Suzuki, Hartshorne, and Becoming-Now

The aim in this paper is to discuss philosophic views of Suzuki Daisetz and Charles Hartshorne with respect to conception of process. The thesis is that Hartshorne's whiteheadian of and Suzuki's interpretation of Zen Buddhism contain common vision of what is concrete in human experience and, for that matter, in experience generally. Explicit focus is on what can appear as crucial difference between two philosophers concerning issue of a present now. One concerned with philosophic and religious studies, and standing in some sense within American tradition of so-called philosophy, finds an interest in Suzuki and Zen experience of zazen aroused for two basic reasons. First, if philosophy of process is to be true to human experience, it ought to be verifiable by every experience whatsoever, but falsifiable by none. Since Hartshorne in fact holds this principle of method worthy enough to be practiced, his metaphysics, if true to life, must be verified by zazen. But within general history of ideas, experience of enlightenment, the peace that passes all understanding, has been reported by persons of varying religious and philosophic persuasions, and articulated in diversity of ways. So secondly, interest herein specifically concerns Suzuki's interpretation of Zen because it seems quite in agreement with some, if not all, aspects of Hartshorne's metaphysic and logic. Note, for example, following claims of Suzuki that we have correlated (in parentheses) with certain principles Hartshorne defends. First, being is activity itself (process); secondly, world of prajna or nonduality is always new, fresh, and dynamic, never repetition-for unity is multiplicity (creative synthesis). Third

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