July 5, 2024
Nietzsche and Other Buddhas by Jason M. Wirth Book Review
Nietzsche and Other Buddhas: Philosophy after Comparative Philosophy
“Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called ‘Ego’. “ – Friedrich Nietzsche
When I decided to read this book and review it I wasn’t sure if I was qualified to review it because it covers a lot of complicated philosophy some of which I may not be familiar with. But I decided to take a stab at it and forge ahead. Fortunately I have devoted a great deal of time to studying The Gay Science over the years. The Gay Science is the first book that Nietzsche ever wrote and is my favorite. In fact beyond The Gay Science I don’t like Nietzsche.
I don’t know that much about Buddhism either although there is a distinction between the two kinds of Buddhism. This is not the difference between the two sects of Buddhism Theravada and Mahayana. Rather it is about Buddhism as a philosophy and Buddhism as self help.
What this book seems to be playing into is a famous Nietzsche quote “Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called ‘Ego’. “ Although the book states that Nietzsche did not know about Zen perhaps he would’ve been interested based on that quote. The book mentions the Christian tendency to surrender all and ask God for help. Rather than surrendering, we would be better served by trying to fit into God’s plan. In Buddhist terms, God’s plan would be the same as whatever is desired by the universe. The universe desires harmony. It is best for us to fit into that harmony rather than going around bound by our ego, trying to accomplish things to show that we are special and important. I believe this is what Nietzsche was getting at in his first book The Gay Science. However, as his philosophy progressed it changed to a more aggressive stance.
There is a supposition in the book that says the sin in Christianity is comparable to suffering in the Buddhist religion, according to Nietzsche. Both of these are cheat codes. The book points out that Nietzsche had great compassion for the horse that was being whipped when he had his final breakdown and became an invalid afterwards. There is a supposition that says the sin in Christianity is comparable to suffering in the Buddhist religion, according to Nietzsche. Both of these are cheat codes. The book points out that Nietzsche had great compassion for the horse that was being whipped when he had his final breakdown and became an invalid afterwards under the care of his sister Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche who changed his writing to bring it in line with the National Socialist Party ideals. The book argues that Nietzsche had compassion for all life, which is similar to a Buddhist stance. The desire for a good health is looked at as nourishment for the soul. Good physical health and good spiritual health are considered to be inseparable.
Each chapter in the book is written as the short essay which can stand alone, but each essay builds on the next essay. This book would be of interest to anybody who wants to explore the connection between Buddhism Christianity, and Nietzschism. The book also cautions that there are no “isms”.
Nietzsche is part poet and part philosopher, although he claims to be a philosopher many times in his writings. In particular, the book, The Gay Science refers to the art of philosophy. The gay science turns out to be philosophy, which is supposed to be a happy and cheerful science. Clearly happiness is a part of Nietzsche’s philosophy. The book explains originally Nietzsche was not considered an insane character similar to the one played by Kevin Kline in the movie A Fish called Wanda.
Dōgen Zenji was a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk, writer, poet, philosopher, and founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan. Nietzsche and Other Buddhas draws heavily on this philosopher who founded the concept of Zazen which is a sitting meditation in which the mind should be allowed to go blank. This interesting concept touches for me upon Eckhart Tolle. He obtained the same sort of enlightenment without trying. It is important not to try to obtain enlightenment because the process of trying itself will make sure that you do not gain enlightenment. Only when you give up except everything and let your mind go blank do you have a chance of understanding the concept of true enlightenment.
Most people will never obtain Nirvana in their life and this is not the goal of being a Buddhist. In Buddhism one attempts to quiet one’s mind and reduce attachments to things in the physical world that are ethereal. Because attachment to things that won’t last is seen as a source of intense suffering for humans. This is similar to the Bible quote in which Christ says “Consider the lilies of the field they do not spin nor toil but God provides for them.” Agonizing over the past and worrying over the future are great obstacles in obtaining enlightenment. One needs to be mindful of the present moment. Even after one gives up attachments in the physical world there is also the attachment to one’s ego. This is what Nietzsche refers to when he’s talking about the dog called ego that is following him around. Everyone has a certain sense of ideas about themselves that come from who their parents were, what their childhood would was like and various accomplishments in education, career, physical appearance. These are the hardest things to let go.
Here is a link to a podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-imperfect-buddha-podcast/id1633265866?i=1000569021285 about the book Nietzsche and other Buddhas by Dr. Jason M. Wirth. The podcast is in an interview format in which Dr. Wirth discusses Buddhism with the host of The Imperfect Buddha Podcast.
If you buy the book on Kindle from this link, I will not make any profit from that because I do not have an Amazon Deal. Nietzsche and Other Buddhas: Philosophy after Comparative Philosophy
I found a link to another Word Press Blog with links to a you tube video of Jason Wirth speaking on Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life”.
Terrence Malick’s fifth feature film, The Tree of Life, was filmed in Smithville, Texas, and elsewhere during 2008. Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, and Sean Penn, it is a family drama spanning multiple time periods. It premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or.
Macy Makes Magic 