Robert Magliola
Encyclopedia
Roberto Rino Magliola is an Italian-American academic specializing in European hermeneutics and deconstruction
Deconstruction
Deconstruction is a term introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in his 1967 book Of Grammatology. Although he carefully avoided defining the term directly, he sought to apply Martin Heidegger's concept of Destruktion or Abbau, to textual reading...

, in comparative philosophy, and in inter-religious dialogue. He is retired from National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...

 and from Assumption University
Assumption University (Thailand)
Assumption University is a private Catholic university with three campuses in the Hua Mak, Central World Plaza and Suvarnabhumi areas of Bangkok, Thailand. The university is led by the Brothers of St. Gabriel, who have been active in education in Thailand since 1901...

 of Thailand.

Career

Magliola received his doctorate in 1970 from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

 in comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...

 with specialty and dissertation in phenomenology/hermeneutics, see diss. in microform format, here). He is retired from the (interfaith) Graduate School of Philosophy and Religions, Abac Assumption University
Assumption University (Thailand)
Assumption University is a private Catholic university with three campuses in the Hua Mak, Central World Plaza and Suvarnabhumi areas of Bangkok, Thailand. The university is led by the Brothers of St. Gabriel, who have been active in education in Thailand since 1901...

 (Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

), where he was professor of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

 and religious studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...

; and from National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...

, where he was distinguished chair professor in the Graduate School of Liberal Arts. In 1983–84, he taught and researched at Tamkang University
Tamkang University
Tamkang University is a private Taiwanese university located in Tamsui District, New Taipei City. Founded in 1950 as a junior college of English literature, the college has expanded into a full university with 11 colleges today....

 in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

 while on sabbatical from Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...

, where he had taught since 1969 and been a (full) professor since 1981. In 1985 he moved to the Orient, taking up residence there en permanence. He continued publication in Buddhism and deconstruction and also did interdisciplinary writing and conferencing on postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...

 (in literature and Religious Studies) throughout this period. A Carmelite lay tertiary
Carmelites
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...

 (1982–present), he began to write more extensively both on the application of Derridean thought-motifs to Catholic theology
Roman Catholic theology
Roman Catholic theology comprises the "Roman Catholic teachings" of the Catholic Church which bases its conclusions on Scripture and Sacred Tradition, as interpreted by the Magisterium. The Church teaches that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, keeping of the Ten commandments and...

, and on Catholic meditation (see Christian Meditation
Christian meditation
Christian meditation is a form of prayer in which a structured attempt is made to get in touch with and deliberately reflect upon the revelations of God. The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditārī, which has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study and to practice...

 and see Contemplation
Contemplation
The word contemplation comes from the Latin word contemplatio. Its root is also that of the Latin word templum, a piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, or a building for worship, derived either from Proto-Indo-European base *tem- "to cut", and so a "place reserved or cut out" or...

), making an invited presentation in 1999 on ‘Catholic Meditation in Tibetan Vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...

 Form’ for the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Federation of Asian Bishops Councils (See Proceedings for 2nd Day, Feb. 2, 1999, here).

In Thailand since 1994, he researched Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...

 Buddhism and also underwent training in Vipassanā
Vipassana
Vipassanā or vipaśyanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi . Vipassana is one of the world's most ancient techniques of meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha...

-Satipatthana
Satipatthana
In the Buddhist tradition, ' refers to the establishing, foundation or presence of "mindfulness" . The Buddha taught the establishing of mindfulness as the 'direct path' to the realisation of nirvana...

 meditation (Wat Mahathat
Wat Mahathat
Wat Mahathat is the common short name of several important buddhist temples in Thailand. The name may refer to:* Wat Mahathat Yuwarajarangsarit , Bangkok...

, Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

). He organized and chaired the Thai delegation of Buddhist and Catholic scholars from Assumption University to the quadrennial international meetings of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies (1996, 2000), having begun presenting papers there in 1992. After a return of two years to teaching in Taiwan, he formally retired from university teaching as of summer, 2002, and currently lives in the United States of America where his three children, Lorinda-marie, Jon-carlo, and Clara-marie, and his several grandchildren reside. Since 2002, he has taught minicourses
(see course information, Global Family for Love and Peace, here), organized forums, and been an interfaith retreatant at the Manhattan (NYC) Center of the Wu Sheng Monastery, Ling Jiou Shan Buddhist Society, Kung-Liao, Taiwan (2002–2005) [the Manhattan Center closed in 2005 and moved to Oakland Garden, Queens, NYC]. From 2002 through 2007 he has been a co-editor (see some of these edited books, here) for volumes in the book-series “Seminars on Culture and Values” for the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. He contributes his services as co-editor (2008– ) of the DES Journal (3 issues a year; c. 20,000 circulation), academic review of Delta Epsilon Sigma
Delta Epsilon Sigma
Delta Epsilon Sigma is a national scholastic honor society that was established in 1939 for students of Catholic universities and colleges in the United States. The society was founded at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa in 1939 by Father Fitzgerald. Requirements for membership are as follows...

, national scholastic honor society for students/faculty/alumni of Catholic colleges and universities (see websites and http://deltaepsilonsigma.org). He continues as a Seminar Associate (2002–present) of the Seminar in Buddhist Studies (a faculty and graduate student forum), Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

, and is learning (autumn 2010– ) the meditative mode of Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo as it is taught at the Downtown New York Meditation Community (Manhattan, N.Y.C.), where Peter Doobinin leads the Insight Meditation Program (vipassanā
Vipassana
Vipassanā or vipaśyanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi . Vipassana is one of the world's most ancient techniques of meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha...

). Concurrently he has been making trips to Italy with an eye toward implementing a project in Rome.

Jacques Derrida and Buddhism

Magliola is a specialist in European hermeneutics and deconstruction
Deconstruction
Deconstruction is a term introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in his 1967 book Of Grammatology. Although he carefully avoided defining the term directly, he sought to apply Martin Heidegger's concept of Destruktion or Abbau, to textual reading...

, in comparative philosophy, and in Buddhist – (Roman) Catholic dialogue (http://www.monasticdialog.com); see also Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

 and Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

. He is widely acknowledged to be the first scholar to have identified and published at length (Derrida on the Mend, 1984) on possible intersections between Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher, born in French Algeria. He developed the critical theory known as deconstruction and his work has been labeled as post-structuralism and associated with postmodern philosophy...

’s thought and Buddhism, especially Madhyamika Buddhism and its generally accepted “founder,” Nagarjuna
Nagarjuna
Nāgārjuna was an important Buddhist teacher and philosopher. Along with his disciple Āryadeva, he is credited with founding the Mādhyamaka school of Mahāyāna Buddhism...

:
  • “As far as I know, Magliola is the first person to study Derrida in a Buddhist perspective, and he does this with a higher degree of speculative engagement than has been attained in similar studies of Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, and Bergson.” – Joseph S. O’Leary, review of Derrida on the Mend in Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 12, No. 4, p. 362

  • “The latter [Magliola’s On Deconstructing Life-Worlds: Buddhism, Christianity, Culture, 1997] is a major work from an author whose earlier book, Derrida on the Mend, was the first to cross Buddhism and deconstruction.” – N. Robert Glass, review of David Loy
    David Loy
    David Robert Loy is an American author and authorized teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Japanese Zen Buddhism.-Early life:Loy was born in the Panama Canal Zone. His father was in the U.S. Navy so the family traveled a great deal. He attended Carleton College in Minnesota, and spent his junior...

    , ed., Healing Deconstruction- , and Robert Magliola, On Deconstructing Life-Worlds, in Journal of Buddhist Ethics, Vol. 5 (1998), p. 60

  • “Since Robert Magliola’s 1984 publication Derrida on the Mend, which involved his pioneering comparison of Derrida and Nagarjuna, . . .” – Youru Wang, review of Youxuan Wang, Buddhism and Deconstruction: Towards a Comparative Semiotics, in Philosophy East and West, Vol. 55, No. 3 (July 2005)

  • “It took Magliola, in Derrida on the Mend, to bring Nagarjuna and other Buddhist voices into the arena of the discourse on deconstruction, and the efforts of the academy to marginalize his work have been considerable.” – E. H. Jarow, “Zen Flesh, Bones, and Blood: Deconstructing Inter-Religious Dialogue,” in Buddhisms and Deconstructions, ed. Jin Y. Park, with “After-word” by R. Magliola, p. 228.


For other references to Derrida on the Mend making a similar point, see Harold Coward (Derrida and Indian Philosophy, State U. of New York Press, 1990, p. 125), Dennis McCort (Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 71, No. 1 (2003), p. 225 (See review, here), and Ellen Y. Zhang (“Jizang
Jizang
Jizang was a Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar who is often regarded as the founder of the Three Treatise School. He is also known as Jiaxiang or Master Jiaxiang , because he acquired fame at the Jiaxiang Temple.-Biography:...

’s Śūnyatā-Speech: A Derridean Dénégation with Buddhist Negations,” in Buddhisms and Deconstructions, ed. Park, p. 116).

Brian Bock and Youxuan Wang point out, in their “Signs of Liberation?—A Semiotic Approach to Wisdom in Chinese Madhyamika Buddhism,” The Journal of Chinese Philosophy, Vol. 33, No. 3 (Sept. 2006) (See article in Ingenta, here), that Derrida on the Mend also works with the Chan/Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...

 form of Buddhism, pioneering the comparison of this Far Eastern tradition and several Western semiotic themes: “As early as 1984, certain semiotic themes in Chinese Chan Buddhism were picked up in Robert Magliola, Derrida on the Mend, . . . .”

Books and reviews

Robert Magliola's books in Hermeneutics, Deconstruction, Religious Studies, and an equitable selection of negative, positive, and mixed reviews thereof, some of which are accessible online:

Phenomenology and Literature (Purdue University Press, 1977, 2nd printing 1978), 208 pp.


“Now at last we get a book which seeks to introduce the Anglo-Saxon reader systematically to phenomenological literary theory and practice, placing both in their philosophical habitat. It is an understatement to say that the book fulfills a glaring need.” – Review by W. Wolfgang Holdheim in Diacritics Vol. 9, No. 2 (summer 1979), p. 10: see review in JSTOR, here.



Derrida on the Mend (Purdue University Press, 1984; 2nd edition, 1986), 238 pp. Reprint, Purdue University Press, 2000: see in Purdue Online catalogue, here.

  • Stuart Sims, review in Critical Inquiry, “‘Not quite philosophy’: the Situation of Deconstruction,” Vol. 28, No. 4 (Dec. 1986), pp. 114–122: see review here.

  • Mark C. Taylor, review in Thought, “Orthodox-y (–) Mending,” Vol. 61, No. 240 (March 1986).


  • R. V. Young, review in Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Newsletter, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Dec. 1985), pp. 14–15.


On Deconstructing Life-Worlds: Buddhism, Christianity, Culture (Scholars Press, American Academy of Religion, 1997; Oxford University Press, 2000), 266 pp.: see in Amazon-UK online, here and Oxford UP-USA online catalogue,here.

  • Edward Vargo, review in Abac Journal (Thailand), Vol. 18, No. 3, 1998: see review (FULL TEXT) here. (Also available in Chinese, in Chung-Wai Literary Monthly, No. 313, June, 1998, pp. 172–183.)

  • James L. Fredericks, review in Sophia, Vol. 37, No. 2 (Sept–Oct 1998), pp. 151–153; and Magliola's Reply in same issue, pp. 154–155: see both review and Reply, here.


  • Charles B Jones, review in Theological Studies, Vol. 59, No. 2 (June 1998), pp. 349–351: see review here.



Anthology-articles and reviews

  • "Two Models of Trinity—French Post-Structuralist versus the Historical-Critical: Argued in the Form of a Dialogue," in O. Blanchette, T. Imamich, and G. F. McLean, eds., Philosophical Challenges and Opportunities of Globalization, Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change: Series I, 'Culture and Values', Vol. 19.2 (Washington, D.C.: Council for Research in Values and Philosophy [CRVP], 2001), pp. 401–425: see FULL TEXT here.

  • "After-word" (discussion of the collected papers) in Jin Y. Park, ed., with After-word by Robert Magliola, in Buddhisms and Deconstructions (Rowman and Littlefield, 2006), pp. 235–270. "Buddhisms and Deconstructions considers the connection between Buddhism and Derridean deconstruction. Fourteen distinguished contributors discuss deconstruction and various Buddhisms – Indian, Tibetan, Chinese (Chan), and Japanese (Zen)—including an afterword in which Robert Magliola responds directly to his critics" [backleaf]: see in Rowman and Littlefield online catalogue, here.

  • Buddhist–Christian Studies Database (BCSD), Boston College: Annotation of those contributions in Buddhisms and Deconstructions which pertain to Buddhist–Christian encounter – see pertaining BCSD entries, here.

  • Steven Heine, review in H-Net Reviews in Humanities and Social Sciences (posted Nov., 2006, published by H-Buddhism): see review (FULL TEXT) here.

  • Francis X. Clooney, S.J., review in Buddhist–Christian Studies, Vol. 27 (2007), pp. 182–187: see review here.

  • Tao Jiang, review in Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 75, No. 1, pp. 191–194: see review here.

  • "Hongzhou Chan Buddhism, and Derrida Late and Early: Justice, Ethics, and Karma," in Youru Wang, ed., Deconstruction and the Ethical in Asian Thought (Routledge Press, 2007), pp. 175–191.

  • Joseph S. O’Leary, review of articles in Wang's anthology, above, in H-Net Reviews in Humanities and Social Sciences (posted February 2008, published by H-Buddhism) see review (FULL TEXT) here.

  • "Transformation Theory and Postcolonial Discourse: Jung by Lacan by Derrida (Bar Sinister Descent," in R. Lumsden and R. Patke, Institutions in Cultures: Theory and Practice (Rodopi, 1996), pp. 239–260: see in Rodopi online catalogue, here.

  • "Sexual Rogations and Mystical Abrogations: Some Données of Buddhist Tantra and the Catholic Renaissance," in C. Koelb and S. Noakes, The Comparative Perspective on Literature (Cornell University Press, 1988), pp. 195–212: see in Cornell UP online catalogue, here.

  • "Appropriative and/or Imitative Use(s): Some Cruxes—Greek, Latin, English, French, Sanskrit," in Han-Liang Chang, ed., Concepts of Literary Theory East and West (Taipei: Bookman Books and Chinese Comparative Lit. Assoc., 1993), pp. 183–244.

  • "Differential Theology and Womankind: On Isaiah 66:13," in P. Berry and A.Wernick, eds., Shadow of Spirit: Postmodernism and Religion (Routledge, 1992), pp. 211–225: see in Routledge online catalogue, here.

Articles and reviews

  • "Nagarjuna and Chi-tsang on the Value of 'This World': A Reply to Kuang-ming Wu’s Critique of Indian and Chinese Madhyamika Buddhism," Journal of Chinese Philosophy, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 505–516: see FULL TEXT here; and, in Journal of Chinese Philosophy, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 299–301: see Wu's Riposte here.

  • "Differentialism in Chinese Ch’an and French Deconstruction: Some Test-Cases from the Wu-men-kuan," Journal of Chinese Philosophy, Vol. 17 (1990), pp. 87–97: see FULL TEXT here;

also accessible in Moksha (online journal): see FULL TEXT here.
  • Review of B. Ziporyn, Being and Ambiguity: Philosophical Experiments with Tiantai Buddhism (Open Court, 2004), in H-Net Reviews, Feb. 14, 2007 (posted Jan. 5, 2007, published by H-Buddhism): see FULL TEXT here.

  • Review of C. Olson, Zen and the Art of Postmodern Philosophy: Two Paths of Liberation from the Representational Mode of Thinking (State U. of New York Press, 2000), in Buddhist-Christian Studies, Vol. 24 (2004), pp. 295–299: see review in Project Muse, here.


  • "Derridean Gaming and Buddhist Utpada/Bhanga (Rising/Falling): How a Philosophical Style Can Devoid Substantive Field," in International Journal for Field-Being, Vol. 1, No. 1, Part 2 (2001), electronic journal of the International Institute for Field-Being: See FULL TEXT of this paper at > Journal > Vol. 1 No 1 (2001) > Part II.

  • "Jorge Luis Borges and the Loss of Being: Structuralist Themes in Dr. Brodie’s Report," Studies in Short Fiction, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Winter 1978), pp. 25–31: see via Bookrags, here.

  • Review of F. J. Ambrosio’s Dante and Derrida Face to Face (State U. of New York Press, 2007), in Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 75, No. 4, pp. 1024–1026: see review here.

  • Review of Jin Y. Park's Buddhism and Postmodernity: Zen, Huayan, and the Possibility of Buddhist Postmodern Ethics (Lexington Books, 2008), in Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 77, No. 1 (March 2009), pp. 183–186: see review here.

  • Review of Paul F. Knitter
    Paul F. Knitter
    Paul F. Knitter is the Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World Religions and Culture at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. He was formerly Emeritus Professor of Theology at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Since publishing his acclaimed book, No Other Name? , Knitter has...

    's Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian (One World Publications, 2009), in Journal of the American Academy of Religion , Vol. 78, No. 4 (December 2010), pp. 1215-1218: see review here.
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