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Zen Buddhism in the 20th Century (Buddhism & Eastern Philosophy)

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Heinrich Dumoulin, S.J. (1905--1995) was a Jesuit theologian, a professor of philosophy and history at Sophia University in Tokyo, founder of its Institute for Oriental Religions, as well as the first Director of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture. He has written many books, such as Zen Buddhism: A History, India & China, Zen Enlightenment: Origins and Meaning, Zen Buddhism in the 20th Century (Buddhism & Eastern Philosophy), Christianity Meets Buddhism, etc.

He wrote in the Introduction to this 1992 book, "As the century nears its end, several themes have been lumped together in what is called the New Age movement. This appeals to Zen experience, which is supposed to create an integral consciousness announcing a new epoch. Finally, the encounter between Christianity and the Eastern religions has been saluted by leading intellectuals as the most important event in this time of upheaval. This is seen and evaluated differently by Buddhists and Christians but is of great significance to both parties. If it succeeds, the Buddhist-Christian encounter can bring into harmony the knowledge proper to each tradition, one supplementing the other without loss of their identities. These are the themes we shall be rehearsing in the following pages."

Here are some additional quotations from the book:

"(D.T. Suzuki) neglected the quieter meditative style of the other major Zen school, Soto, and its insistence on meditation in everyday life. This neglect is not merely a superficial deficiency; it profoundly affects the character of what has been called 'Suzuki Zen,' leading to an excessive emphasis on the paradoxical and irrational." (Pg. 4-5)
"The philosophy of Zen... tackles central human problems in a manner that appeals to modern culture. It deals with the ontological problems of being and time, reality and consciousness, and the anthropological problems of the meaning of human life and the interrelationships of body and soul, life and death; it roots these concerns in a practice inspired by existential anxiety and care and directed toward definitive liberation and salvation." (Pg. 67)
"There is no form of Eastern meditation without correct sitting and correct breathing, the two physical preconditions for higher mental states. The basic exercise of Zen is thus a psychosomatic accomplishment in which the bodily is indissolubly linked with the mental." (Pg. 89)
"The encounter between Zen and Western psychology was facilitated by (D.T.) Suzuki's readiness to see satori as psychological insight into the unconscious." (Pg. 93)