Buddhist "Engi" thought and Yoshimoto's Naikan: Focusing on Kegon Thought

Abstract

  This paper aims to show a new perspective on the mechanism of Naikan through the concept of "Engi" (relationship, Sanskrit:pratitya-samutpada) in Buddhist philosophy.

Firstly, I introduce the concept of "Engi" and show its historical development:

a. Engi in early Buddhism (4th Century BC, India, simple causal relationship),

b. Nagarjuna's thought about Engi (2nd -3rd Century A.D. India , interactive, interdependent relationship),

c. Engi in Kegon (Avatamsaka) philosophy (7th Century A.D. China, universal network of interpenetration).

In this paper, I mainly use the concept of Engi in Kegon philosophy.

Secondly, I propose that many clients of Intensive Naikan acquire the "sense of Engi" (a sense that everything depends on everything else, including ourselves). This resembles the Engi thought of the Kegon philosophy.

Thirdly, I show three aspects of the sense of Engi caused by Naikan.

a. Passive aspect: the sense that powers of others (parents, society, and nature) give life to me.

b. Neutral aspect: the sense that everything is giving life to everything.

c. Positive aspect: the sense that I should give life to others.

Fourthly, I aim to theorize the positive aspect of the sense of Engi through the concept of "reciprocity".