A Vision of New World Religion in Nishida Kitarō’s philosophy

Nishida Kitarō (1870-1945), modern philosopher and the main representative of the so-called Kyoto school (Kyōtoha), was very concerned with the problem of religion from the comparative point of view. It should be noted that Nishida was the first of the representatives of Kyoto school, who had advocated the necessity of going beyond both Buddhism and Christianity in search of new world religion. This fact can be easily overlooked, since Nishida is regarded as a fervent follower and propagator of Zen Buddhism. According to Nishida “religion of the future” will emerge as a result of deepening reflection on the universal religious experience of the mankind, the experience, which can be discovered in all religions, although it is often hidden.The aim of this article is the attempt of clarifying Nishida’s views on religion and the universal religious experience with special attention to his critical remarks on Buddhism. This problem is especially important in the context of interreligious dialogue of the Kyoto School representatives, which has the foundation in its unique definition of “religious experience”, definition, which can be traced to the Nishida’s philosophy.