A belated response to Hu Shih and D.T. Suzuki. (debate on Ch'an and Zen Buddhism in Philosophy East and West, vol. 3, p. 3 and p. 25, April 1953) From: Philosophy East and West | Date: January 1, 1995| Author: Sellmann, James D. | COPYRIGHT 1995 University of Hawaii Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

The 1953 debate between Hu Shih and D.T. Suzuki is confused because they use the terms Ch'an or Zen to mean different things, so that neither ever actually engages with the other's position. Hu uses Ch'an to denote the historical Buddhist sect in China, whereas Suzuki uses Zen mostly to denote the experience of Zen rather than the historical school. Both Hu and Suzuki misrepresent Zen in discussing its rationality, because it is better described as alogical, rather than either logical or illo...