Zen and Philosophy

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments Without the support and kindness of many individuals and institutions , it would have been impossible to carry out the research that went into making this book. I would like to thank Western Washington University for granting me professional research leaves in 1991 and 1998. I would also like to thank the Japan Foundation for a fellowship that enabled me to do research in Japan in 1993 and 1994. I owe special thanks to Ueda Shizuteru, professor emeritus of Kyoto University, who took a personal interest in my work and encouraged me to write Denki Nishida Kitarö, a biography of Nishida in Japanese . The experience of completing that book pushed me to finish the present English version. The late Professor Nishitani Keiji, who was a direct living link to Nishida, inspired me not to give up my work on Nishida Kitarö, which was personally very important for me. Raimon Panikkar, professor emeritus of University of California Santa Barbara, holds a unique place in relation to this book as the person who first suggested that I take up Nishida’s thought. Master Sasaki Jöshü of the Mt. Baldy Zen Center in California was kind enough to allow me a glimpse into the fascinating world of Zen. I am indebted to James Heisig, director of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture, who facilitated my research in Japan. Graham Parkes, professor at the University of Hawai‘i, and Fred Dallmayr, professor at the University of Notre Dame, took precious time to offer me invaluable suggestions for improving my text. My colleague at Western Washington University, Edward Kaplan, patiently went through many earlier versions of my manuscript. I owe him very special thanks indeed. Yamashita Masao (retired professor, Kyoto University) and Katö Hiroyoshi (retired professor, Gakushüin University), Mr. Ötsubo Acknowledgments Hideji, director of Musashi Kinenkan in Tokyo, and Mr. Inotani Kazuo, former director of Nishida Kinenkan in Unoke, supplied me with opportunities to look at rare materials and other hard-to-obtain documents. Mr. Iwanami Yüjirö, son of Iwanami Shigeo, graciously allowed me to use the fantastic book collections held at the Iwanami Company in Kanda, Tokyo. Mr. Mikami and Mr. Sasahara of Töeisha in Kyoto graciously granted me freedom to reproduce material from the Japanese version of my biography of Nishida Kitarö. Thanks are also due my friends. Matsunami Taiun of Daitokuji provided me with a beautiful environment in which to carry out my research in Kyoto. My most personal thanks go to Mrs. Marjory ( Jory) Chadbourne, a very fine poet, who from the beginning till the end of this project, has sustained me with her boundless love. I appreciate knowing Mihoko (Okamura) Bekku, who acted as secretary to D. T. Suzuki in his last fifteen years. From time to time, she shared with me her memories of her “sensei.” I had the good fortune too of coming to know Mr. Nishida Kikuhiko and the late Mr. Ueda Hisashi, both grandsons of Nishida Kitarö. There are more individuals (many of whom are now deceased) to whom thanks are due. But I should not forget my mother and father, my two sisters and their husbands, and my other relatives. They all selflessly responded to my never-ending requests, from finding books in Japan to fixing my computer problems. This book is dedicated to my dear friend and beloved companions and to what they stand for—love, reason, and conscience. xiv ...