<Articles>Buddhist Ethics and Counseling : Nishitani Keiji and Kawai Hayao (The 6th International Symposium between the Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University (Japan), and the Institute of Education, University of London (UK))

Abstract

Nishitani Keiji was a Japanese thinker of the Kyoto School known for his masterpiece Religion and Nothingness, where he discusses the problem of nihilism and the need to go beyond that into the area of Absolute Nothingness. Kawai Hayao, on the other hand, is the founder of Japanese Analytical and Clinical Psychology. His work to be discussed in this presentation, Buddhism and the Art of Psychotherapy, takes a look at the differing concepts of I in Buddhism and in the West, as well as how this affects his psychotherapy. In the first part of this presentation, we will delve into the ideas of these two thinkers regarding personal ethics. We shall look into the similarities between these thinkers in terms of their views on consciousness and the problem of nihility/loss of relatedness facing modern man, which often manifests itself in the form of psychological problems. We will also be exploring how they resolve and unite dualities involved in the formation of personal ethics such as the unification of the individual-whole, being-nothing, conscious-unconscious, and the already-not yet. Using those above as a foundation, we will also be pointing out the social aspects of these ideas and their implications toward interpersonal relationships. Both thinkers agree on the problem of the separation of self in modern man with others and within himself. Nishitani gives clarity and depth to Kawai's ideas while Kawai's observations and experiences ground Nishitani's theoretical framework, giving it concrete applications in daily life. By combining these two thinkers, we hope to come up with a nuanced view of the self as it forms its personal ethics and the imperatives that such a view holds in the way we think of ourselves and relate with others.