Zen Philosophy Author: [Germany] Han Bingzhe Publisher: CITIC Publishing Group

Introduction
“Although I am not a Buddha, I am still an old pine tree, standing in oblivion of myself.”
Zen Buddhism emphasizes meditation and is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism that spread to China. The legendary founder Bodhidharma revealed the characteristics of Zen Buddhism by saying "It is passed down outside the teachings, without words; it points directly to the human heart, and one can see the nature and become a Buddha." Zen Buddhism is suspicious of language, especially of conceptual thinking, which makes its words mysterious and concise. Speech is reflected in silence.
This book benefits from the philosophical thinking of Zen Buddhism and the philosophical thinking derived from Zen Buddhism, and expounds the philosophical power of Zen Buddhism through concepts. The experience of existence or consciousness that Zen Buddhism is committed to expressing is difficult to express completely in conceptual language. Words may be able to describe the tranquility of Zen, but the tranquility of Zen does not need to be confined to words.
This book adopts a comparative research approach, allowing the philosophies of Plato, Leibniz, Fichte, Hegel, Nietzsche and Heidegger to collide with different aspects of Zen thought. Haiku is interspersed in the text. Haiku echoes philosophical thoughts and lays the context of the corresponding paragraphs. Readers may wish to regard it as a frame to set off the painting.
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Han Bingzhe's Works (Volume 2)
Shanzhai: Deconstruction in Chinese Style (published in January 2023)
Shanzhai. Dekonstruktion auf Chinesisch.
Hyperculture: Culture and Globalization (published in January 2023)
Hyperkulturalität. Kultur und Globalisierung.
"Compromised Society: The Pain of Today" (published in January 2023)
Palliativgesellschaft. Schmerz heute.
Absence: East Asian Culture and Philosophy (published in July 2023)
Abwesen. Zur Kultur und Philosophie des Fernen Ostens.
Zen Philosophy (published in August 2023)
Philosophie des Zen-Buddhismus.
What is Power? (Published in July 2023)
Was it Macht?
The Disappearance of Ritual: The World Now (published in August 2023)
Vom Verschwinden der Rituale.Eine Topologie der Gegenwart.
Capitalism and the Death Drive (published in August 2023)
Kapitalismus und Todestrieb.
"A Contemplative Life, or Doing Nothing" (published in July 2023)
Vita contemplativa.oder von der Untätigkeit.
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Han Bingzhe's Works (Volume 3)
Ode to the Earth: A Garden Journey (to be published in January 2024)
Lob der Erde. Eine Reise in den Garten.
The Scent of Time: The Art of Staying (to be published in January 2024)
Duft der Zeit. Ein philosophischer Essay zur Kunst des Verweilens.
The Crisis of Narrative (to be published in January 2024)
The Krise der Narration.
【Expert recommendation】
The book "Zen Philosophy" written by Han Bingzhe, a Korean-German scholar, uses a refined and elegant philosophical style, integrating the East and the West, and deeply interpreting the life theme of Eastern Zen without any Western connotations. A classic work on the interpretation of Zen since D.T. Suzuki.
——Gong Jun, Department of Philosophy, Sun Yat-sen University
【Editor's recommendation】
(1) Han Bingzhe is known as "a rising star in German philosophy". He returned to the humanistic and critical traditions of philosophy. Beyond academic philosophical research, he pioneered a new realm of philosophical writing. In the digital media era, he observed the real social situation and the human spiritual state. He is known as "a psychoanalyst in the Internet era" and "a guide to philosophical criticism in the big data era".
(2) He possesses both the romantic temperament of Koreans and the rational spirit of the German philosophical tradition. Han Bingzhe has a profound insight into contemporary society and sharp judgments, but his inner spiritual pursuit is a quiet, contemplative, aesthetically meaningful life form, which has "the delicacy and charm of an oriental philosopher."
(3) The writing style is like a philosophical essay, which is good at thinking and better at expressing. Han Bingzhe's works are concise and bright, "full of spirituality and sharp". The carefulness, meticulousness and sharpness of the Chinese translator also add a lot of color to the Chinese version.
(4) Reading Han Bingzhe has become a phenomenon around the world. Han Bingzhe's works have been translated into more than 20 languages. Many scholars, including French philosopher Alain Badiou, have responded to and praised Han Bingzhe. Badiou personally wrote the preface to his masterpiece, The Death of Eros, which was sincerely recommended by Professor Liu Qing of East China Normal University.
(5) Han Bingzhe and his works quickly found their admirers in the domestic academic community and among readers. After the publication of the first volume of Han Bingzhe's works, which consists of nine books (CITIC Publishing Group, 2019), experts and scholars from the fields of philosophy, art, political science, communication, literature, history, and sociology, as well as non-professional readers in the humanities and social sciences, responded positively and highly praised him, calling him "the philosopher on the subway" and "a new existentialist with a romantic touch."
(6) A relatively systematic and complete collection of Han Bingzhe’s works in the Chinese world (a total of 21 books). The second volume of Han Bingzhe’s works, which consists of 9 books, will be published in August 2023; the third volume, which consists of 3 books, will be published in January 2024.
(7) Zen Philosophy: Explains the essence of Eastern thought and core values ​​from a comparative perspective; reflects the life spirit and aesthetic taste of Zen in silent words!
Zen is a Chinese version of Buddhism that incorporates the emotions and intellect of Chinese culture, and has had an important influence on Asian and even world culture. It rejects all metaphysical thinking, but the philosophical insights it contains form a sharp and interesting contrast with the Western way of thinking.
Han Bingzhe interprets the thoughts, lifestyles and aesthetic concepts of Zen Buddhism with the philosophical categories of Heidegger and existentialism, supplemented by a large number of public cases, haiku, and vivid analysis of painting, architecture, gardens, dance, decorative arts, etc. He breaks the popular way of understanding life philosophy only from Zen classics and allusions, and connects the philosophical spirit and conceptual system of the East and the West. It is interesting and refreshing to read.
This book highlights the atheistic and materialistic characteristics of Zen Buddhism in a comparative perspective, as well as its extraordinary understanding of life and death, worldly and otherworldly, language and silence. Reading this book is not only a spiritual journey to deeply understand and think about Eastern and Western philosophical thinking, but also an interesting journey to track philosophical propositions such as life and death.
For people in a performance-based society and an era of overwork, the acceleration of life and the increasing dulling of senses have made people face various psychological/spiritual crises. The Zen meditation life and the empty and lonely artistic conception are like a coolant for this. Perhaps they are also a kind of transcendence and liberation, which has positive social significance.