Existentialism and Buddhism: Dostoevski, Kierkegaard and Nishitani

by Aurora Britt Carlson through Professor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org This piece examines the Christian Existentialism of Dostoevski and Kierkegaard with the thought of the Buddhist Existentialist Nishitani. For that latter Zennist, there is no need for a "leap of faith" into the Christian theos, but rather the leap one takes is into Sunyata - Zeroness, Emptiness.

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• opensourcebuddhism.org

[Phavonic]

Great. I found loads of other likenesses since then. Kierkegaard has another book called "Works of Love" which is a commentary on Romans 13:10 "Love is the Fulfilling of the Law" and he makes it sound again like Crowley's "Love is the Law, Love under Will".

His emphasis is loving one's neighbor *as oneself* (every man and woman is star, etc.). Very good.

I'm sure there is only one true religion in all this.

[Barklord]

@Phavonic I was just reading Purity of Heart is a Will to One Thing a few minutes ago and thought of Crowley too.

[Phavonic]

@robbymvb That's a good point. The thing is is that in philosophy there is already a debate of how Keirkegaard and Nietzsche are two sides of the same coin, I just modified that suggestion a bit. The way AC describes the magical will always has similarities in SK's description of Christian faith.

Another example I just found was AC's Liber 2, speaking of not having two wills but one will, and then SK's discourse "Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing". All besides whether it is Christ or Beast

[robbymvb]

@Phavonic Isn't Crowley far more Nietzschean than Kierkegaardian?

[Phavonic]

Has no one ever considered the similarities between Kierkegaard and Aleister Crowley? There is a lot on Kierkegaard and Nietzsche already written, but I think SK and AC are much more profoundly striking in comparison.

Consider Crowley's "the only sin is restriction" and Kierkegaard's "sin is the lack of faith"....and Crowley's "magical will" and Kierkegaard's "teleological suspension/ethical leap" etc. etc....so much the nominal "satanist" can learn from, for one.

[ichingedina]

gREAT Video - smart girl