Abe, M.

Abe, M. on the DRL

Professors • Professors Emeritus

Masao Abe

English Phonetics	Masao Abe

Dates

Birth:	1915
Death:	2006
Place of birth:	Osaka, Japan

Tibetan calendar dates

Dates of birth

Day
Month
Gender
Element
Animal
Rab Jyung

Dates of passing

Day
Month
Gender
Element
Animal
Rab Jyung

About

Primary Affiliation (Workplace)

University of Hawaii

Secondary Affiliation

Claremont Graduate School; Nara University; Kyoto Women's College; Otani University

PhD University

Kyoto University

Biographical Information

Masao Abe is a leading Buddhist thinker who has spent many years furthering the work begun by D. T. Suzuki. He received his Ph.D. from Kyoto University after postgraduate studies at Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary. Abe has been a visiting professor at several major universities in the United States and has traveled widely in Europe and Asia as well. Author of Zen and Western Thought, he has also contributed to the Macmillan Library of Philosophy and Religion series. (Source Accessed Nov 22, 2019)

Publications

Selected Publications

• Zen and Western Thought (London: Macmillan; Univ. of Hawaii 1985), edited by William R. LaFleur, with foreword by John Hick.
• A Study of Dōgen: His Philosophy and Religion (SUNY 1992), edited by Steven Heine.
• Buddhism and Interfaith Dialogue (Univ. of Hawaii 1995), edited by Steven Heine
• Zen and Comparative Studies (Univ. of Hawaii 1997), edited by Steven Heine
• Zen and the Modern World (Univ. of Hawaii 2003), edited by Steven Heine.
• "Buddhism," in Our Religions. The Seven World Religions Introduced by Preeminent Scholars from Each Tradition, edited by Arvind Sharma (HarperOne 1994).

Links

Wiki Pages

• Abe, M. on the DRL
• Abe, M. on the LIB
• Abe, M. on the BNW

Buddha Nature Project

Person description or short bio

Expand to see this person's philosophical positions on Buddha-nature.

Is Buddha-nature considered definitive or provisional?
Position:
Notes:
All beings have Buddha-nature
Position:
If "Qualified", explain:
Notes:
Which Wheel Turning
Position:
Notes:
Yogācāra vs Madhyamaka
Position:
Notes:
Zhentong vs Rangtong
Position:
Notes:
Promotes how many vehicles?
Position:
Notes:
Analytic vs Meditative Tradition
Position:
Notes:
What is Buddha-nature?
Position:
Notes:
Svātantrika (རང་རྒྱུད་) vs Prāsaṅgika (ཐལ་འགྱུར་པ་)
Position:
Notes:
Causal nature of the vajrapāda
Position:

Full Name

Masao Abe 阿部 正雄 1915 – September 10, 2006

Other Information

Masao Abe was a Japanese academic in comparative religion (concluding as emeritus professor at Nara University), and a Buddhist philosopher. His mature views were developed within the Kyoto School of philosophy founded by Kitaro Nishida. Hence his interest in, and ability to compare and contrast, Buddhism and Christianity. "Since the death of D. T. Suzuki in 1966, Masao Abe has served as the main representative of Zen Buddhism in Europe and North America."

Source

State University of New York

Refers to something that is taught for a specific reason, rather than because it is entirely true.

Along with Madhyamaka, it was one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Asaṅga and Vasubandhu around the fourth century CE, many of its central tenets have roots in the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra and the so-called third turning of the dharma wheel (see tridharmacakrapravartana).

Along with Yogācāra, it is one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Nāgārjuna around the second century CE, it is rooted in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, though its initial exposition was presented in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

The state of being devoid of that which is wholly different rather than being void of its own nature. The term is generally used to refer to the ultimate, or buddha-nature, being empty of other phenomena such as adventitious defiling emotions but not empty of its true nature.

The state of being empty of self, which references the lack of inherent existence in relative phenomena.

Tsen Khawoche's "meditative tradition" of exegesis of the Uttaratantra; it is one of two major Tibetan traditions of exegesis, both stemming from students of Sajjana.