BEING (and) ZEN

BEING (and) ZEN is a collection of original 2023 – 2026 essays, talks and presentations exploring Being and being human in relation to the energy-matter-information of the physical world, including insights of (Zen) Buddhism and Dogen’s Shōbōgenzō.Human relationality (inter-subject-object-ivity); ipseity (auto-reflection), transcendence (of one-in-the-world to one-as-the-world); ontic states (body-mind-location) and being-a-conscious-I (“consciousness”) are explored as one’s existence-participation in life among others. Similarities of selected ideas of Dogen, M. Heidegger and J. Lacan on mirroring reflections are suggested for further study.In Chapter I, human individuality (singularity, uniqueness) is addressed as a distinct body-mind-location (existence-participation, experienceand experiencing).In Chapter II, a new concept of ipseity is introduced as a relation an event forms with itself (auto-reflection) (subject-object-ivity, knowability, being-aware vs being-conscious, ipsocentricity (self-centrism, “narcissism”).In Chapter III, a new meta-model of human relatedness is introduced (ipsocentric vs exocentric vs mutual; ontic states; epistemic perspectivality; inter-subject-object-ivity).In Chapter IV, transcendence is investigated as a shift fromthe duality of inter-subject-object-ivity of one-in-the-world (singularity) towards ipseityof one-as-the-world (oneness), “Consciousness”, the state and the experience of “being” a “conscious” “I”, is explored as a relation of mutual reflection (re-flect-ion) among interacting events (states, entities) within the matter-energy-information of the physical world (ipseity-of-the-Universe). Transcendence of human consciousness is then examined as a movement from the singularity of body-mind-location and the duality of subject / object (inter-subject-object-ivity) towards theipseity-of-onenessof the “I-as-reality”, here-now and the natural order of being-as-Being.Chapter V explores Zen as a direct, mind-to-mind, transmission and realization of suchness of Being (Tathātā) and Eihei Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō, focusing on Dogen’s insights into (i) the nature of reality (Dharma); (ii) being human (buddha-nature, busshō) and (iii) the pathway (Zazen) and inseparability (oneness) of practice-as-realization of enlightenment (bodhi), liberation (nirvana)and beyond (Buddhahood).In the final comments, some of the essential questions about “reality” and the physical world as the ipseity of Being and their own auto-reflection are suggested for further investigation through closer reading of selected work of Dogen on the reality (Dharma) as great “round”, “old” or “bright” mirrors; M. Heidegger on “the mirror-play of the fourfold (das Geviert)” and J. Lacan on the "mirror stage" and beyond, where "all sorts of things in this world behave like mirrors". Read more