R&L Logo R&L Logo
  • GENERAL
    • Browse by Subjects
    • New Releases
    • Coming Soon
    • Chases's Calendar
  • ACADEMIC
    • Textbooks
    • Browse by Course
    • Instructor's Copies
    • Monographs & Research
    • Reference
  • PROFESSIONAL
    • Education
    • Intelligence & Security
    • Library Services
    • Business & Leadership
    • Museum Studies
    • Music
    • Pastoral Resources
    • Psychotherapy
  • FREUD SET
Cover Image
Hardback
Paperback
share of facebook share on twitter
Add to GoodReads Exam Copies

Nietzsche and Zen

Self Overcoming Without a Self

André van der Braak

In Nietzsche and Zen: Self-Overcoming Without a Self, André van der Braak engages Nietzsche in a dialogue with four representatives of the Buddhist Zen tradition: Nagarjuna (c. 150-250), Linji (d. 860), Dogen (1200-1253), and Nishitani (1900-1990). In doing so, he reveals Nietzsche's thought as a philosophy of continuous self-overcoming, in which even the notion of "self" has been overcome. Van der Braak begins by analyzing Nietzsche's relationship to Buddhism and status as a transcultural thinker, recalling research on Nietzsche and Zen to date and setting out the basic argument of the study. He continues by examining the practices of self-overcoming in Nietzsche and Zen, comparing Nietzsche's radical skepticism with that of Nagarjuna and comparing Nietzsche's approach to truth to Linji's. Nietzsche's methods of self-overcoming are compared to Dogen's zazen, or sitting meditation practice, and Dogen's notion of forgetting the self. These comparisons and others build van der Braak's case for a criticism of Nietzsche informed by the ideas of Zen Buddhism and a criticism of Zen Buddhism seen through the Western lens of Nietzsche - coalescing into one world philosophy. This treatment, focusing on one of the most fruitful areas of research within contemporary comparative and intercultural philosophy, will be useful to Nietzsche scholars, continental philosophers, and comparative philosophers.
  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
  • TOC
  • TOC
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
Lexington Books
Pages: 250 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
978-0-7391-6550-8 • Hardback • September 2011 • $128.00 • (£98.00)
978-0-7391-8444-8 • Paperback • May 2013 • $57.99 • (£45.00)
Series: Studies in Comparative Philosophy and Religion
Subjects: Philosophy / Buddhist, Philosophy / Social, Philosophy / Religious, Philosophy / Eastern, Philosophy / Zen, Philosophy / Mind & Body, Religion / Eastern, Religion / Buddhism / General, Religion / Ethics, Religion / Psychology of Religion, Religion / Buddhism / Zen
André van der Braak is research associate at Radboud University, Nijmegen.
Chapter 1 Preface
Chapter 2 Introduction: a Summary of Arguments
Part 3 Part 1. Setting the Stage
Chapter 4 Chapter 1. Nietzsche's Buddhism
Chapter 5 Chapter 2. Nietzsche and Zen - Previous Research
Chapter 6 Chapter 3. Nietzsche and Zen as Philosophies of Self-overcoming
Part 7 Part 2. Practices of Self-Overcoming
Chapter 8 Chapter 4. Nietzsche and Nagarjuna on the Self-overcoming of the Will to Truth
Chapter 9 Chapter 5. Nietzsche and Linji on Truth as Embodiment
Chapter 10 Chapter 6. Nietzsche and Dogen on the Self-cultivation of the Body
Chapter 11 Chapter 7. The Self-overcoming of the Ego
Part 12 Part 3. Enlightenment
Chapter 13 Chapter 8. The Self-overcoming of Redemption and Enlightenment
Chapter 14 Chapter 9. The Child
Chapter 15 Chapter 10. Nishitani on Nietzsche: the Self-overcoming of the Will to Power
Part 16 Part 4. The Self-overcoming of Philosophy
Chapter 17 Chapter 11. Exoteric and Esoteric
Chapter 18 Chapter 12. Revaluation of All Values
Chapter 19 Epilogue: Toward a Philosophy of the Future
The great merit of his study lies in bringing together two different positions, one from the West and one from the East; one being a specific thinker, Nietzsche, the other a whole tradition, represented by Nagarjuna, Linji, Dogen and Keiji Nishitani, who did not know of each other (except Nishitani), revealing many parallels and deep relations, which are very helpful in clarifying each other and attest all the more for their validity and value as they come from very different backgrounds and are couched in different languages and styles.
— Frontiers of Philosophy in China


This is a timely and important book. André Van der Braak does an impressive job of gathering together the variety of comparative work previously done on Zen and Nietzsche and moving the discussion forward in lucid and compelling ways. Nietzsche and Zen does not limit itself to exploring surprising similarities between this provocative European philosopher and this radical East Asian Buddhist tradition; it stages a friendly contest in which their legacies are allowed to join hands and challenge one another to proceed still further down their paths of self-overcoming.
— Bret W. Davis, author of Zen Pathways: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Zen Buddhism


This is the first book-length, scholarly study of Nietzsche and Zen, and it makes an auspicious and constructive start. The research behind the reading of Nietzsche is judicious and comprehensive, and the insights into the Zen ideas come across as informed by practice. Highly recommended.
— Graham Parkes, Professor of Philosophy, University College Cork


We finally have in our hands the first comprehensive philosophical study of Nietzsche and Zen. Andre Van der Braak's Nietzsche and Zen: Self-overcoming Without a Self is a thoughtful meditation on doing intercultural philosophy in a Nietzschean way. Nietzsche ultimately seeks a 'way-knowing' more similar to Buddhism and Daoism than the truth-seeking of his own philosophical tradition. This book situates Nietzsche in an intercultural context that clearly resonates with his own way of knowing. Van der Braak's Nietzsche and Zen is not only much needed—it represents a serious contribution to comparative philosophy.
— David Jones, editor of Comparative and Continental Philosophy and co-author of The Fractal Self: Science, Philosophy, and the Evolution of Human Cooperation


Nietzsche and Zen

Self Overcoming Without a Self

Cover Image
Hardback
Paperback
Summary
Summary
  • In Nietzsche and Zen: Self-Overcoming Without a Self, André van der Braak engages Nietzsche in a dialogue with four representatives of the Buddhist Zen tradition: Nagarjuna (c. 150-250), Linji (d. 860), Dogen (1200-1253), and Nishitani (1900-1990). In doing so, he reveals Nietzsche's thought as a philosophy of continuous self-overcoming, in which even the notion of "self" has been overcome. Van der Braak begins by analyzing Nietzsche's relationship to Buddhism and status as a transcultural thinker, recalling research on Nietzsche and Zen to date and setting out the basic argument of the study. He continues by examining the practices of self-overcoming in Nietzsche and Zen, comparing Nietzsche's radical skepticism with that of Nagarjuna and comparing Nietzsche's approach to truth to Linji's. Nietzsche's methods of self-overcoming are compared to Dogen's zazen, or sitting meditation practice, and Dogen's notion of forgetting the self. These comparisons and others build van der Braak's case for a criticism of Nietzsche informed by the ideas of Zen Buddhism and a criticism of Zen Buddhism seen through the Western lens of Nietzsche - coalescing into one world philosophy. This treatment, focusing on one of the most fruitful areas of research within contemporary comparative and intercultural philosophy, will be useful to Nietzsche scholars, continental philosophers, and comparative philosophers.
Details
Details
  • Lexington Books
    Pages: 250 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
    978-0-7391-6550-8 • Hardback • September 2011 • $128.00 • (£98.00)
    978-0-7391-8444-8 • Paperback • May 2013 • $57.99 • (£45.00)
    Series: Studies in Comparative Philosophy and Religion
    Subjects: Philosophy / Buddhist, Philosophy / Social, Philosophy / Religious, Philosophy / Eastern, Philosophy / Zen, Philosophy / Mind & Body, Religion / Eastern, Religion / Buddhism / General, Religion / Ethics, Religion / Psychology of Religion, Religion / Buddhism / Zen
Author
Author
  • André van der Braak is research associate at Radboud University, Nijmegen.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Chapter 1 Preface
    Chapter 2 Introduction: a Summary of Arguments
    Part 3 Part 1. Setting the Stage
    Chapter 4 Chapter 1. Nietzsche's Buddhism
    Chapter 5 Chapter 2. Nietzsche and Zen - Previous Research
    Chapter 6 Chapter 3. Nietzsche and Zen as Philosophies of Self-overcoming
    Part 7 Part 2. Practices of Self-Overcoming
    Chapter 8 Chapter 4. Nietzsche and Nagarjuna on the Self-overcoming of the Will to Truth
    Chapter 9 Chapter 5. Nietzsche and Linji on Truth as Embodiment
    Chapter 10 Chapter 6. Nietzsche and Dogen on the Self-cultivation of the Body
    Chapter 11 Chapter 7. The Self-overcoming of the Ego
    Part 12 Part 3. Enlightenment
    Chapter 13 Chapter 8. The Self-overcoming of Redemption and Enlightenment
    Chapter 14 Chapter 9. The Child
    Chapter 15 Chapter 10. Nishitani on Nietzsche: the Self-overcoming of the Will to Power
    Part 16 Part 4. The Self-overcoming of Philosophy
    Chapter 17 Chapter 11. Exoteric and Esoteric
    Chapter 18 Chapter 12. Revaluation of All Values
    Chapter 19 Epilogue: Toward a Philosophy of the Future
Reviews
Reviews
  • The great merit of his study lies in bringing together two different positions, one from the West and one from the East; one being a specific thinker, Nietzsche, the other a whole tradition, represented by Nagarjuna, Linji, Dogen and Keiji Nishitani, who did not know of each other (except Nishitani), revealing many parallels and deep relations, which are very helpful in clarifying each other and attest all the more for their validity and value as they come from very different backgrounds and are couched in different languages and styles.
    — Frontiers of Philosophy in China


    This is a timely and important book. André Van der Braak does an impressive job of gathering together the variety of comparative work previously done on Zen and Nietzsche and moving the discussion forward in lucid and compelling ways. Nietzsche and Zen does not limit itself to exploring surprising similarities between this provocative European philosopher and this radical East Asian Buddhist tradition; it stages a friendly contest in which their legacies are allowed to join hands and challenge one another to proceed still further down their paths of self-overcoming.
    — Bret W. Davis, author of Zen Pathways: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Zen Buddhism


    This is the first book-length, scholarly study of Nietzsche and Zen, and it makes an auspicious and constructive start. The research behind the reading of Nietzsche is judicious and comprehensive, and the insights into the Zen ideas come across as informed by practice. Highly recommended.
    — Graham Parkes, Professor of Philosophy, University College Cork


    We finally have in our hands the first comprehensive philosophical study of Nietzsche and Zen. Andre Van der Braak's Nietzsche and Zen: Self-overcoming Without a Self is a thoughtful meditation on doing intercultural philosophy in a Nietzschean way. Nietzsche ultimately seeks a 'way-knowing' more similar to Buddhism and Daoism than the truth-seeking of his own philosophical tradition. This book situates Nietzsche in an intercultural context that clearly resonates with his own way of knowing. Van der Braak's Nietzsche and Zen is not only much needed—it represents a serious contribution to comparative philosophy.
    — David Jones, editor of Comparative and Continental Philosophy and co-author of The Fractal Self: Science, Philosophy, and the Evolution of Human Cooperation


ALSO AVAILABLE

  • Cover image for the book Nietzsche's Epic of the Soul: Thus Spoke Zarathustra
  • Cover image for the book Buddhist Philosophy and the Embodied Mind: A Constructive Engagement
  • Cover image for the book Buddhism and Whiteness: Critical Reflections
  • Cover image for the book Brahman and Dao: Comparative Studies of Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion
  • Cover image for the book Translating Totality in Parts: Chengguan’s Commentaries and Subcommentaries to the Avatamska Sutra
  • Cover image for the book The Kyoto School's Takeover of Hegel: Nishida, Nishitani, and Tanabe Remake the Philosophy of Spirit
  • Cover image for the book Buddhism and Postmodernity: Zen, Huayan, and the Possibility of Buddhist Postmodern Ethics
  • Cover image for the book Merleau-Ponty and Buddhism
  • Cover image for the book Nietzsche's Epic of the Soul: Thus Spoke Zarathustra
  • Cover image for the book Buddhist Philosophy and the Embodied Mind: A Constructive Engagement
  • Cover image for the book Buddhism and Whiteness: Critical Reflections
  • Cover image for the book Brahman and Dao: Comparative Studies of Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion
  • Cover image for the book Translating Totality in Parts: Chengguan’s Commentaries and Subcommentaries to the Avatamska Sutra
  • Cover image for the book The Kyoto School's Takeover of Hegel: Nishida, Nishitani, and Tanabe Remake the Philosophy of Spirit
  • Cover image for the book Buddhism and Postmodernity: Zen, Huayan, and the Possibility of Buddhist Postmodern Ethics
  • Cover image for the book Merleau-Ponty and Buddhism
facebook icon twitter icon instagram icon linked in icon NEWSLETTERS
ABOUT US
  • Mission Statement
  • Employment
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Statement
CONTACT
  • Company Directory
  • Publicity and Media Queries
  • Rights and Permissions
  • Textbook Resource Center
AUTHOR RESOURCES
  • Royalty Contact
  • Production Guidelines
  • Manuscript Submissions
ORDERING INFORMATION
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • National Book Network
  • Ingram Publisher Services UK
  • Special Sales
  • International Sales
  • eBook Partners
  • Digital Catalogs
IMPRINTS
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • Lexington Books
  • Hamilton Books
  • Applause Books
  • Amadeus Press
  • Backbeat Books
  • Bernan
  • Hal Leonard Books
  • Limelight Editions
  • Co-Publishing Partners
  • Globe Pequot
  • Down East Books
  • Falcon Guides
  • Gooseberry Patch
  • Lyons Press
  • Muddy Boots
  • Pineapple Press
  • TwoDot Books
  • Stackpole Books
PARTNERS
  • American Alliance of Museums
  • American Association for State and Local History
  • Brookings Institution Press
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies
  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
  • Fortress Press
  • The Foundation for Critical Thinking
  • Lehigh University Press
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Other Partners...