Buddhist-Christian dialogue: Mystery of the naked heart

Abstract

This paper presents a relational view of interreligious dialogue, in which the mutual learning and engagement between dialogue participants take precedence over objective findings, collaboration, and friendship over, but not to the exclusion of, debate and scholarship. The contextual, dialogical, and interrelational nature of this model is presented in light of two genealogies, interreligious and religious studies. In interreligious dialogue, genealogical stages of development covered include: “theological,” “contemplative,” and “socially and environmentally engaged.” In terms of the background of religious studies, borrowing from the work of Sumner Twiss, stages of development include “Early Modern Theological," "Transitional Ethnocentric," “Late Modern Critical-Scientific,” and "Post Modern Hermeneutical.” Beyond theory and method, concrete episodes of interreligious encounter and relational dialogue are used to illustrate key points.