Abstract

The basis for fruitful cross-cultural and cross-traditional dialogue in the global village of today is: a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of the social process; a willingness to honor the unique expression of the sacred in each philosophic-religious tradition; a method for dialogical change of levels allowing similarities and differences to co-exist and inform each other. Both Buddhist and Christian traditions contain this basis for dialogue in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta and the social teachings of the Institute of Cultural Affairs . The author has created a dialogical method and demonstrated how it might inform the Buddhist-Christian dialogue from a whole systems perspective