Guiding rules and techniquesHow can the way of existence which Nishitani describes with such terms as
death-sive-life, self-sive-not-self, etc. be realized in daily life? Are there any techniques?
Are there any instructions on how to travel along the path?
Nishitani does not answer this question directly in Religion and Nothingness,
although his many references to Dogen can be seen as an answer.^9 In his article ‘The
significance of Zen in modern society’ (1975) Nishitani refers to sitting in zazen as
a way. According to Nishitani, zazen is a process of abandoning or cutting off that
duality which is preventing one’s true self from manifesting itself (Nishitani 1975:20).
He mentions different aspects of zazen. Thus, he says that the practice is not merely
sitting but also practice within movement. He also points to non-reliance on language
and writing in the search for knowledge and truth. Zazen is not an intellectual
endeavour—it is being aware of one’s total being in the mode of direct experience.
From other writings as well we can conclude that Nishitani sees zazen as a way to
realize the transformation from doubt, to Wondrous Being. Although he sees zazen
as a way, he also emphasizes that zazen is not the only way.
Although we speak of ‘practising’ Zen and ‘observing’ the Way of the Buddha,
this is not to suggest that showing the original countenance of existence in
observance is a matter for Buddhism alone. It is implied in all true religious life.
(Nishitani 1982:261)Underlying principlesOne of the underlying principles for Nishitani can be expressed as faith: the faith or
trust that it is possible to travel the path, to go from doubt through great doubt and
the Great Death to Wondrous Being. Although even this faith disappears in travelling
the path, one can still say that it is one of the major pillars. Nishitani discusses this
faith in many interviews and articles (cf. Nishitani 1975; 1984; 1985; 1985/86).
Another underlying principle, which is not made explicit in the work of Nishitani
but could (and should) be stressed, is the relationship with someone else who has
already travelled the path—the relationship with a mentor or a teacher.^10
We will now leave the description of the Buddhist path as found in Nishitani and
turn our attention to the therapeutic path as developed in Dialectical Behavior
Therapy.
The cognitive-behavioral therapeutic path as described by
Linehan^11Starting pointThe starting point of this path is the borderline personality disorder. The formal
concept of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is relatively new in the field of
NISHITANI AND DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY 191