Korean Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

This essay compares Consciousness Only Buddhism and Heidegger’s philosophy. This comparison is performed with a focus on two major concepts: ‘acquiring bodhi by the transmutation of consciousness’[轉識得智] and ‘anticipatory resoluteness’[vorlaufender Entschlossenheit ].The ‘acquiring bodhi by the transmutation of consciousness’ concept is understood only by the aid of other concepts such as the Three Natures[三性], Transmutation of Support[轉依], Nirvana [涅槃], Four Knowledges[四智], and Four Body- Lands[身土]. The ‘anticipatory resoluteness’ concept also is closely related with other concepts such as Da-sein , Disclosedness[Erschlossenheit, Entborgenheit ], Falling[Verfall ], Ek-sistence[Ek-sistenz ], Letting Beings Be[Sein-lassen ], and Concernful Dealings[besorgender Umgang ].Based on the respective context of relations of the mentioned concepts, I have paralleled; 1) the Perfect, Complete, True nature[圓成實性] with Authentic Disclosedness, 2) the Path that Can Transmute[能轉道] with Anticipatory Resoluteness, 3) Nirvana that is intrinsically pure by nature[本來自性淸淨涅槃] with Da-sein, 4) Nirvana with no fixed abode[無住處涅槃] with Ek-sistence, 5) Four Knowledges(the Knowledge like a Great and Perfect Mirror, the Knowledge of Sameness, the Knowledge of Wonderful Observation, and the Knowledge of Achieving the Task) with Ek-sistence, Authentic Disclosedness, Letting Beings Be, and Concernful Dealings, and 6) Four Body-Lands(the Lands of the Essential Body, the Body of Personal Enjoyment, the Body for the Enjoyment of Others, and the Transformation Body) with the Primordial Discolsedness, Authentic Disclosedness, With- World, and Environment.Through an examination of concrete meanings of the paralleled concepts, many discrepancies were shown that can be reduced to the difference between respective conceptual systems or fundamental positions. 1) The Perfect, Complete, and True Nature that can be achieved by human beings seems to exist in itself and without the participation of human beings, whereas the Authentic Disclosedness cannot exist without the participation of human beings. 2) The Path that Can Transmute seems to be the Path to recover One Mind that is no longer individual because of sublating personal individuality, whereas the Anticipatory Resoluteness means the recovery of authentic individual-self through sublating the inauthentic self. 3) Nirvana seems to indicate a personal reunified relation to the True Suchness that has no more closedness, whereas Ek-sistence indicates a personal resolute relation to the un-disclosedness of Disclosedness. 4) Four Knowledges seem to have a hierarchical interrelation, whereas Disclosedness, World-Disclosedness, Letting Beings Be, and Concernful Dealings have a lineal relation of enabling. 5) Four Body-Lands seem to be distinguished according to the degree of achieved knowledge, whereas Primordial Disclosedness, Authentic Disclosedness, with-World, and Environment show the lineal relation of enabling; in addition, the correspondence between the paralleled concepts is incomplete because of the sameness of with-World and Environment.Someone might be astonished or embarrassed with so many discrepancies between paralleled concepts or with the difference in regard to fundamental position between Consciousness Only Buddhism and Heidegger’s philosophy.However, there is no need to be embarrassed with their present differences, as long as the comparative philosophy is a research to clarify their respective peculiarities and not a trial to identify the compared partners or to confirm their relation of superiority.True Suchness which is achieved by ‘acquiring bodhi by the transmutation of consciousness’ in Consciousness Only Buddhism is that which lies beyond Being and Non-being or life and death, and can let people establish a Middle Way in their thinking and doing. To the contrary, Authentic Disclosedness achieved by Anticipatory Resoluteness is that which is historical and finite and that can let people actualize their virtues in this historical(discontinuously continuous) world without leaving any.On the one hand, an individual can achieve the peace of mind in which life and death retain no more special meaning out of the knowledge of the non-real reality of oneself and Dharma -world. On the other hand, an individual can believe that an absolute worth lies in one’s own life out of the knowledge of the finitude of oneself and the historical world. If people need the peace of mind beyond the matter of life and death or the worth to live their finite life, it is sure that both Consciousness Only Buddhism and Heidegger’s philosophy are required together by humanity.