What Eastern thinkers in the 19th and 20th centuries should I know about?

by acken

Did Nietzsche have an Asian counterpart?

fantasticraig

I don't know what exactly you are looking for, but two influential Eastern philosophers of the 20th century that come to mind are Jiddu Krishnamurti and D.T. Suzuki.

MisterMomo

What do you consider a "thinker"? If you are looking for those who are considered original and pioneering, then Feng Youlan can be credited for integrating thought. Mou Zongsan is also another prominent figure. Several more can be found in Japanese, particularly Meiji history, and India at the time.

If you are looking for influential writers and political thinkers, then there are plenty. Much of the 19th and 20th century saw a synthesis of thought between East and West. China alone, for example, had plenty of thinkers. Liang Qichao, Cai Yuanpei, Chen Duxiu, Hu Shi, Li Dazhao, Lu Xun, Gu Hongming, Lin Shu, Chen Yinke, Chen Lifu, Xiong Shili, Zhang Wentian, Qian Mu are only several of many that constitute the Chinese intellectual wave. Similar trends can be found in Meiji Japan with figures such Fukuzawa Yukichi, and in India as well. The spread of Wilsonianism in the 20th Century is also a key topic. Themes included in such writings include traditionalism, cultural conservatism, liberalism, westernization, modernization, and Marxism.