Advaita Vedanta and Zen Buddhism: Deconstructive Modes of Spiritual Inquiry

by Leesa S. Davis

Overview

This fascinating and innovative book explores the relationship between the philosophical underpinnings of Advaita Vedanta, Zen Buddhism and the experiential jourbaney of spiritual practitioners. Taking the perspective of the questioning student, the author highlights the experiential deconstructive processes that are ignited when students' "everyday" dualistic thought structures are challenged by the non-dual nature of these teachings and practices.
Although Advaita Vedanta and Zen Buddhism are ontologically different, this unique study shows that in the dynamics of the practice situation they are phenomenologically similar.

Distinctive in scope and approach Advaita Vedanta and Zen Buddhism: Deconstructive Modes of Spiritual Inquiry examines Advaita and Zen as living practice traditions in which foundational non-dual philosophies are shown "in action" in contemporary Western practice situations thus linking abstract philosophical tenets to concrete living experience. As such it takes an important step toward bridging the gap between scholarly analysis and the experiential reality of these spiritual practices.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826420688
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/10/2010
Series:	Continuum Studies in Eastern Philosophies
Pages:	222
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Dr Leesa S. Davis is a sessional lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Deakin University, Australia, and a member of the Australasian Buddhist Studies Association.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Abbreviations xi

Introduction: Experiential Deconstructive Inquiry xiii

Part 1 Foundational Philosophies and Spiritual Methods

1 Non-duality in Advaita Vedanta and Zen Buddhism 3

Ontological differences and non-duality 3

Meditative inquiry, questioning, and dialoguing as a means to spiritual insight 8

The 'undoing' or deconstruction of dualistic conceptions 12

2 Advaita Vedanta: Philosophical Foundations and Deconstructive Strategies 18

Sources of the tradition 18

Upanisads: 'That art thou' (tat tvam asi) 18

Gaudapada (c. 7th century): 'No bondage, no liberation' 22

Sankara (c. 7th-8th century): 'there is no apprehender different from this apprehension to apprehend it' 27

Modern and contemporary masters 47

Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950): 'Who am I?' 49

H.W.L. Poonja (1910-1997): 'You have to do nothing to be who you are!' 58

Gangaji (b. 1942): 'You are That!' 65

Advaita Vedanta summary: 'Nothing ever happens' 69

3 Zen Buddhism: Philosophical Foundations and Deconstructive Strategies 71

Sources of the tradition 73

The Lankavatara Sutra and the Vajracchedika Prajñaparamita Sutra: 'All things... are not independent of each other and not two' 73

Nagarjuna (c. 113-213): 'Samsara is nothing essentially different from nirvana. Nirvana is nothing essentially different from samsara' 80

Eihei Dogen (1200-1253): 'If I am already enlightened, why must I practice?' 93

Contemporary masters 106

Ekai Korematsu (b. 1948): 'Return to the spine' 107

Hogen Yamahata (b. 1935): 'Why not now?' 109

Zen Buddhism summary: 'Neither being nor non-being is to be taken hold of' 111

Part 2 Deconstructive Techniques and Dynamics of Experiential Undoing

4 Four Deconstructive Techniques Common to Both Traditions 117

The teacher-student dynamic 118

Four key deconstructive techniques 123

Unfindability analysis 123

Bringing everything back to the here and now 133

Paradoxical problems 139

Negation 146

5 Dynamics of Experiential Undoing 156

Non-dual experiential 'space' 157

Experiential mapping: Practitioners in the space 159

Experiential undoing in Advaita Vedanta 160

Experiential undoing in Zen Buddhism 169

Conclusion: Deconstruction of Reified Awareness 186

Notes 191

Bibliography 207

Index 213