THE CONVERGENCE DIVERGENCE DICHOTOMY – EASTERN AND WESTERN

PHILOSOPHY - CAN THE TWAIN EVER MEET?

By Sumitra Woodhull

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

The aim of this written work is to explore as to whether the twain connecting the East to

the West from the perspective of philosophy and ideological thinking can ever meet. Is

there a possibility to bridge the gap of the differences to some extent? To understand

this further, it would seem to be incumbent to explore the ideas of early notable Western

philosophers to understand the extent to which their ideas were influenced by Eastern

thoughts of their time. Perhaps in this sense and to this extent the convergence

divergence dichotomy may be ascertained.

NOTICEABLE TRACES OF CONVERGENCE BETWEEN EASTERN AND WESTERN

PHILOSOPHY APPARENT IN THE IDEAS OF EARLY NOTABLE WESTERN

PHILOSOPHERS

Although for the most part, as observed from the previous chapter, Eastern and

Western philosophies are embedded in distinct ideologies, in this chapter, traces of

convergence between Eastern and Western philosophy will be shown to be apparent in

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the form of notable Western philosophers being influenced by Eastern ideas particularly

in the form of religious notions and beliefs.

THE NOTICEABLE INFLUENCE OF BUDDHIST IDEOLOGY IN THE PHILOSOPHY

OF DAVID HUME

It has been suggested that one such philosopher is the Scottish intellectual, David

Hume (1711 – 1776). In her article entitled ‘Was Western Philosophy Derived from

Eastern Spiritualism?’, author Daphne Muller makes reference to UC Berkeley

professor Alison Gopnik who attempted to discover the link between the ideas of the

well known Scottish philosopher, David Hume and Buddhism in her attempt to

understand the reason for his ideology which appeared to be going against the grain of

Western thought and religious ideology of his time. In her voyage of discovery of the

stated link, Alison Gopnik traced the travels of a Jesuit missionary named Ippolito

Desideri (a European who was knowledgeable in depth about Buddhist philosophy after

having studied it for a number of years) across Tibet and at one point to a place in

France, La Fleche, where David Hume was reported to have stayed. A possible

connection was established using this tracing method and the coincidence of timelines.

The parallels and similar ideologies between the Buddha and David Hume have been

noted by both Eastern as well as Western scholars in the past and among such notable

scholars are Murti and Whitehead. It appears that there may have been an intersection

of Eastern and Western philosophy and thoug ht from the period between 1600 to 1789

as being the period when the Eastern influence upon Western philosophy was most
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pronounced and which was coincidentally the time of the emergence of a new wave of

modern Western thinking and ideology.

HUME’S BRAND OF PHILOSOPHY BEING IN ALIGNMENT WITH BUDDHIST

TEACHING AND AT ODDS WITH CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHERS OF HIS DAY

Hume’s brand of philosophy as postulated in his book, ‘A Treatise of Human Nature’ is

aligned with Buddhist philosophy in its conceptual essence in the sense that both do not

recognize the notion or idea of the ‘self’ as a metaphysical manifestation of an entity. In

these somewhat parallel ideologies, the physical body is viewed as a conduit of

perception of states of consciousness where there is observed to be negative

consciousness of an entity known as the ‘Self’, distinct from these states or forms of

consciousness. Hume’s idea of perception is illustrated or expressed in the following

postulation / expression:

‘…….For my part, when I enter most i ntimately into what I call myself, I always stumble

on some particular perception or other, of heat or cold, light or shade, love or hatred,

pain or pleasure. I never catch myself at any time without a perception, and never can

observe anything but the perception……’.

The Buddha had similarly doubted the presumptive existence of a Higher Being referred

to as an omnipresent God as this was perceived to be intangible and incapable of proof

beyond the perception of the senses. Hume’s rationale is that nothing is lost or deprived

by simply acknowledging and accepting perception for what it is without having to

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recognize the significance of ‘self’, God or any other kind of intangible reality. He states

that the perception of matter does not change if one chooses not to acknowledge and

accept the ‘Self’ or God as the experience of perception remains the same. It is evident

that in developing and postulating a common ideology, that the philosophy was borne

from the respective personal struggles of Gautama Buddha and David Hume in their

quest to discover a ‘scientific reality’ that was capable of explanation and rationalization

to explain the metaphysical state of perception. Although there is evidence from Alison

Gopnik’s research to suggest that Hume may have been influenced by Buddhist wisdom

imparted by Jesuit priests it is perhaps of greater significance that both Gautama

Buddha and David Hume concur upon a shared or common ideology signifying an

intersection between Western and Eastern thought of different eras.

It is even more interesting to note that in concurring with Buddhist ideology from a

conceptual perspective, Hume effectively criticized and departed from the consensus of

mainstream Western ideology of his contemporaries of the era. This is evident in

Hume’s following contention:

‘There are some philosophers who imagine we are every moment intimately conscious

of what we call our self; that we feel its existence and its continuance in existence; and

are certain, beyond the evidence of a demonstration, both of its perfect identity and

simplicity…..For my part, when I enter most intimately into what I call myself, I always

stumble on some particular perception or other, of heat or cold, light or shade, love or

hatred, pain or pleasure. I never can catch myself at any time without a perception, and
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never can observe anything but the perception…..I may venture to affirm of the rest of

mankind, that they are nothing but a bundle or collection of different perceptions, which

succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and

movement.’

Having emphasized the similarities in ideological thought between Gautama Buddha

and David Hume, it is imperative and relevant to note that attributed to a significant

divide of time period that separated both philosophers, being three hundred years as

well as the distinctions in the cultures that influenced each philosopher, there is bound

to be some differences in the notions that motivated their similar philosophies. The

wisdom that motivated the Buddha to postulate his version of the philosophy is seen in

his quest to liberate mankind from mortal suffering after he had been so affected having

witnessed it all around him after the attempts by his guardians to shield him from this

discovery. Hence, it may be observed that in this motivation, the Buddha’s quest is seen

to be a spiritual one to achieve a state of higher consciousness. The Buddhist

philosophy to this extent and in this sense leads to a route of enlightenment. In contrast,

David Hume’s similar philosophical ideology is seen not to be motivated by spiritual

experience nor gravitating towards this state but it has been described as being a sort of

scientific analysis and evaluation of mankind analogous to Newtonian scientific

reasoning with reference to natural philosophy. In his inclination to these principles of

reasoning, logic and explanation, Hume draws parallels to scientific concepts such as

his perception of ‘habits’ as a sort of mental ‘force’ akin to the force of gravity; his finding

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of ‘the principles of association’ to be similar to the laws of motion. Hume’s notion of the

‘scientific man’ appears to be devoid of the idea of self except to the extent that it is

merely based upon perception by the senses bound together by a kind of mental

gravity.

ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER’S RENDEZVOUS WITH EASTERN PHILOSOPHY IN

THE FORM OF BUDDHIST IDEOLOGY

Unlike with David Hume, the German pessimist philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer’s

(1788 – 1860) encounter with Eastern philosophy is not the subject of any kind of

speculation and mystery. The situation with this Western philosopher is more

conspicuous and clearly evident by his embrace of the shared ideology between his

philosophy and the Buddhist version; even going so far as to regard himself as being a

sort of European Buddhist. Schopenhauer is seen to have embraced with delight the

parallels between his ideology and Buddhism but yet regarded his work as his own

original ideas in a Western context.

It is nevertheless necessary to embark upon a comparative analysis of Buddhist

philosophy and Arthur Schopenhauer’s ideas to evidence the parallels between the

Eastern and Western schools of philosophy although both are separated by a significant

gap in time. This is in efforts to establish a possible convergence in the philosophical

ideals between Eastern and Western schools of thought i.e. that in spite of identifiable

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contrasts, there is also shared ideology in man’s philosophical ideas. One of the

prominent parallels seen in Buddhist wisdom and Schopenhauer’s brand of philosophy

is the idea that there is no substantial self or a mass known as the self (the Buddhist

notion) and that the mental faculties merely perceive a constantly changing state of

affairs which do not leave any residue but rather extinguish totally and something new

and different emerges after this. To expound upon this concept, the notion of Dharma in

Buddhist teaching is in essence a description of the realities of a mortal existence and

postulates the state of impermanence of the states of affairs perceived in a mortal state

such as tangible materials, impulses, perception, thoughts which are all transitory and

ever-changing in nature which create a perception that is illusionary pertaining to the

idea that these would last and hence the inclination of the perceived self to be in

bondage with these illusionary perceptions, causing personal anguish and torment as a

result of its ever evolving state of impermanence.

Schopenhauer’s philosophy is embedded in the ideas of ‘will’ and ‘represe ntation’ as

advocated or expressed in his writing ‘Will and Representation’ where he describes

existence to only be possible from the perspective of perceptibility, manifesting in the

form of the duality of an object to a subject. In Schopenhauer’s view, perception is

linked to the bodily or physical senses of sight, sound, smell and touch. This is

analogous to a similar notion in Buddhism embodied in the idea which can be explained

loosely as ‘cause and effect’. In Buddhist philosophy, in essence devoid of the notion of

an ‘I’ in a tangible or substantive form of existence, the duality of the concepts of subject

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and object is viewed as an illusionary form of an actual reality. In Buddhist wisdom, so

long as there is existence in a perceptible sense, duality manifests in the incurrence of

karma which may be seen entrenched in the idea of karmic baggage and consequent

suffering in the form of physical disintegration of the body in ageing, ill health, the

feelings of sadness, the sensation of pain, helplessness, death etc..

The objective of showing some form of parallels between Arthur Schopenhauer’s

philosophical ideology and Buddhist philosophy is to evidence a point of convergence

between Eastern and Western schools of philosophy independently without one

necessarily having been influenced by the other and this is further shown to transcend

the contemporaries of the respective times and eras. The idea is not to become deeply

entrenched and enmeshed in a protracted debate about the similarities and distinctions

between the respective ideological notions. There is naturally bound to be some

distinctions in the respective schools of thought in spite of the parallels stemming from

factors such as the motivation for the ideologies and the factors and circumstances that

had influenced the respective philosophers in arriving at the reasoning behind their

ideologies. This is even evident when one observes the motivations behind

Schopenhauer’s philosophy and the wisdom of the Buddha – one may perhaps surmise

that Arthur Schopenhauer’s philosophy assumes the form of a more scientific and

logical reasoning of the state of human existence as it may be possible to decipher

using the senses and may be said to be aimed at arriving at an untainted and

undistorted findings about such somewhat limited reality based upon the limits of

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perception. The Buddhist version however, is seen to have its source and objective in

some other pursuit i.e. that of attaining a state of enlightenment which it has been said

would transcend the tormented states of earthly existence. Hence, in this sense, these

schools of thought are observed to be heading towards distinct objectives although the

substance and analysis of both schools of thought may be identified to be somewhat

similar.

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE’S CONVERGENCE WITH BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY AND

IDEALS

The German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche was known to have been influenced by

the schools of philosophy of the Eastern tradition, more specifically, Hinduism and

Buddhism during his schooling yea rs circa 1862– 1864. In drawing parallels between

Nietzche’s brand of philosophy and Buddhist ideology, some academician’s have

suggested that there may be inherent the element of nihilism which is essentially a

skeptical perspective implying that nothing in the world has real existence or in other

words, life is actually meaningless.

In order to ascertain the truth or otherwise of these allegations or suggestions, it is

imperative to embark upon more detailed scrutiny of the respective philosophies. Some

Western thinkers such as Guy Welborn in the course of studying the influence of

Buddhism upon Nietzsche’s ideas have observed noticeable similarities between

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Nietzsche’s tenet of constant or continuous occurrence which is embodied in his writing

entitled ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’ (1883 – 1885) which is premised upon the ancient

Persian deity familiar to the English as Zoroaster (who ascends a mountaintop to

meditate and thereafter comes down to educate his ‘children’) and the Buddhist notion

of ‘Samsara’ which is the continuous cycle of rebirth which was embraced by the

Buddha, being a concept that had its roots in the religious ideologies of the fifth century

BCE i.e. the Buddha had embraced these ideologies which were current during his

lifetime. It has been suggested by author and academician Graham Parkes that

Nietzsche’s philosophy as expressed in ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’ has shared parallels

with the Buddhist concept of bodhisattvas (held in high esteem or prominence) as

enshrined in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, having its roots in the first century BCE

where part divine entities via wise ways and compassion give of themselves to saving

sentient beings. It has further been suggested by author and academician Graham

Parkes that Nietzsche’s notion of the ‘Superman’ or ‘Ubermensch’ referring to a very

strong individual would be capable of manifesting a ‘transvaluation of all values’ which

means a state of transcending one’s self and this, Graham Parkes contends is similar to

the Buddhist concept of ‘Nirvana’ which can be explained as extinction or a state of non-

existence.

In efforts to seek explanation to the conundrum that is human existence, it is observed

that the Buddha and Nietzsche had similar ideologies and hence, there is seen to be a

convergence of philosophical ideology to some extent in the reasoning and explanations

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provided by learned academicians analyzing the apparent connections between

Buddhist ideology and Nietzsche’s philosophy. The startling parallels between these

separate ideologies evidencing convergence in ideas is also conspicuously noticeable

from the perspective of the notion of the ‘self’ or ‘ego’ where in Nietzsche’s view, the ‘I’

associated with the ‘self’ or ‘ego’ is a fictional existence and similarly the concept or idea

of a ‘soul’ which Nietzsche interestingly considers to be semantics formed as a result of

‘grammatical seduction’ where he contends that the ego is merely a concept describing

the nature of man. This idea is seen to be strikingly echoing the Buddhist notion of

‘anatman’ which is in essence the idea of the non-existence of the self, that everything

experienced is fleeting and impermanent and the state of interdependence on

individuals and things. From these apparent similarities, it is observed that regardless of

whether there are suggestions of the influence of Eastern philosophy upon Western

philosophers, there is seen to be a convergence of ideas and ideals at some juncture

and this exhibits the capacity that the two schools of philosophy are capable of meeting

at some point and proceeding at tandem with each other in shaping the course of

mankind’s future.

MARTIN HEIDEGGER’S ENCOUNTER AND PARALLELS SHARED WITH EASTERN

PHILOSOPHY FROM A HOLISTIC SPECTRUM

The German philosopher Martin Heidegger seems to have had a very symbiotic

relationship with Eastern philosophical ideals in the sense of embracing and being in

convergence or in harmony with these concepts unlike some of his contemporary

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predecessors who whilst acknowledging some parallels between their own brands of

philosophy in the Western context and the Eastern ideas on some themes related to

life’s unresolved conundrums, were nevertheless at odds with some forms of

rationalization associated with Eastern metaphysical notions. It is thus worth the effort in

exploring Heidegger’s congruent ideas demonstrably in convergence with the Eastern

vision as this is in fact the aim of this research in evidencing and exhibiting such

synthesis of common ideals from separate perspectives.

Heidegger’s solution to the nature of man as well as his approach to the nature of being

and things is seen to represent a deviation from the previous ideas of his fellow

philosopher contemporaries. In the Heideggerian view, the manner of thinking is seen to

be separated into two distinct classifications: on the one spectrum is rational, calculative

thinking and on the other, intuitive, meditative thinking. In Heidegger’s view, our

perception is differently influenced by these separate modes. In the Heideggerian

tradition, the calculative manner of thinking influences the technological, worldly being

and in direct contrast to this way of thinking is the meditative form which is a form of

inherent gratitude manner of thinking expressed in the form of love and great wonder of

the conundrums of the world, described by Heidegger as the ‘Being’ of beings. Hence, it

may be observed that from these two spectrums of thinking as postulated by Heidegger,

lies the synthesis between the Western and Eastern ideals: the Western version

entrenched in rational, calculative thinking and the Eastern version inherent in the

meditative manner of thinking.

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Heidegger’s brand of philosophy is intriguing as it does not proceed on a critical quest to

criticize and undermine the philosophical traditions of the East by making comparisons

to his own brand of philosophy but rather sees the metaphysical aspects of the Eastern

philosophical traditions as forming part of a comprehensive worldview, complementing

the rational and logical aspects of the Western tradition and in this sense, his

philosophy is seen to be noble in its humility in acknowledging both distinct schools of

thought. Heidegger’s philosophical sojourn has been classified as an ontological

exercise to decipher the theory and general concepts of existe nce. In Heidegger’s

perceptive view, the entry of ‘existence’ into the world is rather violent as it is thrust or

thrown into the world. Heidegger was critical of the Western civilization and schools of

thought which he viewed as having failed to recognize the very core or definition of

‘Being’ in their quest to place a description to ‘Being’ (das Sein) as being a supreme

order of governance and authority (das Seiende). In his philosophy, Heidegger appears

to suggest that due to ingratitude to Being by the Western civilization wherein Western

civilization has now treated themselves as being above Being, the civilization is being

punished for this. Hence, Heidegger was of the view that the degradation of Western

civilization in its blind pursuit of materialism has caused it to be void of true essence,

becoming lost as a result.

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HEIDEGGERIAN CONCEPTS ALIGNED WITH TAOIST BELIEFS

The parallels between Eastern philosophy and Heideggerian concepts is seen in one

aspect in the echo with Taoist beliefs pertaining to a path where he acknowledges that

Tao in essence means ‘way’ and that thinking in itself is a fieldpath (Der Feldweg).

Heidegger’s manner of thinking appears to be at stark odds with that of contemporary

Western thinking of his era wherein he condemned and criticized the inclination in the

West to draw a comparison and distinction between something to already determined or

pre-existing or identified criteria which is essentially the purely scientific approach. For

Heidegger, this intellectual approach actually eludes ‘Being’ from manifesting itself

where he was of the view that the true essence of ‘Being’ was only capable of revelation

or manifestation through a correct approach to meditative thought. In this manner of

describing ‘Being’, Heidegger appears to be imputing to it, a sense of high autonomy i.e.

something that mankind may reach through a spiritual realm where it is capable of

manifesting itself in a pure and undistorted form. Heidegger saw the realm of poetic

expression as a conduit through which ‘Being’ was capable of manifesting itself and

perhaps in this sense seemed to be romantic, a departure from his more profoundly

intellectual contemporaries. Echoing similarities with the Taoist tradition of Eastern

philosophy, Heidegger was able to visualize with uncanny clarity a holistic cycle of the

interplay of related events in the perception of a fourfold (das Geviert). Heidegger’s

concept of the fourfold constitutes the realm of the tangible Earth, celestial Sky, Mortal

and Divine beings – where man lives in his existence. The following is an illustration of

this interplay of related elements in a holistic sphere: The empty vacuous space of a

wine glass not yet filled with wine where the knowledge to create the glass itself is an
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endowment from the realm of the divine to the mortal beings; the liquid wine processed

from grapes, the fruit from the Gods cultivated by a union between the mortal realm of

earth and the celestial sky. In the Heideggerian analogy, this is like a form of ‘poetry in

motion’, encapsulating the essence of holistic thinking or ‘thanking thinking’ as

Heidegger refers to it.

HEIDEGGERIAN PHILOSOPHY SHARING PARAMETERS WITH HINDU BELIEFS

Heideggerian philosophy is said to be in the tradition of existential thinking meaning that

it questions the very meaning of existence and this question arises from the fact that

man has no choice in the fact that his Being is thrust into the world. This mode of

inquiring into the basics of existence is seen to conspicuously share parameters with

the Hindu beliefs on the subject where in the Hindu tradition, there is the belief that

existence encapsulates both the physical and metaphysical realms existing

simultaneously in the causal, astral and physical plains across the mental, emotional

and physical faculties. In the Heideggerian version where some parallels are seen,

although the plains of existence are not so defined, nevertheless existence is perceived

as guiding itself towards unrealized possibilities albeit with limits set by uncontrollable

circumstances.

The detachment from the servile attitude towards the dictates of the norms of the day as

being a sort of compulsion to adhere to these man-made concepts and ways in the

15
Heideggerian tradition, can be achieved by his brand of meditative contemp lation

connecting with nature via sojourns into nature where he is of the opinion that such

natural activity indulged in is where the true essence of Being may be revealed.

Although sharing some parallels with the Hindu idea of a detached form of connecting

with spirituality, this Heideggerian notion of meditative reflection is quite distinct from the

Hindu version seen to be entrenched in religious ideals with a specific manner of

practicing this to attain this oneness with the idea of a Creator God.

Other points of convergence which Heideggerian philosophy shares with Hinduism is

the perception of time as not having a linear quality as the Indian spiritual sage,

Paramahansa Yogananda stated as all events occurring in the present and hence the

notion of evolution viewed from this angle, seems to be quite a flawed perception. In the

Heidegggerian sense, he views everything that happens as having a fleeting quality

having no sequence or current time era. Both traditions also similarly echo the notion

that personal consciousness reaches out to a greater universal sphere.

THE CONVERGENCE BETWEEN HEIDEGGERIAN THINKING AND TAO-ZEN

WISDOM

The convergence between Heideggerian thinking and Tao-Zen wisdom is apparent from

the analogy of both traditions, that from the essence of Being, sprouts a multitude of

connections of interconnectivity and that language is somewhat limited in expressing

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this ‘cosmic wonder’. In essence, this signifies the embodiment of gratitude, humility and

respect to greatness for bestowing upo n existence these wonders. The beautiful and

surreal convergence of the concept of a ‘void’ or ‘nothing’ is shared by these two

traditions in a positive manner where both perceive and identify this void as being the

origin or source and existence or Being as a manifestation or creation advancing from

this void. Both the Zen-Buddhist tradition as well as Heideggerian philosophy find

parallels in retreat into a ‘state of nothingness’ to be able to experience satori – an

enlightened state achieved via the concentrated practice of Zen Buddhism with

reference to the Zen-Buddhist tradition and in Heideggerian philosophical terms,

meditative sort of gratitude thinking beckons Gelassenheit (releasement) – a state

transcending the rational willful controlled and calc ulative plain which perhaps may be

perceived to be a kind of unseen spiritual realm. There are clearly observable

similarities between the Heideggerian wisdom of the idea of ‘nothingness’ or ‘das

Nichts’ and the obsolete plain encountered by ridding the self-ego and releasing one’s

self from ‘attached existence’ which the Zen-Buddhist tradition refers to as ‘sunyata’ or

‘emptiness’ or ‘nothingness’.

OBSERVATIONS ON WHETHER THE TWAIN CAN EVER MEET

From the succession of Western philosophers beginning with David Hume, to Arthur

Schopenhauer to Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger, it is quite apparent that

there are indeed visible elements of convergence between the Eastern and Western

traditions of philosophy. Philosophy in the tradition of David Hume as postulated in his

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book, ‘A Treatise of Human Nature’ shares conspicuous parallels with Buddhist

philosophy in its conceptual essence in the sense that both do not recognize the notion

or idea of the ‘self’ as a metaphysical manifestation of an entity.

In the Arthur Schopenhauer philosophical tradition, he views perception as being linked

to the bodily or physical senses of sight, sound, smell and touch. This sort of analysis is

in convergence to a similar notion in Buddhism enshrined in the idea which ca n be

explained loosely as ‘cause and effect’. In Friedrich Nietzsche’s nihilistic tradition, it has

been suggested by author and academician Graham Parkes that Nietzsche’s notion of

the ‘Superman’ or ‘Ubermensch’ referring to a very strong individual capable of

manifesting a ‘transvaluation of all values’ meaning a state of transcending one’s self

shares similarities to the Buddhist concept of ‘Nirvana’ which can be explained as

extinction or a state of non-existence.

In contrast to his somewhat critical contemporary predecessors, the German

philosopher Martin Heidegger seems to have had a very symbiotic and synergistically

harmonious relationship with Eastern philosophical ideals in the sense of embracing

and being in convergence with these concepts unlike some of his contemporary

predecessors who whilst acknowledging some parallels between their own brands of

philosophy in the Western context and the Eastern ideas on some themes related to

life’s unresolved conundrums, were nevertheless at odds with some forms of

18
rationalization associated with Eastern metaphysical notions. In his approach,

Heidegger appears to suggest that due to ingratitude to ‘Being’ by the Western

civilization wherein Western civilization has now asserted itself as being above ‘Being’,

the civilization is being incarcerated for this. Hence, Heidegger was of the view that the

degradation of Western civilization in its blind pursuit of materialism has caused it to be

void of true essence, becoming lost as a result.

The Heideggerian tradition of philosophy is seen to be aligned in a symbiotic manner

with many Eastern concepts where the latter is deeply rooted in religious rationalization.

This is seen for instance in the parallels between Eastern philosophy and Heideggerian

concepts as seen in one aspect in the echo with Taoist beliefs pertaining to a path

where he acknowledges that Tao in essence means ‘way’ and that thinking in itself is a

fieldpath (Der Feldweg). From the perspective that Heideggerian philosophy is said to

be in the tradition of existential thinking meaning that it questions the very meaning of

existence and this question arises from the fact that man has no choice in the fact that

his Being is thrust into the world, this mode of inquiring into the basics of existence is

seen to conspicuously share parameters with the Hindu beliefs on the subject where in

the Hindu tradition, there is the belief that existence encapsulates both the physical and

metaphysical realms existing simultaneously in the causal, astral and physical p lains

across the mental, emotional and physical faculties. The convergence between

Heideggerian thinking and Tao-Zen wisdom is apparent from the analogy of both

traditions, that from the essence of Being, sprouts a multitude of connections of

19
interconnecti vity and the limitations of language in expressing this ‘cosmic wonder’

where in essence, this signifies the embodiment of gratitude, humility and respect to

greatness for bestowing upon existence these wonders.

LIST OF REFERENCES

1. Was Western Philosophy Derived from Eastern Spiritualism? By Daphne Muller:

http://bigthink.com/ideafeed/western-philosophy-and-the-buddha

2. How an 18th –Century Philosopher Helped Solve My Midlife Crisis – David Hume, the
Buddha, and a search for the Eastern roots of the Western Enlightenment by Alison
Gopnik

3. The possibility of Oriental influence: in Hume’s philosophy by Nolan Pliny Jacobson;

Philosophy East and West, Vol. 19 No.1(1969), pp. 17-37

4. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Hume’s Newtonianism and AntiNewtonisnism by

Eric Schliesser

5. Schopenhauer And Buddhism by Peter Abelson; Philosophy East and West; Volume 42,
Numer 2, April 1993;P.255-278 © by University of Hawaii Press

6. Nietzsche and East-Asian Thought: Influences, Impacts, and Resonances (1996) by

Graham Parkes; Cambridge Companions Online © Cambridge University Press, 2006;
faculty.luther.edu/~kopfg/internal/mosaic/Anatman.html

7. Definition of Nihilism by Merriam-Webster

8. Fifty Thinkers Who Shaped The Modern World by Stephen Trombley

9. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Buddhism: A Comprehensive Guide To

Buddhist History, Philosophy And Practice, Magnificently Illustrated With More Than
500 Colour Photographs; Consultant Editor: Ian Harris PhD; Helen Varley, Peter
Connolly, Stefania Travagnin

10. The Story of Philosophy: From Antiquity To The Present by Cristoph Delius and Matthias
Gatzemeier, Denis Sertcan, Kathleen Wunscher;

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11. Heideggerian Thinking and the Eastern Mind by Rolf von Eckartsberg and Ronald S.
Valle: From: Metaphors of Consciousness (New York and London: Plenum Press, 1981);
Chapter 14, pp. 287-311

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