Guide to the Perplexed: An Attempt to Make Sense of the Tillich-Hisamatsu Dialogues

Abstract

The 1957 Harvard encounter between Paul Tillich and Zen master Shin’ichi Hisamatsu contains a wealth of information on the overlap and discrepancies between the two systems of thought, both individually and in regard to the larger East-West dialogue. This paper was written with the intent to mine the somewhat chaotic content of this historical document for elements leading to a systematic philosophical and theological investigation of underlying themes. In particular, it takes into account insights from Tillich’s early German period to highlight the profound difference in his approach to the notion of paradox when compared to that of Zen Buddhism, a tradition he admired but was never fully able to penetrate