Lecture by Dr. Hisaki Hashi: “Zen and Philosophy in the Present – How is a Good Life Possible?”

Sangha member of the Bodhidharma Zendo, Associate Professor Dr. Hisaki Hashi, Dharma name Kōyō, offers an academic lecture on Zen and comparative philosophy.

Course at the Bodhidharma Zendo

“Zen and Philosophy in the Present – How is a Good Life Possible?”

Lecture with discussion by:
Associate Professor Dr. Hisaki HASHI
(Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna)
(CEO, Association for Comparative Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Education “KoPhil”)
Sangha member of the Zendo, Dharma name: Kōyō

Date: Sat, October 17, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: Bodhidharma Zendo Vienna, Fleischmarkt 16, 1010 Vienna. In the courtyard, second door on the right. Ring at “ÖBR Meditation”, 1st floor (second door, then second door again)
Cost: Free admission – donations requested

Further dates will take place on November 21, 2026, and January 30, 2027.

What is it about?

The surrounding society is oriented towards the zeitgeist of “AI” and “total digitalization.” But how does our life continue with this? A return to the old times is no longer possible. However, let us consider the past: every past was in the midst of its respective present, in the here and now. Everyone was more or less disoriented within it.
Buddhism offers suggestions and guidance on what one should aim for and how to build a good life with it. Especially in Zen, one finds an ever-renewing strength in the body and consciousness.
In this course, the necessity and advantages of Buddhism in our time will be explained in an generally understandable way, based on Comparative Philosophy. This will be followed by a communicative exchange for questions, additions, and suggestions from the course participants.

Photo: Associate Professor Dr. Hisaki Hashi, Copyright: Foto Nelson, Vienna

Further websites:
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/persons/hisaki-hashi/
https://www.kophil-interdis.at
www.kophil.at

Successive development of the number of interested readers for HASHI’s monograph – A New Translation and Interpretation of Zen Buddhism by Dōgen
https://lit-verlag.de/isbn/978-3-643-51008-2/
Reading sample: See Open Access chapter in https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail/o:2176479

New release by LIT, Series: Comparative Philosophy for a Global World
Vol. 10 Hisaki HASHI, Karen GLOY (Eds.)
https://lit-verlag.de/isbn/978-3-643-51243-7/
Reading sample: See “Phaidra”: https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail/o:2112405