Brook Ziporyn's "Emptiness and Omnipresence" argues that Tiantai Buddhism, a sixth-century Chinese school originating from the Lotus Sutra, offers profound insights relevant to contemporary philosophical concerns in ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics. The book examines Tiantai's development from its roots, its distinctive stances of both extreme affirmation and rejection, its complex relationship with religious skepticism and myth, and its unique perspective on human consciousness.
By placing Tiantai Buddhism in dialogue with modern philosophical questions, Ziporyn illuminates its unexpected philosophical effects and stimulates reflection on its implications. The work details Tiantai's systematic and influential philosophical thought developed in East Asia, revealing its significant contributions to understanding these core philosophical areas.
Key concepts
- Tiantai Buddhism — A complete, systematic, and influential school of philosophical thought developed in East Asia from an interpretation of the Lotus Sutra.
- Lotus Sutra — The foundational text from which Tiantai Buddhism emerged in sixth-century China.
- Ethics, Epistemology, and Metaphysics — Philosophical domains where Ziporyn draws out the implications of Tiantai Buddhism.
- Extreme Affirmation and Rejection — Specific positions held by Tiantai Buddhism as explained in the book.
- Religious Skepticism and Embrace of Religious Myth — The contrasting attitudes towards religion explored within Tiantai philosophy.
Popular questions readers ask
- How would you explain the significance of Tiantai Buddhism's "idiosyncratic and innovative interpretation of the Lotus Sutra" to someone unfamiliar with either term, and why was this interpretation so crucial to its development as a "complete, systematic, and influential school"?
- The text states Ziporyn puts Tiantai "into dialogue with modern philosophical concerns." What specific "modern philosophical concerns" do you anticipate Tiantai's insights might illuminate or challenge in the fields of ethics, epistemology, or metaphysics, and why would this dialogue be productive?
- Tiantai is described as holding "positions of extreme affirmation and rejection" alongside an embrace of "religious skepticism and religious myth." How can a single philosophical school coherently hold such seemingly contradictory stances, and what might this reveal about its "profound insights"?
- Beyond the summary, the description mentions Tiantai's "view of human consciousness." Based on its other characteristics (idiosyncratic, systematic, extreme positions, skepticism/myth), what *kind* of view of human consciousness would you predict Tiantai might hold, and how might this view connect to its implications for ethics or metaphysics?
- Ziporyn aims to "stimulate philosophical reflection on its unexpected effects." What about Tiantai's "effects" might be considered "unexpected" in the context of contemporary philosophical dialogue, and why is this "unexpectedness" central to the book's purpose?