Rude Awakenings: Zen, the
Kyoto School, & the Question of Nationalism (Nanzan Library of Asian
Religion and Culture), ed. by James W. Heisig, John C. Maraldo,
University of Hawaii Press, 1995
Can Zen tell us whether particular wars are
right or wrong? What role did D. T. Suzuki and other Zen figures play in the
Japanese nationalism that fueled World War II? What are we to make of
nationalistic elements in the thought of Nishida Kitaro, Tanabe Hajime,
Nishitani Keiji, and other philosophers of the Kyoto School? What connection
was there between the Japanese project of overcoming the modernity of the West
and the militarism of its 15-year war in Asia?
In a collection of carefully documented essays, 15 Japanese and
Western scholars take up these and other questions about the political
responsibility of Japanese Buddhist intellectuals. This well-indexed and
meticulously edited volume offers a variety of critical perspectives and a
wealth of information for those interested in prewar and wartime history, Zen,
Japanese philosophy, and the problem of nationalism today.(amazon)
https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/RudeAwakenings.pdf
Today, there is a great deal of critical
research into the school's role before and during the Second World War.
