Official Endorsement from
Prof. John Vervaeke
Our Nishitani course has been officially endorsed by John Vervaeke. John has attended several seminars and also interviewed Daniel on his YouTube channel.
6 Lectures Masterclass
In this masterclass on Nishitani, we will delve into and discuss the fundamental thoughts and ideas of the Japanese philosopher Nishitani Keiji (1900-1990) by reading his major treatise "Religion and Nothingness".
Learn how to overcome nihilism and the crises of our institutions.
See how we can bridge East and West and find unifiers between worlds.
Learn about meditation and how to integrate it in both your daily life and studies.
Central Question
The central motive of this course will be the guiding problem of Nishitani‘s thought, i.e. nihilism: “The space for a primordial relation with the transcendent is closing, and because of this the world and human existence are becoming fundamentally meaningless and aimless. This condition is lurking at the base of the way of being of modern civilization and human being. Such a situation is what is called the arrival of nihilism.” Following in the footsteps of Nishitani, we will closely examine the problem of nihilism and aim to understand how Nishitani attempts to overcome it, namely by confronting Western philosophy with the Buddhist concept of emptiness (Śūnyatā). In doing so, we will also take other issues into question, such as the nature of God, the mutual opposition between science and religion, or the fundamental presuppositions of Western metaphysics.
Master Japanese Thought
Nishitani is one of the main members of the Kyoto School. Reading his seminal work "Religion and Nothingness" introduces to the most important currents and ideas of contemporary and traditional Japanese thought.
“All things that are in the world are linked together, one way or the other. Not a single thing comes into being without some relationship to every other thing.”
Nishitani
Student Reviews
"Nishitani's book "Religion and Nothingness" has a reputation for being particularly difficult to understand. It was sitting on my bookshelf for a few years and when I saw that Daniel was teaching a course on it at Halkyon Academy, I decided to sign up. Daniel's lecture material was really helpful with understanding some of the main points of each chapter without glossing over the nuance. The weekly meetings exceeded my expectations. The way Daniel was able to set the stage with helpful guiding questions to discuss with everyone revealed so much more to me about the text than I could have seen by reading it on my own. I am also really glad that he understood the importance of embodied practice enough to incorporate Zen meditation into the course. The intertwining of the readings, lectures, discussions, and meditation left me with a clearer picture of what it means to think philosophically and how it relates to the religious/existential life. This was the first course I took from at Halkyon and, because of Daniel, it certainly won't be my last." -James LaDouce
"Participating in the Religion and Nothingness Seminar was a rich and rewarding experience. The depth of inquiry amongst my fellow students combined with Daniels's encompassing knowledge and depth of understanding, had Nishitani's brilliance come alive. Indeed, participating in the seminar was an occasion for wonder. Beyond a simple knowedge of what Nishitani is pointing to, I left the seminar with a richer and deeper understanding of the "Self-realization" of life itself."
Mark Flashen
"Anyone concerned with the problem of nihilism should study 'Religion and Nothingness.' Daniel Zaruba’s thorough understanding of the philosophical and spiritual traditions of the East and the West make him an indispensable guide through Nishitani’s important but difficult book. Daniel’s insightful lectures coupled with the seminars provide an opportunity to deepen one’s understanding and to perhaps transcend the conceptual impasse of modernity. I highly recommend Halkyon Academy’s 'Religion and Nothingness' course."
– Errol F. Richardson
"Religion and Nothingness" by Nishitani Keiji is a singular work that seems to have arose necessarily, much like the necessity of original art. It was written because it needed to be written. And in a similar way, I think that only those for whom finding this book is a necessity, do eventually find it. The book opens with the observation that those who ask the question "What is the purpose of religion for us? Why do we need it?" are paradoxically the very persons for whom religion is a necessity. Paradox and necessity are central themes in this book. And in important ways, paradox is offered as part of the solution to necessity's biggest problem: nihilism. Yet this book is pretty difficult to read. And even though I maintain that those who seek, will find (this book), I count myself lucky to have found it in conjuntion with this Halkyon Academy course led by Daniel Zaruba, a person for whom discovering this book was also a necessity, and has obviously spent a great deal of time grappling with it. Daniel has ample familiarity with the book, and not only provides insightful introductory lectures for each chapter to set context, but is also able to guide fruitful group discussions. Participating in this seminar was a great joy. The discussions we had were deep, wide ranging, and sincere throughout. And fun as well. I had a great time with this course and recommend it to all those for whom it is a necessity.
-Evan Gould
Your Teacher: Daniel Zaruba
Daniel is a student and teacher of East Asian studies in Vienna and Headmaster of Japanese Thought at Halkyon. His academic interests include existentialism, nihilism, the condition of late modern subjectivity, religious philosophy and inter religious dialogue, and the conflict between science and religion. Daniel spent a year studying in Kyoto in Japan and speaks Japanese. He has been a member of the Halkyon Guild since early 2020. At Halkyon he is Headmaster of Japanese Thought and also in charge of organising and running several reading groups.