Has there been any philosopher who has been able to bring Western & Eastern Philosophy together, successfully?

Question

It is incredibly difficult to bring Western & Eastern philosophies together. So I'm not sure how one would measure success here. I suppose that instead of "successfully" one could consider changing that phrase in the question to "most usefully" or "in such as way as to express the truth of things more accurately.".

I have much respect for Ghandi. But his witty answer to "What do you think of Western civilization?" has very little to do with my question!

Thank you for your answers.

Many of them have been fantastic.

I agree that the following individuals have been successful to some extent: Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Carl Jung, Jean Paul Sartre, Herman Hesse, Alan Watts & David Bohm. I am especially impressed with Schopenhauer (and since no-one has yet mentioned him, Nietzsche).

I have yet to read much of Osho. I had not heard of Blavatsky, Pratap Shreyas, shiv khera, Gurdjieff or Ouspensky until now, so thank you.

Finally, I feel most aligned to pantheism (and minutely to panentheism), so thank you ananta for that.

(Note: The answer "Science" is one I have much sympathy with -- however I have posted a separate question on 'science vs. philosophy'. So I would very much appreciate Dr. Y.'s answer to that.)

Answer 1

You may want to look into Pantheism, though they may be an influence each other or thought independently.

Advaita of Hinduism,
Kaballah & spinoza of Judaism
Gnostics of Christianity
Sufi of Islam
Buddhism, Theosophy, Unitarian among others.

Answer 2

I don't agree with much of the Eastern thoughts, but as you have requested...
I would say that the following philosophers or novelists were fairly successful in terms of generating the interest of the public.

Herman Hesse
Influenced by Indian philosophy, Chinese philosophy and various Eastern religions, primarily Buddhism

Arthur Schopenhauer
Buddhism

Alan Watts
Zen Buddhism, Taoism

David Bohm
Quantum physics, Copenhagen interpretation and Buddhism

Answer 3

It seems to me that the difficulty that you are perceiving is a result of an overgeneralization in your terms. Trying to merge Western & Eastern philosopy would be impossible, since Western and Eastern philosphy each alone encompass so many broad and divergent views that either one alone is not internally consistent. In Western philosophy alone there are the conflicting views of deists such as Augustine, a Christian saint, and the Nihilist views of Nietzsche, who stated "God is dead."

I may be speaking out of turn here, but I suspect that when you say "Western & Eastern philosophy" you mean "Christianity and Buddhism", probably each the most dominant force in their respecitive parts of the world. I maintain that this is an oversimplification, but let's approach it at face value. I don't personally think that the two are that divergent in their core values. If you are trying to reconcile specific beliefs in those two faiths that are at odds, then of course you will fail; their differences are what make them distinct.

That said, your question was asking for a philospher. I would recommend reading the works of Thich Nhat Hanh, such as his book "Living Buddha, Living Christ". There are several others that have written on topics relevant to this subject, but I think that would be a good place to start.

Answer 4

How about Carl Jung (darn it! Psychologist!) or Jean-Paul Sartre?
Jung had great understanding of Eastern philosophy in deep level (read Secrets of Golden Flower), somehow deeper than many Eastern philosophers at that time,
and Sartre seems experienced "awakening moment" like many Eastern disciples (like monks or yogis) that he could clearly see the reason of existence for all the things in the world (even... it didn't last that long, again like many monks or yogis who haven't enlightened yet)

Answer 5

Ramakrishna and his disciple Vivekananda from the Eastern side. Blavatsky, a Russian noblewoman, though not a philosopher herself (much of what she wrote was dictated to her by 'masters') of the Europeans.

Answer 6

Gurdjieff and Ouspensky combined the philosophies behind Buddhism and western thought. Read the books and make up your own mind.
There are Christian Buddhists out there
also " schools"if you really seek them

Answer 7

Khalil Gibran

Answer 8

Science is the one philosophy that has PROVEN to get at the truth the best.

There is no 'western science' and 'eastern science'... there is just science. This alone is a demonstration of the above.

Answer 9

jap philosophy: "what's the sound of one hand clapping?" Western philosophy: "Whoosh" I particularly have been interpreting jap philosophy for some many years, and evidently to present day the thought that "the two/or" would not exist. it extremely is, the two I step into site visitors and get killed, or i do no longer, isn't area of the jap mystic. the individuals who present day those thoughts, or koans, at the instant are not stupid. i think of the essential concentration of jap philosophy isn't that certainty is malleable, yet our understanding of it extremely is. Western philosophy makes a speciality of certainty, derived from proofs and strategies, at a similar time as jap philosophy makes a speciality of the conviction of uncertainty. consequently, the jap certainty seeker is conceited in the understanding of understanding limitations, at a similar time as the Western certainty seeker is conceited in the understanding of ignoring limitations.

Answer 10

Read Swami Vivekanandas writings and lectures