Abstract
Religion is difficult to understand with sufficient depth and subtlety. Zen is no exception. In one sense, Zen may be said to be one of the most difficult religions to understand, for there is no formulated Zen doctrine or theological system by which one may intellectually approach it. Accordingly, it is not surprising to find various superficial understandings or misunderstandings of Zen among Westerners interested in Zen, whose cultural and religious traditions are entirely different from those in which Zen has developed.
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Notes
Wu-têng Hui-yüan. (Ja Golōegen) ed. Aishin Imaeda (Tokyo: Rinrōkaku Shoten, 1971) p. 335.
D. T. Suzuki, An Introduction to Zen Buddhism (London, 1949) p. 84.
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© 1985 Masao Abe and William R. LaFleur
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Abe, M., LaFleur, W.R. (1985). Zen Is not a Philosophy, but…. In: LaFleur, W.R. (eds) Zen and Western Thought. Library of Philosophy and Religion. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06994-1_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06994-1_1
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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Online ISBN: 978-1-349-06994-1
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