishitani, "emptiness" was established in India as a theoretical concept expressing that all things do not exist.
"SOKU":
"Immediate" or "immediacy": These words mean "immediate" or "direct" and are close to the concept of "Soku".
"Direct" or "immediacy": These words mean "direct" and can indicate a direct approach to enlightenment in Buddhist contexts.
"As is" or "exist naturally": These expressions can express the "immediate" meaning of accepting things as they are.
"Here and now": These expressions emphasize the present moment and cannot express the immediacy of "Soku".
Still, when it was introduced to Japan, it was not accepted as a purely theoretical concept but rather, in a way, linked to emotions and feelings.
This is thought to be because, in Japan, "death" was originally initially perceived as profoundly connected with emotions such as "impermanence" and "emptiness."
B)
Of course, the finiteness of human beings, or the fact that everything changes, is the same in Japan, India, and Europe, and it is not the case that the finiteness of human beings is talked about only in Japan.
The sense of impermanence and the worldview based on it, the notion of impermanence, are common everywhere.
C)
For example, the oft-quoted phrase "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity" is found in the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament.
However, Nishitani says that the basis on which impermanence is felt differs in the East and the West.
In the West, even though it is said that everything changes, at the root of it all, there is a belief in something unchanging, something eternal.
This is the case, for example, with the idea of ideas and the Christian God. Western impermanence is supported by or based on such eternal things.
In contrast, Nishitani says that in the East, there is no eternal thing behind such transient things; therefore, the heart's sense of impermanence or "emptiness" deepens endlessly.
D)
For example, when we see or hear natural objects, we do not perceive them as objects of knowledge but rather as objects of emotion, such as objects associated with mood.
We feel refreshed when we see a clear blue sky, and our hearts become clear. When we see a baby's face smiling innocently, our hearts naturally become calm as we look at it. Knowing is deeply connected to mood, emotion, and feeling.
E)
Differences between East and West
This is generally true, but when the Buddhist concept of "emptiness" was accepted in Japan, it was not accepted as a mere theoretical concept but in a way that was deeply connected to emotion.
Nishitani describes "emptiness" accepted at the emotional level in this way as "emptiness in emotion".
F)
Of course, 'emptiness' was already associated with emotions in China.
Nishitani points out that when the concept of emptiness, or śūnya, established in India, was transferred to the Chinese word "emptiness," it was not accepted purely theoretically but rather in connection with the original meaning of "emptiness" or "void" or "visible sky."
The śūnya, which is invisible, eternal and infinite, was accepted in association with 'heaven', the only immortal thing people can see with their eyes. This is an exciting point from the perspective of the history of concept acceptance.
Accepting a new concept in a different culture is always a task that involves great difficulties. Still, the Chinese used visible infinity as a clue to understand the invisible infinity of "emptiness".
G)
The word "emptiness" was also used in China to describe the unique "mood" that arises from the observation that everything is empty. In Japan, however, the concept of emptiness was more widely accepted as related to "impermanence" and "emptiness" and such feelings.
Nishitani gives the following poem by Saigyo as an example: "My thoughts, disappearing into the sky like the smoke of the Fuji trees swaying in the wind, are lost, not knowing where they will go".
Here, the transience of one's thoughts, or the emptiness of one's existence, is superimposed on the transience of the smoke disappearing into the sky and the emptiness of the sky that erases them. Behind this, of course, is the Buddhist idea of 'emptiness'.
Here, it is superimposed on the transience of the smoke disappearing into the sky and the uncertainty of one's existence.
H)
The fact that "emptiness" was accepted in this way means that something was added to it that was not originally there, but it cannot simply be said that the teaching was distorted.
It can also be said that Buddhism was accepted and deeply penetrated among the people of Japan because the Buddhist theory was received in such a way that it was deeply connected with moods and emotions.
Otherwise, Buddhism might not have been able to take such deep root in Japan.
Why has Buddhism been accepted in Japan so far? The message of 'emptiness' embedded in our roots
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