Q0654
“So long as the field of separation between within and without is…” — Nishitani Keiji (Religion and Nothingness (Van Bragt, p.…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Religion and Nothingness (Van Bragt, p. 10). Theme: self.
English
So long as the field of separation between within and without is not broken through, and so long as a conversion from that standpoint does not take place, the lack of unity and contradiction spoken of earlier cannot help but prevail among the things we take as real.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Religion and Nothingness (Van Bragt, p. 10) and files it under Kyoto School. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Nishitani Keiji
Nishitani Keiji (1900–1990) was Nishida’s student and a central second-generation Kyoto School figure. Educated in Japan and briefly in Germany under Heidegger’s orbit, he taught at Kyoto University and wrote Religion and Nothingness (Japanese Shūkyō to wa nanika), which confronts modern nihilism through Zen and Mahāyāna emptiness.
How to read this passage
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self.
Concepts in this quote
- Self
- Philosophy quotes about self explore identity, responsibility, and the examined life—from Socrates’ unexamined life to modern phenomenology and existential authenticity.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Nishitani Keiji. (n.d.). So long as the field of separation between within and without is not broken through, and so long as a conversion from that standpoint does not take place, the lack of unity and contradiction spoken of earlier cannot help but prevail among the things we take as real. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0654
MLA: Nishitani Keiji. “So long as the field of separation between….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0654.
Chicago: Nishitani Keiji. “So long as the field of separation between….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0654.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “So long as the field of separation between…”?
The passage is attributed to Nishitani Keiji, Religion and Nothingness (Van Bragt, p. 10). The archive attributes this English wording to Religion and Nothingness (Van Bragt, p. 10) and files it under Kyoto School. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Nishitani Keiji mean by self?
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self.