Abstract
This chapter examines the resonances between Deleuze’s idea of immanence and the doctrine of Buddha-nature that is found in the Lotus Sūtra. Although much has been devoted to a study of Deleuze’s idea of immanence and the doctrine of Buddha-nature, relatively little has been focused on how these two ideas resonate with one another. Deleuze was known for his attempt to construct a philosophy of immanence in order to resist the dominance of transcendence in the western philosophical tradition. In order to achieve this, he relied on a series of philosophers which placed an exclusive emphasis on immanence, the most important of which were Duns Scotus, Baruch Spinoza and Friedrich Nietzsche. Based on their philosophies, Deleuze constructed a philosophy of immanence which has ethical and political implications. This resonates with the idea of Buddha-nature in the Lotus Sūtra. The Lotus Sūtra is an important text in the Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition which teaches that all sentient beings have the Buddha-nature. The significance of this is that it locates the aim of religious practice, together with the inherent cause for doing so, squarely in this world rather than in some transcendent world. It is my contention that these two ideas resonate with one another in the sense that both philosophies reject transcendence and affirm the power of immanence.
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See, T. (2016). Deleuze and the Lotus Sūtra: Toward an Ethics of Immanence. In: See, T., Bradley, J. (eds) Deleuze and Buddhism. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56706-2_2
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