Wilfred Bion and Zen Buddhism

‘This intriguing book describes, clarifies and compares the states of mind that practitioners of Zen philosophy and psychoanalysis aspire to. Psychoanalytically the focus is on the state of mind of the psychoanalyst who is striving to apply the approach described by Bion in his later works (indicated in the imperative to abandon memory and desire). It will be of great interest to any analyst who is intent on deepening their application of the technique advocated by Freud as being the only way to access at least some awareness of one’s own and another’s unconscious life, that is, to allow one’s unconscious mind to act as a receptive organ.

The book is a very timely example of the mutual learning and deepening of thought that can result from an exchange between Eastern inductive philosophy and an approach that developed in the West from an awareness of the limitations of deductive empiricism.

As interest in psychoanalysis grows exponentially in the East it is so heartening to discover in this timely book that its essence (the state of mind necessary to discover previously unsuspected truths) has already existed and been greatly valued there for millennia.’

Vic Sedlak,Training analyst and former President, British Psychoanalytical Society.Author of The Psychoanalyst’s Superego, Ego Ideals and Blind Spots

‘This outstanding interdisciplinary collection offers a compelling, nuanced comparative dialogue between eastern-western psychoanalytic traditions, examining the convergence between Wilfred Bion’s post-1965 conceptual transition to an ontologically grounded analytic practice and the Zen Buddhist principles of Mu (nothingness) and Mushin (no-mind). Kunihiro Matsuki and Rudi Vermote’s rich clinical experiences and the framework of Nishida-philosophy offers a captivating cross-cultural scholarship on late-Bionian concept of O in relation to Zen mu. Central psychoanalytic concepts –reverie, negative capability, becoming O, at-one-ment – are revisited alongside Zen insights, illuminating analytic significance of not-knowing, intuition, faith. This convergence is informed by Bion’s early exposure to Indian thought, particularly the Upnaishadic tradition. The unique comparative analysis of philosopher Tadashi Nishihira enriches this discourse by distinguishing between Matsuki’s experiential descent into the infinite and Vermote’s articulation from the standpoint of the infinite. Minako Nishi’s reflections foreground religion as an eastern unifying collective dimension adding to Bion’s undifferentiated states resonating that “transcends the rational order”. This volume concludes highlighting potential Asian sensibilities of attunement that enables deeper engagement with emptiness and inexpressible emotional realities. This remarkable contribution of a profound Bionian discourse invites sustained reflection and dialogue for the global psychoanalytic community, alongside social scientists, and philosophers alike.’

Jhuma Basak, Training analyst, Indian Psychoanalytical Society. Co-author of Psychoanalytic Explorations into Primal Relationship in Japan and India