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a new way of looking at... philosophy >> the eternal recurrence and buddhist reincarnation - 1 |
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The eternal recurrence is a highly controversial topic of study by Nietzschean scholars. It is a chilling way of cosmologically perceiving our world, and strikes at the very nature of time, space, and free will with a world of circularity and determinism. It portrays a world of history repeating itself, over and over, in every detail, from the "spider" and "moonlight between the trees" from the demon's message in The Gay Science1. This cosmological interpretation has been the subject of much scrutiny and the eternal recurrence has a variety of interpretations. Buddhist reincarnation is another circular view of life, though in different scope. Simply put, Buddhist reincarnation is the continuing cycle of birth, death, and rebirth of an individual ad infinitum until such time that a person attains Buddhahood, breaking the cycle and transcending this world and its inherent suffering.
This paper seeks to show affinities between the two theories, pointing out similar ties in origins of the different viewpoints, interpretations of those worldviews, and finally draws parallels between the structures behind the eternal recurrence and Buddhist reincarnation, and the paths to Nietzsche's übermensch and Buddhist enlightenment. It will draw from the work of Robert G. Morrison, Kathleen Higgins, Richard Schacht, and Bernd Magnus on the eternal recurrence, and general views of Buddhist reincarnation from His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. Prior to any discussion of the eternal recurrence, it is necessary to point out the difficulties of studying this theory. Because of Nietzsche's use of metaphor in Thus Spoke Zarathustra and in the introduction of the eternal recurrence in The Gay Science, it is challenging to decipher exactly what he meant in his writing on this particular subject. Modern study of the eternal recurrence requires an extrapolation of meaning from the aforementioned works with supplemental information coming from The Will to Power and the Nachlass in order to defend or deny different interpretations based on these notes, and will never clearly show Nietzsche's intention with the eternal recurrence. However, this should not be a barrier to discussing the eternal recurrence, but merely a warning when delving into the subject. Origins of Eternal Recurrence and Buddhist Reincarnation
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