On Tuesday, 11th February 2025, AMI hosted a research seminar led by Dr Saeko Yazaki titled ‘To Discipline or to Forget: A Sufi–Zen Comparative Analysis of the Self in the Writings of al-Ghazālī and Dōgen.” Dr Saeko Yazaki presented comparative research on the concept of the ‘self’ in Sufism and Zen Buddhism. The seminar, which drew scholars from multiple disciplines, examined striking parallels between these geographically and culturally distant traditions. Dr. Yazaki’s presentation centered on a textual analysis of two foundational works: “The Revival of the Religious Sciences” by the Sufi scholar Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) and “The Treasury of the True Dharma-Eye” by Zen master Dōgen (d. 1253). The seminar highlighted how both traditions, despite their separation, share important theoretical and practical concerns, particularly regarding lived experience and the transformation of the self. Dr. Yazaki explained that al-Ghazālī emphasises disciplining the self (nafs) to purify the heart for divine remembrance, while Dōgen stresses the importance of learning and ultimately forgetting the self (jiko) in Buddhist practice. While previous scholarship has compared these influential figures to Jewish and Christian theologians or European philosophers, Dr. Yazaki’s innovative approach places them in direct conversation with each other for the first time. Her analysis revealed not only remarkable similarities but also fundamental differences at both doctrinal and practical levels. A key insight from the seminar was the importance of faith in both traditions, balancing the widely recognised philosophical sophistication of these texts with their spiritual foundations. The seminar concluded with a lively discussion period, with attendees noting the valuable contribution this comparative approach makes to understanding religious traditions beyond conventional boundaries.
Speaker Bio:
Dr Saeko Yazaki has been a lecturer at Theology and Religious Studies, University of Glasgow since 2015. After graduating with a PhD in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Edinburgh in 2010, she held the post of Outreach and Project Manager, then Research Associate at the Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge. Her current interests revolve around mysticism, faith and sustainability, and cross-cultural interactions, in particular regarding Jewish–Muslim relations and the globalisation of Japanese traditions. Her publications include ‘Islamic Mysticism and Abū Ṭālib al-Makkī’ (2013), ‘Muslim-Jewish relations in the Duties of Hearts’ (2017), ‘La chronique japonaise de Nicolas Bouvier’ (co-authored, 2018), ‘The Islamic Manuscript Collection of A. S. Yahuda in Princeton University Library’ (2022), as well as ‘Sufism and Zen in the West’ (co-edited, Feb 2025 forthcoming).
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