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I seek to show that the declared aim of Dōgen’s writings, which were often edited versions of ritualised verbal teachings, was to guide disciples on the Buddha Way—a practical path to salvation that was clearly defined and delimited by an authoritative tradition. Dōgen, therefore, tried to preclude rather than foster the open-ended discussion of fundamental problems of human life that is otherwise usually associated with the concept of philosophy. Hence, Dōgen speaks a language of persuasion that is guided by aims and rules of discourse different from those of philosophy. This, or so I argue, is an aspect that is often lost when Dōgen’s thoughts are transferred into philosophical debates. The result is, in many instances, a rather facile alignment with the recipient’s own preconceptions. To substantiate my hypothesis, I start from factual observations concerning the modern philosophical reception of Dōgen’s teachings on time in Japan and the Anglophone world, focusing on the semantic shifts occurring in interpretations by prominent authors such as Tanabe Hajime, Ōmori Shōzō, Rein Raud, and others. I then turn to the theory of translation to analyse the seminal factors at play in this observed process of transformative reception. Finally, I reflect on how conceiving of the transfer of Dōgen’s thought into philosophical discourse as a process of translation can help to build interpretations that are both hermeneutically sound and philosophically interesting.

Das Stammesdenken nimmt zu, die Menschen ziehen sich zurück in Gesinnungsgemeinschaften. Hat die Kultur versagt? Nein, aber das Bewusstsein darum, dass sie der Kritik ausgesetzt werden muss. Die Philosophie des vor 75 Jahren verstorbenen Ernst Cassirer hilft, das Phänomen neu in den Blick zu nehmen.

Ernst Cassirer’s Philosophy of Symbolic Forms (PSF) primarily reflects on culture as a system of normative domains that are path-dependently configured. PSF elaborates on the domains of myth/religion, language, and science, but misses a discussion of the economy. By sketching a corresponding exposition, we contribute to the ongoing discussion of how economic science may investigate the world beyond utility functions. Our argument proceeds along historical and comparative lines with a ‘reciprocal comparison’ of the medieval economies of Europe and Japan. We thus approach the normative essence of economic thought and behaviour and test its variability in socio-cultural contexts diverging from ‘now’ and ‘here’. Our sketch of the economy as a symbolic form has important implications for the theoretical understanding of change in social systems. We argue that existing factors of change recognised in the economics discipline, such as fluctuations in supply and demand, and institutional innovation, critically require a superposition with patterns of cognition as they guide agents in their grasp of economic problems and, consequently, in their responses that shape material economies. We suggest that conceiving of the economy as a symbolic form makes these patterns of cognition accessible.

Was bedeutet das protestantische Motto »zurück zu den Quellen« eigentlich für die Möglichkeit einer Open-Source-Theologie? Ist der Quellcode der Theologie, z. B. der biblische Kanon, offen, zugänglich, veränderbar? // In his first extensive doctrinal exposition, the “Discourse on Negotiating the Way” (Bendōwa), Dōgen (1200–1253) explained the virtues of seated meditation in light of his idea of the unity of practice and realization and defended it against possible objections. The text was written while he was living in relative obscurity on the grounds of a dilapidated monastery south of the capital Kyōto. It not only contains seminal elements of his later teachings, but also reveals how Dōgen sought to position himself within the Buddhist tradition. His claim to represent the single true understanding of the Buddha Way stands in a marked contrast both to his actual position at the time and the later identification of Dōgen as the founder of the Japanese Sōtō Line of Zen Buddhism. The text is presented with extensive annotation and comparing the final version with an earlier draft preserved at Shōbō-ji.