Le varietà dell'esperienza religiosa. Riflessioni sul dialogo con la scuola di Kyoto

Some strongly hostile stances against religion have been taken in the last years by some expressions of the so-called “secular” thought. It looks like a new conflictual landscape is emerging in our culture, a situation very similar to some old – and at the time apparently overcome – contrasts between different views. This situation compels us to think again about the religious dimension and its relationship with human everyday experience. In order to develop this new reflection it is useful to benefit of the dialogue with the East. This paper examines in particular the con tributions by Nishida Kitaro and Nishitani Keiji, thinkers belonging to the Kyoto School who, starting from Buddhism and other sources of Eastern spirituality, developed an original thought and confronted themselves all-round with Western philosophy and religion. The main themes are a broad consideration of religious experience, the criticism of separate transcendence and the reflection on the theme of subjectivity. Eastern thought’s meditative inclination, and its focus on the theme of God and man’s suffering can offer a precious contribution to Western thought.