We human beings have analytic thinking and holistic thinking. These are thinking styles different in cultures, which researchers suggested. The former, which is assumed to be Western, means to focus on the parts of a thing, while the latter, which is assumed to be Eastern, means to focus on the whole of the thing. This distinction is related to the idea that Westerners place importance on individuality, while Easterners place importance on community. It is also said that Westerners have an independent self, while Easterners have an interdependent self. Some people ridicule such Eastern collectivism as lack of individuality. Indeed, it would also have harmful influences on us. But Takuan said, when we are caught by the parts, the whole could not work well (we could not see the whole well). Senju-Kannon (Buddhist Goddess with thousand arms) is not stuck in one of her hands, and then she can use all of her thousand hands well. The important thing is not to be attached to the parts but to have a perspective to overview the whole. Even Easterners do not innately have this inclination to see the whole. That is a wisdom for them to live better, which has been cultivated in a climate of the East, east Asia, or Japan, for a long time. Do not forget this important wisdom.
August 31, 2018
After Reading Takuan: Part 5 不動智神妙録を読んで５
分析的思考と包括的思考というものがある。文化によって異なるとされる思考様式であり，西洋的とされる前者は部分を，東洋的とされる後者は全体を重視する。これは，個人を重視する西洋人と集団を重視する東洋人，という考えとつながる。西洋人は相互独立的な自己観を，東洋人は相互協調的な自己観を持つとも言われる。こうした東洋的な集団主義を没個性と揶揄する向きもある。確かに弊害もあろう。しかし沢庵に言わせれば，部分にとらわれると全体は機能しない（見えない）のである。千手観音は一本の手にこだわらないので，千の手をすべて万全に働かせることができる。部分へ固執せずに全体を俯瞰する視点こそが重要である。何も東洋人には，全体を視野に入れるこうした傾向が生来的に備わっているわけではない。東洋，東アジア，あるいは日本という風土の中で，長い年月をかけて培われてきた，より良く生きるための智慧なのである。その大切な智慧を忘れてはいけない。
We human beings have analytic thinking and holistic thinking. These are thinking styles different in cultures, which researchers suggested. The former, which is assumed to be Western, means to focus on the parts of a thing, while the latter, which is assumed to be Eastern, means to focus on the whole of the thing. This distinction is related to the idea that Westerners place importance on individuality, while Easterners place importance on community. It is also said that Westerners have an independent self, while Easterners have an interdependent self. Some people ridicule such Eastern collectivism as lack of individuality. Indeed, it would also have harmful influences on us. But Takuan said, when we are caught by the parts, the whole could not work well (we could not see the whole well). Senju-Kannon (Buddhist Goddess with thousand arms) is not stuck in one of her hands, and then she can use all of her thousand hands well. The important thing is not to be attached to the parts but to have a perspective to overview the whole. Even Easterners do not innately have this inclination to see the whole. That is a wisdom for them to live better, which has been cultivated in a climate of the East, east Asia, or Japan, for a long time. Do not forget this important wisdom.
We human beings have analytic thinking and holistic thinking. These are thinking styles different in cultures, which researchers suggested. The former, which is assumed to be Western, means to focus on the parts of a thing, while the latter, which is assumed to be Eastern, means to focus on the whole of the thing. This distinction is related to the idea that Westerners place importance on individuality, while Easterners place importance on community. It is also said that Westerners have an independent self, while Easterners have an interdependent self. Some people ridicule such Eastern collectivism as lack of individuality. Indeed, it would also have harmful influences on us. But Takuan said, when we are caught by the parts, the whole could not work well (we could not see the whole well). Senju-Kannon (Buddhist Goddess with thousand arms) is not stuck in one of her hands, and then she can use all of her thousand hands well. The important thing is not to be attached to the parts but to have a perspective to overview the whole. Even Easterners do not innately have this inclination to see the whole. That is a wisdom for them to live better, which has been cultivated in a climate of the East, east Asia, or Japan, for a long time. Do not forget this important wisdom.
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