ConclusionsDifferencesIt is helpful to analyze Nishitani’s life view and Linehan’s therapy by the metaphor
of a path, which clarifies the different approaches of a spiritual and a therapeutic path.
The suffering of the two starting points is different. Nishitani describes a suffering
that results from a normal life being confronted by the fundamental questions of life
and death. We could say that Nishitani is writing about existential suffering. Linehan
describes a suffering that results from not being able to organize life. Because of
biological and environmental factors, a person did not develop a healthy self-identity.
Although all kinds of fundamental questions play a role in this situation, Linehan
does not explicitly focus on these existential questions in her therapy, because there
are more urgent questions to be treated.
Nishitani describes a path in which life is transformed by taking up the
unanswerable fundamental questions. The crisis is encouraged in order to reach a
point of radical transformation. Linehan describes a way in which life is transformed
from chaos and crisis to organized well-being. Patients are trained to prevent crises
and to deal with difficult situations in such a way that a crisis can be avoided. One
could conclude that these paths have different starting points and different goals—
the paths are of different orders. Nishitani’s path is a spiritual one where the core of
existence is transformed. The roots of I-consciousness are cut off. Linehan’s path is
one of psychological-medical treatment where behavior and psychical reactions are
transformed and I-consciousness is given the opportunity to develop itself in a
healthier way.
SimilaritiesIt is truly remarkable that on these two different paths some of the same insights and
techniques are used. Observing what is happening, just being there, not judging and
accepting where one is now (surrendering to the moment) and at the same time seeing
that in the following moment nothing will be the same any more (non-attachment
to a state of mind, a thought, or an emotion) are crucial insights on both paths.
Nishitani uses these insights to make clear that the central I-position is based on
illusion. Linehan, who took these insights from the Zen path, uses them to train her
patients to handle situations without fear and in a realistic way.
The element of faith in Nishitani, trust that it is possible to go the way, and the
Wise Mind in Linehan, trust that the seed of healing is already present in the person,
closely resemble each other. The role of a mentor (another person who has traveled
along the path) and the role of the therapist have similarities, although this role is
made much more explicit in the work of Linehan. Both mentor and therapist
represent the ‘faith’ or ‘awareness of the grain of wisdom already present’ which is
sometimes not seen by the student or client. The mentor or therapist has to be able
to endure the tension (to stand in the middle) of a paradox—being-sive-not-being,
196 CHRISTA W.ANBEEK AND PETER A.DE GROOT