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| DT Suzuki. (Photo: Mihuko Okamura) |
There have been few people capable of bridging the Western and Eastern approach to life as well as DT Suzuki. With an excellent grasp of written and spoken English, combined with an exhaustive knowledge of Eastern and Western religions and philosophies, the effect he had on Western psychoanalysis, philosophy, religious thinking, and the arts was profound.
Many renowned Western philosophers, artists and psychologists were affected by his work, including Carl Jung, Erich Fromm, Martin Heidegger, John Cage, and Alan Ginsberg. Dr. Suzuki's numerous writings in English and Japanese serve as an inspiration even today.
One of the goals of Zen is to transcend dichotomies. Director Michael Goldberg's main purpose in making this documentary was to bring DT Suzuki alive, to motivate people in the West and in Japan to know themselves better while respecting one another. Daisetz Suzuki's message is all the more important now, in light of contemporary conflicts stemming from divergent ways of thinking.
