Daisetsu Suzuki (author)

Hello everyone. This is Shoji Shimura from Atelier Shimura. Today, I would like to talk about "Japanese Spirituality" by D.T. Suzuki (1870–1966), one of the leading Buddhist scholars of the 20th century.

Daisetsu Suzuki (author) "Japanese Spirituality"
Publisher: Iwanami Shoten (1972)

【table of contents】
Introduction - Japanese Spirituality
Part 1: The Kamakura Period and Japanese Spirituality - Emotional Life
Part 2: The Emergence of Japanese Spirituality - The Stirrings of Japanese Spirituality and Buddhism
Part 3: Honen and the Nembutsu Chanting - The Fall of the Taira Clan
Part 4: The Myohojin - Akao's Doshu
Commentary...Hideo Shinoda

Over his long life spanning more than 90 years, D.T. Suzuki left behind a legacy worthy of being called an "intellectual giant." His outstanding English skills are particularly noteworthy. He wrote approximately 30 books in English throughout his life, and played a major role in introducing Zen and other Eastern thought to the Western world. The latest "Complete Works of D.T. Suzuki" (revised and expanded edition), which contains the full scope of his thought, is a massive 40-volume work.

In fact, D.T. Szechs has a deep connection with us at Atelier Shimura. He is known as the teacher of Yanagi Muneyoshi, the father of the Mingei movement, and my grandmother, Shimura Fukumi's adoptive father, Shimura Tetsu, once worked in D.T. Szechs's office. Before the war, Tetsu worked for Nippon Yusen Kaisha and lived in London and various parts of China. After the war, his English skills were highly valued, and he served as D.T. Szechs' assistant. Given this background, Shimura Fukumi was also, albeit indirectly, influenced by D.T. Szechs's ideology.

Today, I would like to give an overview of Daisetsu's path leading up to the writing of "Japanese Spirituality" and the background of his thought.

The Life of Daisetsu Suzuki and His Encounter with Zen

Daisetsu Suzuki (real name: Teitaro) was born in 1870 (Meiji 3) into an old family in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. He lost his father at the age of six and struggled financially, but he had a strong desire to learn and enrolled in the Fourth Higher School (one of the predecessors of present-day Kanazawa University). It was here that he met the philosopher Kitaro Nishida, who would become his lifelong friend, and together they devoured Western thought by authors such as Emerson and Carlyle.

However, his spiritual thirst was not satisfied by bookish pursuits alone. Due to family financial circumstances, he dropped out of school and worked as an English teacher before moving to Tokyo at the age of 21. While studying as an elective student at Tokyo Imperial University, he sought a practical path and knocked on the door of Engakuji Temple in Kamakura. There he met two outstanding Zen monks, Imakita Kosen, the abbot at the time, and his successor, Shaku Soen, and began to fully enter the world of Zen.

Seeking wisdom beyond "discretion"

During his Zen training, Daisetsu tackled "koans," questions given to him by his teacher that cannot be solved by logic or reason. By tackling these questions with all his heart and soul, practitioners become acutely aware of the limits of reason, that is, that there is a world that cannot be dealt with by the "discriminating mind" that tries to distinguish and analyze things. In order to reach the state of "non-discriminating wisdom" that transcends ordinary perception, it is necessary to first confront the wall of reason.

While Daisetsu was exposed to Western philosophy, his search for a new state of knowledge that could transcend it was driven by his Zen practice. At the age of 24, he was bestowed the lay title "Daisetsu" by his teacher Shaku Soen. This name, which means "greatly humble," signifies a simple honesty without relying on technique or cleverness, and came to symbolize the rest of his life.

Activities in America and "Englishing Buddhism"

At the age of 27, D.T.S. reached a major turning point in his life. He was recommended by his teacher, Shaku Soen, to go to the United States. This was triggered by Soen's acquaintance with Paul Carus, a German scholar of religious studies, when he attended the Parliament of Religions in Chicago a few years earlier (1893). D.T.S. began working as Carus's assistant at the Illinois publishing company Open Court, where he spent the next 12 years translating and editing books related to Eastern thought.

One of the greatest achievements of this period was the English translation of the "Mahayana Awakening of Faith Treatise." This book, believed to have been written around the 5th or 6th century, is known to be extremely difficult to understand, but through the process of translating it into English, D.T. Suzuki deepened his understanding of the core of Mahayana Buddhism. The culmination of this work was the English version of "An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism."

What is distinctive about this work is that it clearly explains Mahayana Buddhism using Western logic from the standpoint of Buddhist thought, particularly idealism (the idea that all existence is created by the mind). Until then, Buddhism had tended to be viewed in the West as simply an "idol-worshipping pagan religion." However, D.T.'s work led to the recognition of Buddhism as a religion with a highly sophisticated philosophical system, and it had a major impact on the world of Western thought.

Philosophical formation after returning to Japan and interest in mysticism

Returning to Japan at the age of 39, D.T. taught at Gakushuin University, Tokyo Imperial University, and later Otani University. At Gakushuin, he met the young Yanagi Soetsu, who later provided the ideological foundation for Yanagi's "Buddhist aesthetics."

During this time, he married American-educated Beatrice Erskine Lane, who was deeply devoted to Theosophy, a movement that sought to achieve universal divine wisdom by fusing Western esoteric thought with Eastern religious thought.

Influenced by his wife, Daisetsu himself became interested in Theosophy and Western mysticism. He particularly devoted himself to the study of the Swedish mystic Swedenborg, translating works such as "Heaven and Hell." Through these studies, he became aware of the existence of an "invisible world" that transcends the boundaries of specific religions, and the universality of mystical experiences (for example, the structural similarities between Christian mysticism and Buddhism). This broadening of his ideas would later lead to his exploration of "Japanese spirituality."

What "Japanese Spirituality" Preaches

It was against this ideological background that "Japanese Spirituality" was published in 1944 (Showa 19), as defeat in the Pacific War was becoming increasingly likely. What is important here is why D.T. S. used the word "spirituality" rather than "spirit."

At the time, militaristic ideology was praised under the term "Japanese spirit." D.T. Daisetsu chose the word "spirituality" to express the fundamental religious consciousness that the Japanese people had cultivated since ancient times, clearly distinguishing it from the "spirit" that had been distorted by such nationalism.

"Spirituality" refers to the direct and fundamental religious experience itself, unconstrained by the framework of any particular doctrine or sect. D.T. believed that rediscovering this "spirituality" was the key to helping the Japanese people regain their spiritual anchor.

Zen, Pure Land Buddhism, and the "Myo-ko-nin"

Daisetsu saw the epitome of spiritual experience in the Zen practice he himself had achieved through "kensho" (discovering one's own Buddha nature). However, Zen training is rigorous and tends to be reserved for a certain elite. He therefore found a profound manifestation of spirituality not only in Zen but also in the faith of Pure Land Buddhism, which had taken root among the general public.

D.T.S. particularly focused on people known as "myo-ko-nin." Myoko-nin were ordinary people with no connection to academic study or special training, but who, through absolute devotion to Amida Buddha (other power), had reached a profound religious state. D.T.S. believed that even though the paths to ascent were different, whether it was Zen, which emphasizes "self-power," or Pure Land Buddhism, which preaches "other power," the depths of "spirituality" they reached were the same.

Postwar activities and the worldview of "nothing gets in the way"

After the war, D.T. devoted himself to rebuilding the spiritual pillars of the new Japan. In 1946, he gave a lecture to Emperor Showa. The theme of the lecture was "great wisdom" and "great compassion," which are the core principles of Buddhism (the transcript of this lecture was later published as "The Essence of Buddhism"). He also resumed his activities in Europe and the United States, giving energetic lectures at Columbia University and other institutions.

One of the important concepts that D.T. Suzuki took up in these lectures in his later years was the "unobstructed nature of all things" from the Avatamsaka Sutra, a grand worldview that states that "all things in this world influence each other without hindrance (unobstructed), and together they form the universe."

Commonalities between Kegon philosophy and textiles

This idea of "jiji mugashi" has a strong affinity with the worldview of "jiji mugashi" that we work on. Woven fabrics are made by the intersection of each and every warp and weft thread. Each color is distinct, but its appearance changes depending on the colors next to it, and at the same time, it also affects the surrounding colors. While each is individual, it is also connected to the whole, and the individual exists within the whole. This is exactly what the world of "jiji mugashi" is all about.

Interestingly, contemporary musician John Cage and others also attended this lecture at Columbia University, and D.T. Suzuki's ideas were a great inspiration to the avant-garde artists of the time.

Return to Shinran

One of the projects that D.T. Suzuki, who gained worldwide fame as a thinker, devoted himself to in his later years was the English translation of Shinran's major work, Kyogyo Shinsho. It is highly suggestive that D.T. Suzuki, who started out in the strict "self-power" Zen school, ultimately returned to the world of Shinran, who preached "absolute other-power."

This may have been the result of his lifelong journey of spiritual exploration. He may have transcended the methodological conflict between "self-power" and "other-power" and found the ultimate pinnacle of spirituality in the presence of the greater being.

This time, we have outlined the life of Suzuki Daisetsu, the evolution of his thought, and the background to the writing of "Japanese Spirituality." In the next article, we will finally delve into the specific content of "Japanese Spirituality."

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