Disinterested Contemplation as a Path to Liberation in Schopenhauer’s Philosophy and Its Parallels with Zen Buddhism

Abstract

This study focuses on one of the central concepts in Schopenhauer’s philosophy: liberation. The possibility of liberation constitutes the core concern of the author’s ethics and determines the structure of his soteriology. Whether the metaphysics of the will is essentially pessimistic must be assessed in light of this very issue. Schopenhauer’s philosophy presents three possible paths to liberation, one of which is aesthetic – liberation through disinterested contemplation. This paper examines Schopenhauer’s aesthetics precisely from this perspective: as a possible path to salvation. On the other hand, the influence of Buddhist doctrine on Schopenhauer’s philosophy and the parallels between them are well known. Both philosophies portray the world as fundamentally painful for the individual and aim at liberation from this suffering. The aim of this research is to analyze the role of aesthetics in Schopenhauer’s philosophy as a means of denying the will, and to compare it with Zen Buddhist aesthetic theory, particularly as a potential catalyst for satori (sudden enlightenment), exploring the essential similarities and differences between the two traditions.