Lee D. Clarke
In a globalizing world, increasing the understanding between diverse traditions of thought via comparative philosophy is paramount. Whereas comparing Asian, especially Buddhist, and Western philosophies is gaining popularity, aesthetics is an area of philosophy that lags. This is because many question whether there can be a Buddhist aesthetics given the suspicion of Buddhism towards beauty as something that leads to suffering. If a version of Buddhist aesthetics were to be found that was compatible with Western philosophy, it would allow Buddhism to make valid contributions to wider debates and help build bridges among different ways of thinking. This paper argues that not only does Buddhism have the space for a positive aesthetical view of the beautiful but that its aesthetic view, based on a reinterpretation of enlightenment, or nirvāṇa, is compatible with Western views of the beautiful while still retaining a uniquely Buddhist perspective.