ABSTRACT
Heidegger is one of the few Western philosophers whose thinking forms a sustaining source of attraction for Asian scholars and inspires numerous writings on comparative or intercultural themes. In view of the fact that Heidegger’s remarks bearing on East-West dialogue are made mainly with respect to East Asian thought, I focus on East Asia in introducing his Asian connection.1 First, I examine the reception of his philosophy in Japan, where his work has been disseminated, confronted, and canonized by important Japanese philosophers. This is followed by a brief overview of the literature on Heidegger and Daoism. Subsequently, I expose the general development of discourses under the rubric of Heidegger and Asian thought. An adequate understanding of Heidegger’s essay “A Dialogue on Language” is requisite for ascertaining his comportment toward East-West dialogue. In the last part of this chapter, I introduce a few relevant issues surrounding this text.
