Emptiness/Nothingness as Explained by Ryu Yongmo (Tasŏk) (1890–1981) and Isaac Jacob Schmidt (1779–1847): A Cross-Cultural Study of the Integration of Asian Intellectual Heritage into the Worldview of Two Protestant Christians

Author:

Kļaviņš Kaspars1

Affiliation:

1. Department of Asian Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Latvia, Visvalža iela 4a, LV-1050 Rīga, Latvia

Abstract

The concepts of emptiness and nothingness are extremely important in Eastern as well as Western spiritual traditions. In East Asia, they are relevant in Daoism, Confucianism (in the context of integrating Daoist ideas) and Buddhism (in Śūnyatā), while in the European Christian discourse they are significant in the context of creatio ex nihilo, kenotic theories, individual self-emptying out of humility and Nihilianism. These concepts have formed and continue to form the basis of important intercultural interactions, influencing philosophical and scholarly discourse in both the “East” and “West” to the present day. This article compares the perception of emptiness/nothingness from two representatives of Protestantism: the Korean Christian philosopher Ryu Yongmo (1890–1981, pen name Tasŏk) and the Moravian missionary Isaac Jacob Schmidt (1779–1847), who was a pioneer of Buddhist studies in Europe. A comparison between Schmidt and Tasŏk is important, because tracing the evolution of the worldview of both thinkers reveals a great similarity in how they reconciled the spiritual heritage of Asia with the principles of Western Protestant Christianity despite their different backgrounds. It also could shed new light on the possibility of dialogue between Christianity and Buddhism, especially in the context of two major philosophical systems of Mahāyāna Buddhism: Yogācāra and Mādhyamika, which were once so important in East Asia. In addition, it is exactly the interpretation of emptiness/nothingness that forms the cornerstone of the analogy of the religious–philosophical ideas of the two thinkers compared in the article.

Publisher

MDPI AG

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3. Babinger, Franz (1920). Isaak Jakob Schmidt 1779–1847, Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Tibetforschung. Festschrift für Friedrich Hirth zu seinem 75. Geburtstag, Verlag Oesterheld & Co.

4. Burns, Helena (2024, February 01). What Is It Like Being Married to Jesus?. Berkley Forum, Available online: https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/forum/what-is-it-like-being-married-to-jesus.

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