From Western Philosophy to Zen Buddhism

Author: Fu Weixun
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-03-01
Features:
Fragment: The topic of self-theory in the philosophy of original thinkers is addressed. Through his guidance, I temporarily gained the following personal insights:
(1) The history of philosophy and philosophical creation must be separated, and the methodologies of the history of philosophy and philosophical creation are fundamentally different. Traditional Chinese original thinkers, due to their excessive adherence to the dào tǒng (way of the tradition), often fail to distinguish between the functions of a philosopher of the history of philosophy and a philosopher, and attempt to open up their own philosophical paths through annotative methods. Consequently, their thinking and language are constrained by outdated frameworks, leading to constant limitations. In this regard, we indeed need to learn the independent and autonomous spirit of philosophical inquiry exemplified by original thinkers in the West, such as "critical inheritance and creative development."
(2) The creation of philosophical thought and the establishment of new methodologies are two sides of the same coin and cannot be separated. This is particularly evident in Western philosophy. Original thinkers such as Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, and Russell are all examples of this. In Chinese philosophy, it should also be the case. However, due to our past lack of high-level methodological reflection, we often overlook the inseparability of philosophical creation and the establishment of methodologies.
(3) The creation of philosophical thought necessarily involves the establishment of theoretical foundations, clear and consistent reasoning processes, novel and lucid language expression, and the systematization of philosophical thought. Nas's set of purely Western methodologies for philosophical foundation and systematization may not be entirely applicable to the future reconstruction and innovation of Chinese philosophy, but the topics he discussed at least pose a constructive challenge to our philosophical tradition, prompting deep reflection. Nas also liked Shu'er. At the end of the semester, he invited us to have dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant. Half-seriously, he said, "If I were twenty years younger, I would get involved in a love triangle with the two of you." At that time, I was about to leave UCLA and travel across the United States, including to the Seattle World's Fair, with the abundant travel expenses of a center for East-West culture. I asked him if he would also visit, and he replied, "Civilization is not necessary for me; I want to embrace the great nature." We parted in this manner. Several years later, he wrote to us, informing us that he had begun studying Sanskrit and exploring the path of Eastern philosophy. In 1969, he also attended the Fifth East-West Philosophers' Conference held at UC Berkeley. Overcoming my personality limitations, I returned from my travels, quickly got engaged to Shu'er at Berkeley, and then flew back to. During the last half-year of my first trip to the U.S., I completed my master's thesis, "An Analysis of the Fundamental Concepts of Hume's Causation." At that time, the philosophy department at UC Berkeley had begun to expand with the strong support of the East-West Culture Center, establishing a new doctoral program, and I became a candidate. However, due to the unchangeable two-year visa term, I had to step back and earn another master's degree to return home. I chose Hume's theory of causation as my research topic, partly to deepen my understanding of the entire (knowledge-focused) modern Western philosophy, and partly to thoroughly overcome my overly (emotional) personality, which favored literature over philosophy. Through this philosophical trial, I aimed to strengthen and enhance my rational side. This effort to overcome self-limitations through philosophical discipline greatly benefited my later philosophical thinking and teaching work, and I have been immensely grateful for it ever since.