Otani University Academic Repository / 大谷大学学術情報リポジトリ

Robert F. Rhodes

English

BOOK REVIEWS  Orion Klautau, editor. Murakami Senshō to Nihon kindai bukkyō (Murakami Senshō and Modern Japanese Buddhism)

Domingos S. de Sousa

T H E  E A S T E R N  B U D D H I S T  3 ,  1124
extremely detailed chronology of Murakami’s life. It may also be added that the book is 
beautifully designed, featuring photographs of an elderly Murakami on its front cover 
and a young Murakami on the back.
As the chapters in this volume abundantly show, Murakami was a multifaceted 
scholar who played a major role in the development of modern Buddhist studies in 
Japan. Many of these chapters also reveal that his thought re3ects the wider social and 
cultural currents of the Meiji and Taish% periods, suggesting that a more detailed study 
of this 5gure could provide new insights into the intellectual history of those years. 
Unfortunately, despite his importance Murakami gradually receded from public mem-
ory over the years, leading Hayashi to state that “although it may be an exaggeration to 
say that he is ‘a forgotten Buddhologist’ (wasurerareta bukky! gakusha 忘れられた仏教
学者), there is no mistake that he has become ‘a Buddhologist that no one talks about 
any more’ (katararenakunatta bukky! gakusha 語られなくなった仏教学者)” (p. 257). 
!is volume will undoubtedly serve to redress this situation and rescue Murakami 
from the oblivion to which he has been unjustly consigned for so long. 
#e Lost Way to the Good: Dionysian Platonism, Shin Buddhism, and the Shared Quest to 
Reconnect a Divided World. By !omas Plant. Brooklyn: Angelico Press, 2021. xxiv + 
244 pages. Hardcover. ISBN-13: 978-1-62138-791-6. 
D,@*/C,. S. -( S,'.&
!omas Plant is a Chaplain at Rikkyo University, Tokyo, and Fellow of !e Cam-
bridge Centre for the Study of Platonism. He wrote a comparative study of the 
thought of Dionysius the Areopagite (3. ca. late 5th–early 6th c.) and Shinran Sh%nin 
親鸞聖人 (1173–1262) for his doctoral degree and has been engaged in interfaith dia-
logue with Shin Buddhist clergy and academics in the UK and Japan. He declares that 
it was his experience of the East that guided him from “atheist materialism to Christi-
anity” and to the study of the ancient and mystical theologian, Dionysius the Areop-
agite (pp. 3–4). !e study of Shinran, in particular, “is part of the strange path that 
led [him] inadvertently to the Christian faith” (p. 122). Both 5gures had a profound 
in3uence on his spiritual journey. !rough the study of their thought, he discovers 
“the providential love that sunders the wall between faith and reason and satis5es both 
heart and mind” (p. 122). He claims that Buddhism and Christianity point equally to “a 
person of compassionate love beyond being, yet who sustains all beings” (p. 122).
Plant portrays himself as a “midlife advocate for the restoration of tradition in the 
West” (p. 3) and a proud Christian traditionalist. He is convinced that if Christians are 
B O O K  R E V I E W S 125
to become part of the solution to the problems of secularism, they need to rediscover 
the great ancient Western traditions closely intertwined with Eastern wisdom and 
cooperate in the pursuit of truth with other religious traditions. In his view, however, 
such a project should not be carried out under the “nebulous aegis of ‘interfaith’ work” 
(p. 6). Dialogue with other religious traditions must go beyond the acknowledgment 
of di$erences and a gentlemen’s agreement to cooperate in social and political projects. 
It should explore the possibility, he insists, of a “metaphysical commonality” (p. 6) 
even with nontheistic traditions. He argues that the sacramental metaphysics of Dio-
nysian Platonism provides Christians with the language that “can help us to make allies 
of others who equally desire and seek the truth and want to stand against the nihilism 
of our age” (pp. 6–7).
!e choice for a comparative study of Dionysius and Shinran is not arbitrary. !e 
author advances the bold claim that Dionysius the Areopagite, one of the most in3u-
ential Christian Platonists in the church, provides a bridge between the Eastern and 
Western religiophilosophical traditions and o$ers “Christian and Japanese Buddhist 
philosophy enough of a common language to make some mutual sense of the world” 
(p. xxii). In dialogue with the thought of Shinran, the founder of the Pure Land school 
of Buddhism, he tries to show “how traditions of the West and East can unite to chal-
lenge the relativism and power-obsession of secular modernity, reconnecting us instead 
to humanity’s common and ancient quest for transcendent truth and goodness” (p. 
xxii). He stresses that a Platonic approach to the Christian faith can unite us with 
ancient religions and philosophies and “o$ers the possibility of mutual intelligibility 
with Japanese True Pure Land Buddhism and the articulation of a shared, transcendent 
Good” (p. xxii). Dionysian Platonic philosophy is depicted as an “intellectual analogue 
to the Silk Road,” which made possible a “mutually intelligible philosophical dialogue 
from Ireland to Beijing” (p. 4).
In comparing the thought of Dionysius and Shinran, the author intends to high-
light the modern problem of the privatization of truth and the relegation of any sense 
of common good from the public square. He distances himself from “conventional 
Western scholarship” (p. 117), which has often pointed out shared structural pat-
terns between Shin Buddhism and Protestant Christianity, such as the priority of faith 
over works and the account of human nature as utterly depraved and incapable of 
achieving salvation. He considers these parallels no more than “cosmetic similarities” 
(p. 198). He claims that in comparing the thought of Dionysius and Shinran we can 
discern a deeper “shared metaphysical ground” (p. xxiii) between Shin Buddhism and 
Christianity. However, neither the God of Dionysius nor the Amida 阿弥陀 portrayed 
by Shinran should be conceived as a “static metaphysical absolute” (p. 167). On the 
contrary, both embody a unifying dynamism that encapsulates all reality, which is 
unknowable by bare reason, but which can be experienced as person and gift. God and 
T H E  E A S T E R N  B U D D H I S T  3 ,  1126
Amida are conceived not as being, not even as the supreme being, but rather as empti-
ness. Dionysius’s Christlike God, who reveals himself by emptying himself into beings, 
shares a remarkable conceptual similarity with Shinran’s understanding of Amida Bud-
dha as the inconceivable light that permeates all reality. In Plant’s view, both exemplify 
the understanding of being as dynamically unfolding from an in5nite plenitude of self-
emptying love as put forth by Nishitani Keiji 西谷啓治 (1900–1990). In this shared 
metaphysical ground, true reality is conceived as an activity of emptying. One’s true 
self is found in the emptying of the self that is false, epitomized by the Mahayana no-
self doctrine, with the parallels being Christ’s teaching of taking up the cross and Paul’s 
notion of dying so that Christ might live within. While acknowledging the existence of 
considerable and irreconcilable di$erences between Christianity and Shin Buddhism, 
the author insists that the striking conceptual overlap in seeing reality as salvi5c and a 
self-emptying unfolding of goodness provides a shared metaphysical ground that helps 
us to articulate a common resistance to the secularism and nihilism of our age.
In this highly eclectic and personal study, Plant’s aim is to show how the metaphysi-
cal wisdom of Dionysian Platonism and Shin Buddhism can meet the challenges posed 
by the secularism of modern societies. It is unclear to me how the book accomplishes 
this task. !e author, as many traditionalists like him, appears to be on a crusade 
against secularism. He sets up secularism as a straw person to be knocked down by the 
revival of ancient philosophical and spiritual traditions, failing thereby to appreciate 
the challenges of the present. Secularism does not have to be envisioned as a process 
whereby religion falls away, to be replaced by science and rationality. Charles Taylor, 
in his outstanding work A Secular Age, challenges such a negative view of secularism. 
He sees secularism as a development within Western Christianity. !e modern age, 
in his view, is not an age without religion; rather, secularism heralds “a move from 
a society where belief in God is unchallenged and indeed, unproblematic, to one in 
which it is understood to be one option among others.”1 !e resulting pluralism and 
unprecedented freedom create new challenges to religious traditions, which are called 
to interpret anew their roles in society. Religions cannot avoid being reshaped by mod-
ern forms of thought and practice, by secularization and globalization, with which 
they need to be brought into conversation. !ey must continually rede5ne themselves, 
holding on to what is normative in their scriptures and traditions, and adapting to the 
fresh challenges and opportunities of the present. !is means that religious believers 
should advocate neither a blind embrace nor a blanket rejection of the secular world, 
but rather a critical engagement with it.
Underlying Plant’s railing against secularism is his conviction that it is possible to 
5nd “metaphysical commonality” among religions, including nontheistic traditions 
1 Taylor 2007, p. 3.
B O O K  R E V I E W S 127
like Shin Buddhism. In seeking to challenge the relativism of secular modernity by 
searching out a shared metaphysical ground in Shin Buddhism and Christianity, he 
glides over the fact that there are no human experiences that are not mediated through 
particular cultural forms. !e speci5c features of concepts and religious doctrines are 
not just a means to an end but are themselves constitutive elements of the goal of reli-
gion. It is the distinctive patterns of story, belief, and behavior that give the respective 
religious concepts their speci5c and sometimes contradictory meanings. !is suggests 
that to the extent that the speci5c features of each religion are de-emphasized in the 
name of a putative metaphysical ground common to both religions, the value of each 
distinct religious tradition is lessened rather than a"rmed. !e whole thread of Plant’s 
argument, in short, rests upon the dubious assumption that it is possible to devise 
a universal conception of an ultimate good common to all religions, in the light of 
which secularism can be confronted. Although the book raises many more questions 
than it presents answers for, it provides a welcome contribution to the growing litera-
ture comparing Shin Buddhism and Christianity.
REFERENCE
Taylor, Charles. 2007. A Secular Age. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.


BOOK REVIEWS  Thomas Plant. The Lost Way to the Good: Dionysian Platonism, Shin Buddhism, and the Shared Quest to Reconnect a Divided World

浦山, あゆみ

ウラヤマ, アユミ

URAYAMA, Ayumi

早川, 智美

ハヤハワ, サトミ

HAYAKAWA, Satomi

福井, 敏

フクイ, ビン

FUKUI, Bin

Two Indices of General Contents and Authors' Names for Existing Issues

ISSN 0287-6493 
Bungei ronsO (Kyoto, 1973) 
文葵論叢
 
第 101 号 
2023・10 
大谷大撃文婆撃曾 
高
山
寺
・
明
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と
藤
原
盛
兼
 
野
 
村
 
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1
 
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大
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2
4
 
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に
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け
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女
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と
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蛇
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木
 
下
 
和
 
4
1
 
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を
中
心
と
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大
谷
大
畢
文
萎
畢
曾
会
則
 
第
一
条
 
（名
称
）
 
本
会
は
大
谷
大
畢
文
墓
拳
曾
と
称
す
る
第
二
条
 
（
目
的）
 
本
会
は
国
文
学
・
中
国
文
学
に
関
す
る
研
究
を
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な
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広
く
学
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に
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こ
と
を
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第
三
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（
事業
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本
会
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前
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の
目
的
を
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た
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に
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機
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2
 
講
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並
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会
 
3
 
そ
の
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必
要
な
事
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第
四
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（
会員
）
 
本
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は
本
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の
国
文
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国
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の
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員
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第
五
条
 
（役
員
）
 
本
会
に
代
表
者
一
名
・
幹
事
二
名
を
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第
六
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（
会
計）
 
本
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の
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計
は
会
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そ
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も
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第
七
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（事
務
所
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本
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の
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務
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 則
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本
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四
十
八
年
四
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一
日
よ
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蒸
 
論
 
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第
百
一
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定
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〇
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五
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十
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発
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上
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*
本
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か
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刊
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物
出
版
補
助
金
を
受
け
て
い
る
。
 
THE 
BUNGEI RONSO 
STUDIES 
IN 
LITERATURE 
JAPANESE AND CHINESE 
VOL. CI. 2023. 10 
Articles: 
Kzanji Temple（高山寺）,My6e（明恵）and 
Fujiwara Morikane ( 原盛兼) NOMURATakumi 
Thoughts on the story of Sanukino-Gendaibu NISHIYAMA Mio 
Considering Women and Snakes in Literary Works. 
with a focusing on the Dojoji Engi KINOSHITA Nodoka 
THE SOCIETY FOR LITERARY STUDIES 
OTANI UNIVERSITY 
KYOTO JAPAN 


Japanese

表紙、目次、奥付

（ 18 ） 大谷大学図書館・博物館報（第40号）
2022 年度秋季企画展（実習生展併催）
大谷大学博物館の逸品　－重要文化財『判比量論』断簡－
■会　期
　2022 年 9 月 6 日（火）～ 9 月 24 日（土）
■展示品
　＊ 重要文化財『判比量論』断簡　（8 世紀）
  ＊『二障義』　（江戸時代）
　＊『宋高僧伝』巻第四　< 大谷大学図書館蔵 >（江戸時代）ほか　全 11 件
■実習生展
　A 班　「救済と審判　－地蔵菩薩と閻魔大王－」
　B 班　「観音信仰と人々　－近世の西国巡礼－」
　C 班　「東本願寺と都の大火　－再建を支えた人びとの力－」
■入館者数　343 名
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大谷大学のあゆみ　清沢満之と真宗大学
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　＊『真宗聖典』< 大谷大学図書館蔵 >（明治 45 年 1912）
　＊「巣鴨村真宗大学ノ図」< 大谷大学図書館蔵 >（明治時代）　ほか　全 40 件
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相
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　＊「阿弥陀如来像」　（中国・清時代）
　＊「方便法身尊形」　（江戸時代）
　＊「延寿命除苦観音菩薩像」（敦煌画模本）（20 世紀）
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　 　 　 　 博 物 館 の 活 動2022年度　
（ 19 ）大谷大学図書館・博物館報（第40号）
2022 年度特別展
仏法東帰　－大仏開眼へのみち－　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
■会　期　
　2022 年 10 月 11 日（火）～ 11 月 28 日（月）
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　＊「須弥山儀」< 龍谷大学大宮図書館蔵 >（嘉永 3 年 1850）
　＊ 重要文化財『続日本紀』巻第十八　< 名古屋市蓬左文庫 >
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■記念講演会　　10 月 22 日（土）　  「仏法東帰－大仏開眼へのみち－」
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　講師：宮﨑健司
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　大谷大学文学部教授、大谷大学博物館長
■学生ガイドによる解説ツアー（会期中実施）
■入館者数　1,705 名
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衆
しゅえん
縁の募
つのり
　斧
ふ ぎ ん
斤の力
つとめ
　－幕末・明治東本願寺再
さいこん
建の歴史－　
■会　期
　2023 年 1 月 17 日（火）～ 2 月 18 日（土）
■展示品
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　＊「御影堂御地築図」　（江戸時代）
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　＊「東本願寺境内之真図」　（明治 36 年 1903）　 ほか　全 50 件
■入館者数　623 名
博物館人事（2022 年 4 月 1 日現在）
・博物館長　　　宮﨑　健司
  　　　主事  　川端　泰幸
　　　　学芸員　宮﨑　健司　 川端　泰幸　 國賀由美子
・博物館委員会委員　　江森　英世　 宮﨑　健司　 川端　泰幸　 國賀由美子　 戸次　顕彰　 佐藤　愛弓
　　　　　　　　　　　松浦　典弘　 松川　　節　 山本　貴子　 金　　厚志　 山内　美智　 山崎　　学　　　　　　　　　　　
・博物館研究員　（学内） 乾　　源俊　 戸次　顕彰　 三木　彰円
　　　　　　　　（学外） 大畑　博嗣（兵庫県立兵庫津ミュージアム）
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その他事業
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　　　（公益財団法人　三菱財団　文化財保存修復事業助成　2021 年～ 2022 年）
　・「歴代講師軸」のうち 3 軸の修復


2022年度 博物館の活動

知名, 定寛

チナ, サダヒロ

CHINA, Sadahiro

Higashi and Nishi Honganji in the Ryūkyū Islands in Early Meiji

伴, 真一朗

バン, シンイチロウ

BAN, Shin'ichiro

[Abstract]An Annnotated Japanese Translation of Ye shes dpal ldan's History of Buddhism in Mongolia "the Rosary of Jewels": the comparison of Tibetan and Monolian texts(2)

上島, 享

ウエジマ, ススム

UEJIMA, Susumu

二〇二三年度 春季公開講演会講演録　日本中世社会の形成をどう考えるのか

前田, 充洋

マエダ, ミツヒロ

MAEDA, Mitsuhiro

Ein Wegbereiter von Command Technology im Deutschen Kaiserreich: Gründung von das königlichen Materialprüfungsamt und sein Aktivitäten

大谷大学博士（文学）doctoral thesi

鶴留, 正智

親鸞思想における他者

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BOOK REVIEWS Orion Klautau, editor. Murakami Senshō to Nihon kindai bukkyō (Murakami Senshō and Modern Japanese Buddhism)

BOOK REVIEWS Thomas Plant. The Lost Way to the Good: Dionysian Platonism, Shin Buddhism, and the Shared Quest to Reconnect a Divided World

Two Indices of General Contents and Authors' Names for Existing Issues

表紙、目次、奥付

2022年度博物館の活動

Higashi and Nishi Honganji in the Ryūkyū Islands in Early Meiji

[Abstract]An Annnotated Japanese Translation of Ye shes dpal ldan's History of Buddhism in Mongolia "the Rosary of Jewels": the comparison of Tibetan and Monolian texts(2)

二〇二三年度春季公開講演会講演録　日本中世社会の形成をどう考えるのか

Ein Wegbereiter von Command Technology im Deutschen Kaiserreich: Gründung von das königlichen Materialprüfungsamt und sein Aktivitäten

親鸞思想における他者

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