Kitaro Nishida y la lógica de la nada, pt. 1/3

Darin McNabb・2 minutes read

William Blake's idea of purified perception revealing the infinite nature of reality influenced Aldous Huxley, inspiring his book "The Doors of Perception," which later inspired The Doors. Various philosophers and thinkers like Nietzsche, Joseph Campbell, Kitaro Nishida, and William James explored the concept of pure experience and its impact on perception and reality, challenging conventional understandings and emphasizing non-dual states of consciousness and ultimate reality.

Insights

  • William Blake believed that purified perception could unveil the infinite nature of reality, inspiring subsequent thinkers like Aldous Huxley and Nietzsche to explore breaking through illusions to grasp true existence.
  • Kitaro Nishida's emphasis on 'pure experience' as the core of reality, echoing William James' concept, challenges conventional notions by highlighting a non-dual, unitary state of existence beyond individual perspectives, akin to Spinoza's infinite unity.

Get key ideas from YouTube videos. It’s free

Recent questions

  • What inspired Aldous Huxley's book "The Doors of Perception"?

    William Blake's idea of purified perception.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

"Exploring Reality Through Perception and Experience"

  • William Blake expressed the idea that purified perception would reveal the infinite nature of reality.
  • Aldous Huxley was inspired by Blake's words and wrote "The Doors of Perception," detailing his experience with psychotropics.
  • The rock group The Doors took their name from Huxley's book, with their song "Break on Through" referencing breaking through to another side.
  • Nietzsche's concept of the veil of Maya is illustrated through Jim Morrison's lyrics and the idea of breaking through to reality.
  • Religion, especially when combined with art, can have profound effects on perception, as seen in the grandeur of Gothic churches.
  • Ancient philosophies focused on purifying conception to change life, with the ultimate reality in Hindu philosophy being Brahman.
  • Joseph Campbell noted that people seek an experience of being alive rather than understanding ultimate reality.
  • Japanese philosopher Kitaro Nishida, influenced by Zen Buddhism, sought to understand Zen within the Western conceptual framework.
  • Zen practice aims for satori, an experience of reality beyond conceptual reasoning, achieved through meditation and physical work.
  • Nishida's work delves into the nature of reality as pure experience, emphasizing the importance of unadulterated consciousness.

17:47

Unity in Pure Experience: Non-Dual Reality

  • Concepts like 'mu' in Japanese Zen, Nishida's 'pure experience', and Peirce's firstness category all point to a non-dual, unitary reality before distinctions.
  • William James, a colleague of Peirce, introduced the concept of 'pure experience' as the primordial material of the world, from which attention carves out objects and concepts.
  • James views 'pure experience' as an undifferentiated continuum that human needs fragment into objects and concepts, distinct from reality.
  • Nishida found James' idea of 'pure experience' appealing due to its alignment with the Zen concept of satori, addressing issues from classical empiricism and German idealism.
  • James' radical empiricism overcomes skepticism by denying the dualism between subject and object, asserting that relations are given in experience, not mental constructs.
  • Nishida's focus on 'pure experience' as the sole reality challenges the conventional understanding of experience arising from individuals, emphasizing the non-dual state of reality.
  • Nishida's concept of 'pure experience' aligns with Spinoza's God, representing infinite opposition and unity, serving as the basis of reality and the ultimate destination.
Channel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatar

Try it yourself — It’s free.