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Call for Publications Theme: Dōgen's texts Subtitle: Manifesting philosophy and/as/of religion? Publication: Edited Volume Deadline: 15.4.2021 __________________________________________________ The Zen Master Dōgen, founder of the Sōtō school in medieval Japan, remains the most widely read pre-modern Japanese author in modern day philosophy since the Meiji period. However, at the same time, his philosophical reception is most fiercely criticized by his denomination, i.e. by scholars of the Sōtō Zen community. The dispute was caused by the pretensions of non-denominational intellectuals to pave the way for an authentic apprenticeship independent of the practice of “sitting-only” (j. shikan taza) which was taught by the Sōtō school as the core of Dōgen’s Zen. However, the predominance of a “practical” interpretation of Dōgen covers up the linguistic complexities of Dōgen’s writings. In fact, the Shōbōgenzō’s emergence as a philosophical text exhibits, more than any other example, the history of Japanese philosophy in the making in the modern age while competing with the premodern denominational approach. For this reason, Dōgen studies in Meiji Japan can be understood as a passageway in which the image projected onto Dōgen underwent severe changes and multiplied. What exactly happened to Dōgen during that time still awaits to be spelled out, both historically and systematically. As do the account and discussion of its pre-Meiji conditions and post-Meiji results. Our anthology aims at the core issue that became critical during Meiji period in which the philosophical appropriation of Dōgen worked as a catalyst to tackle the question, both inside and outside the monastery: How are we to handle Dōgen’s texts? This issue is not limited to the apparent oppositions of premodern denominational authority vs. modern academic discourse, religion vs. philosophy, or commentary vs. critique. The emergence of a modern Shūgaku based on self-criticism of practitioners or the convergence of philosophic discourse on Dōgen with denominational commentary literature are examples that undermine the apparent oppositions and show that the issues involved are more complex. Regarding present day Dōgen studies, most intricacies go back to or are informed by a number of different factions among those who receive Dōgen before, in, or since Meiji Japan: the Zennist (j. zenjōka) emphasising practice, the Genzōnians (j. genzōka) shifting the attention to the reading of Dōgen’s texts, the laity movement opening up both the texts and the practice to people in modern society, and the Genzō researchers (j. genzō kenkyūka) searching for the authenticity and truth of Dōgen’s writings. The call for papers invites contributors to clarify, undermine and/or revise the common images of Dōgen in the monastery, in the denominational studies, or modern academic philosophy. The objective is to bring into play the various discourses on Dōgen and to discuss their relation across times and factions in modern and premodern times. The challenge remains to establish hermeneutic standards of reading and to propose new, original, and critical interpretations of his texts. Confirmed contributors include Laurentiu Andrei, Eitan Bolokan, Russell Guilbault, Steve Heine, Ralf Müller, Raji Steineck, Aldo Tollini, Andre Van der Braak, and George Wrisley. Editors are Ralf Müller and George Wrisley. Please submit your abstract by the 15th of April to: ralf.muel...@uni-hildesheim.de __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: https://interphil.polylog.org InterPhil List Archive: https://www.mail-archive.com/interphil@list.polylog.org/ __________________________________________________
