Robert Magliola

Magliola received his doctorate in 1970 from Princeton University in comparative literature 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 (Thailand), where he was professor of philosophy and religious studies; and from National Taiwan University, where he was distinguished chair professor in the Graduate School of Liberal Arts.[1] In 1983–84, he taught and researched at Tamkang University in Taiwan while on sabbatical from Purdue University, where he had taught since 1969 and been a (full) professor since 1981.[2] 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 (in literature and Religious Studies) throughout this period. A Carmelite lay tertiary (1982–present),[3] he began to write more extensively both on the application of Derridean thought-motifs to Catholic theology, and on Catholic meditation (see Christian Meditation and see Contemplation), making an invited presentation in 1999 on 'Catholic Meditation in Tibetan Vajrayana 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 Buddhism and also underwent training in Vipassanā-Satipatthana meditation (Wat Mahathat, Bangkok).[4] 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]. In spring 2012 Ling Jiou Shan opened a new Center in Flushing, NYC, enabling Magliola to resume his affiliation as interfaith retreatant and consultant (2012-2019). 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 is Co-editor (2008– ) of the DES Journal (3 issues a year; c. 20,000 circulation), academic review of Delta Epsilon Sigma, national scholastic honor society for students/faculty/alumni of Catholic colleges and universities. He was a Seminar Associate (2002–2011)[5] of the Seminar in Buddhist Studies (a faculty and graduate student forum), Columbia University, and studied (autumn 2010–summer 2012) 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). In Italy—as of spring 2012—Magliola practices at Villa Vangelo e Zen ("The Gospel and Zen") (), Desio (Lombardia), where the Director is padre Luciano Mazzocchi, S.X., who belongs to the Society of St. Francis Xavier for the Foreign Missions () and who, after twenty years in Japan, is a certified Soto Zen teacher with established centers throughout Italy (see also the Italian blogs associated with the website of La Stella del Mattino Italian Buddhist Community, Zen monk Mauricio Yushin Marassi, director, discussing Magliola's review of P. Knitter's Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian, here). On March 27, 2013, Magliola received from Vangelo e Zen an official Attestato (Certification): the document declares him qualified to teach meditation "as transmitted in Zen, and in other Oriental forms" [in which he has been trained] to "priests, Religious, and laity of the Catholic Church," in accordance with "the spirituality of dialogue promoted by Vatican Council II."[6] The same document notes that "In 1999, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger [later to become Pope Benedict XVI], Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, expressed in writing his approval and his encouragement" for "the Association Vangelo e Zen."[6] In 2012 and 2013, Magliola has been a Reviewer/Outside Reader in Buddhism and Postmodern Theology for Harvard Theological Review, Harvard University.

Magliola is a specialist in European hermeneutics and deconstruction, in comparative philosophy, and in Buddhist – (Roman) Catholic dialogue. He is widely acknowledged to be the first scholar to have identified and published at length (Derrida on the Mend, 1984[7]) on possible intersections between Jacques Derrida's thought and Buddhism, especially Madhyamika Buddhism and its generally accepted "founder," Nagarjuna:

• "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,in his 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[8]] 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, 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, in his 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,[9] ed. J.Y. Park, 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), and Ellen Y. Zhang ("Jizang's Śūnyatā-Speech: A Derridean Dénégation with Buddhist Negations," in Buddhisms and Deconstructions, ed. Park, p. 116).

Brian Bocking 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 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,. ... "

• Jaime M. Rivera, S.J., From Peripheries to Center to Peripheries: An Exposition and Evaluation of Robert Magliola on Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue, Thesis in Theological Studies, 429 pp., Faculty of Theology and Ministry, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, The Philippines, May 2016 see Thesis (FULL TEXT) here.[10]
• Jane Augustine, "The Veil Rent in Twain: A Buddhist Reading of Robert Magliola's Deconstructive Chiasm", in J. Y. Park, ed., with "After-word" by R. Magliola, Buddhisms and Deconstructions (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), pp. 171–182.
• Gad Horowitz, "emmanuel, robert", in Buddhisms and Deconstructions, pp. 183–190.
• Robert Magliola, "After-word," in "Buddhisms and Deconstructions", pp. 253–260. Magliola's carefully deliberated assessment of the arguments in Augustine and Horowitz (see their essays above) which controvert his world-view.

Robert Magliola's books in Hermeneutics, Deconstruction, Buddhist studies, Catholic thought, Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue, and an equitable selection of positive, negative, 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, 2000-2011, 2013- : see in Purdue Online catalogue, here.

• Joseph S. O'Leary, review in Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 12, No. 4.
• 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).
• Kenneth Inada, review in Buddhist-Christian Studies, Vol. 5 (1985), pp. 218–222: see review in JSTOR, here.
• 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- ), 202 pp.: see in Amazon-UK online, here. N. Robert Glass, review in Journal of Buddhist Ethics, Vol. 5 (1998): see review (FULL TEXT) here.

• Edward Vargo, review in Abac Journal (Thailand), Vol. 18, No. 3, 1998 (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.
• John Keenan, review in Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 25, Nos. 3–4 (fall 1998), pp. 392–395, and Magliola's Reply in same issue, pp. 395–396.
• Charles B Jones, review in Theological Studies, Vol. 59, No. 2 (June 1998), pp. 349–351.
• Frank Stevenson, review in Tamkang Review (Taiwan), Vol. XXVII, No. 2 (Winter 1996), pp. 255–266.
• Francis Brassard, review in Religiologiques (Fr. lang., Montreal, Quebec), Vol. 18 (automne 1998).

• JACQUES DERRIDA'S VEHEMENT AFFIRMATION of Robert Magliola's On Deconstructing Life-Worlds: Buddhism, Christianity, Culture (Scholars Press of AAR, 1997; Oxford UP, 2000) dated July 6, 1997:

Cher Robert, Quel livre magnifique ! J'y suis plongè depuis quelques jours. Je m'émerveille et j'apprends beaucoup, je joue beaucoup à vous regarder jouer si sérieusement avec toutes ce richesses (je ne parle pas de mes textes, bien sûr, mais de tous les autres, de tant et tant d'autres.) Ce que vous faites de ma petite histoire, de El-Biar à Khôra, de mon tr jusqu'au tr d'Aurobindo, traverse tant de mondes que je dois m'accrocher et m'essouffler derriėre vous pour faire semblant de savoir où je vais. Votre profondeur, votre audace et votre indėpendance m'éblouissent et m'impressionnent. Elles me rappellent aussi le souvenir de cette heureuse rencontre de Irvine. Sachez que malgré tant de distances, et à supposer que ce mot ait encore un sens et que le chose sont désirable, je me sens très proche de vous, je continue de vous lire et je vous remercie du fond du coeur. J'espère avoir la chance de vous revoir et de vous lire encore (ces jours derniers je parlais de vous avec Stephen Barker, de passage à Paris, et c'était bon). Avec mes voeux cordiaux et ma fidèle affection Jacques Derrida [11]

English translation of the above:

Dear Robert, What a magnificent book! I have been diving into it for several days. I marvel and learn much, I play much at watching you play so seriously with all these riches (I am not speaking of my texts, surely, but of all the others, so many many others.) What you do with my little history, from El-Biar to Khora, from my tr through to the tr of Aurobindo, traverses so many worlds that I must hold on and be out of breath in order to appear as if I know where I am going. Your profundity, your boldness, and your independence amaze and impress me. They also revive the memory of our happy meeting at Irvine. Please know that despite the distance, and with the supposition that the word still has a meaning and is to be wished for, I sense myself very near to you, I continue to read you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope to have the opportunity to see you again (in recent days, on my way to Paris, it was good to speak with Stephen Barker about you). With my best wishes and my faithful affection Jacques Derrida [12]

Facing Up to Real Doctrinal Difference: How Some Thought-Motifs From Derrida Can Nourish the Catholic-Buddhist Encounter (Angelico Press, 2014), 224 pp.: see on Amazon website, here.

• "This intriguing study offers a bold thesis that adapting the Derridean concept of difference within a Catholic framework can allow adept practitioners of both Buddhist and Catholic traditions to edify each other while acknowledging their radical difference. This avoids the temptation to relativism and superficial syncretism that so often infects pluralist accounts of dialogue. His professional background in contemporary continental philosophy coupled with his long history of sustained participation in Buddhist-Catholic dialogue provide Magliola with a unique vantage point for this effort. ... Exposure to teachings and practices of one's counterpart in other traditions can stimulate the revival of dormant but important analogous teachings and practices in one's own religion. Magliola's hope is that the Catholic tradition may be able to develop further doctrinal understandings in an Asian manner, analogously to its earlier developments which adapted Hellenistic thought forms." - John V. Apczynski (St. Bonaventure U.), Review in Catholic Books Review, March 2015: see review (FULL TEXT), here.

Commendations from the back cover and front inner pages of Facing Up to Real Doctrinal Difference:

• "Buddhist scholar and Catholic theologian Robert Magliola makes the convincing claim that an adaptation of some of Derrida's strategies makes it possible for Christians to affirm the positive role of Buddhist spiritual practices and teachings in God's plan of salvation while fully espousing their faith in Jesus Christ as universal Savior." - Rev. William Skudlarek, O.S.B., Consultore, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (Vatican)
• "A new approach based not on samenesses but on founding and irreducible differences." - Fra Matteo Nicolini-Zani, Monastery of Bose (Italy), Coord.: Dialogo Monastico Interreligioso/Monastic Interreligious Dialogue-Italy.
• "Robert Magliola is one of the great scholars of Derrida and Buddhism. This new book on the topic of Derrida's notion of 'difference' presents a philosophical foundation for understanding how Catholics can learn and receive from the differences of Buddhism while preserving faith in the traditional doctrines of the Church." - Donald W. Mitchell, professor of philosophy emeritus, Purdue University; editor, Claritas (Focolare Movement).
• "Robert Magliola attempts to show how mutual respect, appreciation, and even love can coexist with honest, frank, and clear recognition of the real substantive differences between Buddhism and Christianity." - Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, Buddhist monk, scholar, and translator from the Pali canon (BPS, Wisdom P., etc.); president, Buddhist Publishing Society (1988-2010), Sri Lanka; founding chair, Buddhist Global Relief
• "A substantial achievement. Robert Magliola is radical as well as profoundly faithful to his own Catholic background." - Gavin D'Costa, professor of Catholic theology, University of Bristol, U.K.; advisor to the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales
• "This book will be a key tool in grassroots Buddhist-Christian relations." - Rev. James Loughran, S.A., director, Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute, New York
• "Robert Magliola demonstrates a well-rounded understanding of the three main Buddhist traditions: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana." - Ven. Dr. Sak Dhammadipa, Abbot, Chuang Yen Monastery, N.Y.

• Jacques Derrida
• J. Hillis Miller
• East Asian Mādhyamaka
• Postmodernism
• Postmodern literature
• Lay theologian
• American philosophy
• List of American philosophers
• List of Italian Americans
• Deconstruction
• Continental philosophers
• Existential philosophy