abstract: Evidence from the Pali texts suggests that the Buddha opposed judging people on the grounds of their place of birth, their ethnic identity, or their skin color. In practice, however, Buddhist traditions have not been and are not free of such judgments. This article illustrates this through a case study of Buddhism in colonial and postcolonial Ceylon, with particular reference to the Aryan theory. It argues that the language of race and nation that emerged among Buddhists in this context (...) was influenced by three factors: the academic work of European linguists and ethnographers; Christian missionary representations of Buddhism; and readings of Pali texts that attributed the term ariya (noble, good, pure) to Buddhist communities. The article first examines the concept of ariya (Pali; Sanskrit: ārya ) in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. It then surveys the discourse in colonial Ceylon on the term "Aryan," including the involvement of Christian leaders and the Buddhist internalization of the discourse in the context of Christian missionary activity, as seen particularly in the writings of the Anagārika Dharmapāla (1864–1933). Another strand in the discourse is then isolated, namely the "othering" of the minority, "Dravidian" Tamils in colonial Ceylon, and the consequences of this in the postcolonial period. Finally, the article asks whether this case study can offer insights into the fault lines within Buddhist cultures, and indeed, Christian cultures, that could give rise to racism. (shrink)

abstract: Comparative theology aims at seeing one's own tradition and the other in light of each other, which calls for a solid methodological foundation. Comparative theology can benefit from a global historical approach that involves the hermeneutic project of tracing historical trajectories of reinterpreting ancient traditions comparatively and the postcolonial project of enhancing non-Western voices of self-articulation. This essay shows how modern reinterpretations of Augustinian Christianity and Tiantai Buddhism can reframe their ancient doctrines, drawing on relevant philosophical strands from Martin (...) Heidegger, Hannah Arendt, Teruji Ishizu (石津 照璽), and Keiji Nishitani (西谷 啓治). (shrink)

abstract: This study will propose that Thich Nhat Hanh's (TNH) teaching possesses a powerful capability to propose a viable wisdom path/spirituality to people in today's secularized world, particularly, those who self-identify as SBNR (Spiritual but not Religious), "Dones" (given up on religion), or "Nones" (no religious affiliation). This capability stems principally from TNH's stated commitment to renew and refresh Buddhism by making it simple and practical in daily life while disavowing inordinate attachment to any doctrine, ideology, or teaching, an attitude (...) that TNH considered idolatrous. TNH's way seems to be compatible with the widespread contemporary Western disillusionment with institutional religion that is ironically accompanied by a renewed quest for a meaningful spirituality. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Honoring, Listening, and Fostering Peace through Friendship:SBCS Annual Meeting November 17–18, 2023, San AntonioSandra Costen KunzThe Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies (SBCS) held its annual meeting the weekend before Thanksgiving in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) as one of its "related scholarly organizations." Three important decisions that the board of directors made are:1. the approval of a new publication agreement with the University (...) of Hawai'i Press (UHP) that journal co-editors Thomas Cattoi and Kristin Largen and treasurer John Sheveland spent many hours working out with UHP's staff,2. the creation of a new standing committee: Oral History and Archives. It will record long-time members's memories of their involvement with society and collect photos and documents pertinent to the society's history,3. the decision to hold an online board meeting before AAR's annual meeting to complete as much routine annual business as possible so that our once-a-year, face-to-face time together can be devoted to more in-depth planning and problem-solving and spending more time listening to, and learning from, each other.Three other highlights of this year's meeting were: (i) honoring long-time interreligious peacemaker Thich Nhat Hahn at our Saturday morning session, (ii) listening to Won Buddhists describe their interreligious peacemaking practices at our Saturday afternoon session, and (iii) committing ourselves as a board to be more faithful in following the practices of the founders of the society by setting aside more time to foster interreligious peace not only through careful scholarship but also through caring friendships.In its early decades, the society spent much of its time and income hosting multiday international conferences that provided much more time for developing friendships and learning from each other than our board meetings and paper sessions at AAR have provided. We have sometimes planned field trips to local temples or churches or dinners at restaurants, but these "extra programs" were always an ad hoc add-on. This year, the board committed itself to reviving the friendship-building and learning-from-each-other priorities of our predecessors in the society and to discerning how to embody them in SBCS programming. [End Page 219]Since I see this year's meeting as something of a watershed moment for the society, I've devoted more pages to this annual meeting article than usual to share more fully with our members and other readers of Buddhist-Christian Studies the work that we did and the possibilities that we discussed.friday board of directors meetingPresident's Opening RemarksPresident Mark Unno called the meeting to order with these words: "The main thing I want to say is: 'Thank you to all our board members for an amazing year!'" Noting how many AAR-related societies struggled through the digital transition and then the pandemic, he expressed gratitude that the SBCS sustained robust activity through the heavy lifting by many board members.After welcoming at-large members Gloria Chien from Gonzago University and Trent Pomplum from Notre Dame to their first in-person board meeting, Mark relayed at-large board member Victor Gabriel's regrets for being unable to attend. After each person had updated everyone with whatever seemed most pertinent, we moved to the international advisors's, officers's, and committees's reports.International Advisor ReportsElizabeth Harris from the European Network of Buddhist-Christian Studies began by announcing that the papers from their 2022 conference, "Euro-Buddhism and the Role of Christianity," will be published in 2024 by EOS Verlag. Our journal coeditor, Thomas Cattoi, contributed. Their next conference, titled "A Buddhist-Christian Dialogue on the Body," will be at St. Otillien Benedictine Abbey in Bavaria on June 27–July 1, 2024. She reminded us that they issue an open call for papers that supplement their invited keynote addresses, in part to help scholars get travel funding. The network's conference in 2026 will be held at the Protestant Academy for Mission Studies (EMW) at the University of Hamburg to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the network's founding there by Rev. Gerhard Köberlin.She noted that, in the UK... (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:SBCS Members Travel to TaiwanLeo D. LefebureIn February and March 2024, Kunihiko Terasawa and I visited Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei and Buddhist monasteries in Taiwan. On February 29, Kuni gave a very engaging presentation on the thought of Kitaro Nishida, and we had a lively discussion of Nishida's contributions and his relation to Japanese nationalism, followed by lunch with members of the faculty of Fu Jen. The (...) next day, Professor Su-an Lin, who teaches Buddhism at Fu Jen, and graduate student Su-chen Huang accompanied Kuni and me to Fo Guang Shan Monastery, where we received an informative tour of the monastic community, a delicious lunch, and then a guided tour of the Buddha Museum, including the remarkable exhibit on the discoveries at Dunhuang, including full-scale replicas of the statues and murals in the Mogao Caves. To conclude our visit, we were treated to tea and were given Lewis Lancaster's book on The Buddhist Maritime Silk Road and a book of Buddhist meditations for each day of the year.On March 3, we received a guided visit to the Museum of World Religions in Taipei, founded by Dharma Master Hsin Tao. Two days later, together with Paulin Batairwa, Under-Secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, and Raphael Ling, vice president of Fu Jen University for mission and chaplaincy, I visited Master Hsin Tao at his monastery, situated on a high spot dramatically overlooking the ocean. We had an extended discussion of interreligious activities, and the Dharma Master told us of his project to found a Buddhist university in Myanmar and sought our support. On March 5, Paulin, Raphael, and I visited Dharma Drum Mountain Monastery outside of Taipei, where we were graciously welcomed by the Ven. Guo Hei, who gave us copies of books by their founder, the late Chan Master Sheng-yen.I delivered two lectures at Fu Jen; our SBCS colleague Jonathan Seitz, who teaches in Taipei, came to meet me for lunch and attended my second lecture on spirit, law, and wisdom in interreligious encounters. Together with Paulin, I also met with leaders of the Daoist Temple in Taipei and participated in a Vatican-led discussion of Catholic–Confucian relations. [End Page 239]Leo D. LefebureSBCS Past PresidentCopyright © 2024 University of Hawai'i Press... (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:SBCS Participation in Interfaith Coalition Conference for Global Citizens and Visit to Sogang University ReportsLeo D. Lefebure and Kunihiko TerasawaOn August 21–22, 2023, Mark Unno, Carolyn Jones Medine, Kunihiko Terasawa, Grace Song, and Leo D. Lefebure participated in the historic first in-person meeting of the ICCGC in Seoul, organized by our Won Buddhist colleagues with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of the Republic of Korea (...) and the United Religions Initiative in collaboration with SBCS, Wonkwang University, and the Focolare Movement Korea. Leaders from NGSs affiliated with the United Nations, as well as Religions for Peace and Rissho Kosei-kai, also participated.Grace served as a most gracious host for the program. Before the official opening of the conference, Mark chaired a panel discussion on interfaith dialogue, and Leo chaired a session on work for peace. Leo served as co-chair of the conference and offered opening remarks welcoming former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who delivered the keynote speech on "Global Citizenship Now." Mark, Kuni, Carolyn, and Kathy Matsui participated in a panel discussion of global citizenship and the path to peace. Leo gave a talk on the role of religion in a fragmented world and participated in a panel discussion on the place of religion in education for global citizenship.After the ICCGC meeting had ended, Mark, Carolyn, Kuni, Grace, and Leo traveled to the headquarters of Won Buddhism in Iksan, where we met their Head Dharma Master Ven. Jeonsan and other leaders. Mark delivered cordial remarks on behalf of all of us in SBCS.The organizers hope to convene the next meeting of the ICCGC in Manhattan in late August 2024 in co-operation with the NGO leaders attached to the UN.Visit to Sogang University in SeoulIn August 2023, Kunihiko Terasawa and Leo D. Lefebure visited Sogang (Jesuit) University in Seoul. Bhikshu Do Sun of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, who is a doctoral student in Buddhist-Christian studies at Sogang University, graciously met Leo at the airport and accompanied him to the university, where they had dinner with Kuni and a Georgetown University graduate student, Mideum Hong, who is from Korea. Do Sun later accompanied Leo on a visit to the main Jogye Temple in Seoul and to the fine collection of Buddhist art at the National Museum of Korea. The following day, Kuni and Leo had an extended conversation with retired Archbishop Hyginus KIM Hee-joong and Sogang Professor Kim Chae Young. Archbishop Kim [End Page 237] discussed both his extensive interreligious experience with Buddhists and shamanic practitioners, and also his work for more peaceful relations between North and South Korea. The next day, Leo and Kuni met with the leaders of the Woori Theology Institute in Seoul, Balbina Lee and Paul Hwang, who discussed their interreligious efforts in pursuit of social justice and peace.On August 18 and 19, Kuni and Leo participated in a conference on How to Teach Religious Diversity at Christian Universities or Colleges, organized by Kim Chae Young. On the first day of the conference, Leo offered an overview of recent Buddhist-Christian relations in the United States, including activities of SBCS such as the 2021 Statement of Solidarity with Persons of Asian and Pacific Island Descent, and Kuni offered a presentation on interreligious dialogue figures in Japan. On the second day, Kuni spoke about Buddhist-Christian double belonging, and Leo spoke about methods in the comparative study of religion. There were participants from the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints and also from Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei, Won Buddhism, the Assemblies of God in Korea, and the Korean Council for University Education.On August 20, Kuni and Leo had an extended discussion with Seil Oh, SJ, the vice president of Sogang University for international relations. Seil Oh expressed the intense interest of Sogang University in developing international contacts, including with regard to developing Buddhist-Christian relations. SBCS members who are interested can contact Leo or Kuni for more information.kunihiko terasawa's reportA week before Leo D. Lefebure and I joined Won Buddhism's ICCGC, along with Mark Unno and Carolyn Medine... (shrink)

abstract: The possibility of authentic Buddhist-Christian belonging and practice has largely been affirmed or dismissed on the basis of the individual participant's different understandings of their respective faith traditions. Here, I suggest that the philosopher Gillian Rose's speculative thought offers a complimentary lens through which to engage in the conversation, particularly those themes imbricated in her speculative thinking around the broken middle, inaugurated mourning, or "working through," recognition, and appropriation. A different kind of dialogue emerges from her thinking that refocuses (...) engagement from merely being a presentation of different views to a humanizing and deeper regard for dialogue partners across their differences, with implications for wider interreligious encounters and peacebuilding. (shrink)

abstract: "[T]rue Christianity cannot exist without both the inward experience and outward practice of justice, mercy, and truth," writes John Wesley, the eighteenth-century founder of Methodism. For him, belief and behavior, motivation and praxis, collapse dialectically into one. The Kyoto-formed dialogist Masao Abe identifies one strength and one weakness each in the poles of Western and Zen thought. For him, the West understands the importance of ethical behavior but cannot understand the oneness of all things. Conversely, Zen Buddhism is deficient (...) in its conception of ethics but more actualized in understanding the interdependence of all things ( pratītyasamutpāda ). While his Western interlocutors include a disproportionate number of heirs to the Wesleyan tradition, Abe himself never deals directly with Wesley. This is presumably because of the latter's European Modernist philosophical and theological commitments. Still, putting these diverse worldviews in creative dialogue with each other might do more to resolve Abe's twofold tension than does his conversation with more "likely" interlocutors. If Abe is correct that "the practical problem par excellence" in Buddhism is integrating the "oneness of practice and enlightenment and that the West tends to bifurcate existence to its own detriment," Wesley can be invited into the conversation to stand in the gap between these challenges. For the Methodist patriarch, understanding and ethics are two sides of one coin in his emphases on "practical divinity" and "social holiness.". (shrink)

abstract: This article aims to supplement the work of previous scholars on Mahāyāna Theology by expanding the sources we use to compare Buddhist and Christian notions of embodiment. It advances three arguments: (i) Early Christian doctrines of the Holy Trinity and the Incarnation, especially so-called angelomorphic conceptions of the Son and the Spirit, are closer to classic notions of the Buddha's three bodies than many Christian theologians have realized; (ii) these similarities compel the Christian theologian to recognize the significance of (...) conciliar definitions after Nicaea and Chalcedon for comparisons of Buddhist and Christian notions of embodiment; and (iii) the Franciscan-Augustinian tradition of Robert Grosseteste (1175–1253), St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (1221–1274), and Bl. John Duns Scotus (ca. 1266–1308) allows one to unite the pre-Nicaean and post-Nicaean traditions with a Christology sufficiently maximalist to interpret many Buddhist notions of embodiment favorably without losing sight of the identity of nature between the Trinitarian persons mandated by the logic of Nicaea and the difference in divine and human natures mandated by Chalcedon. (shrink)

abstract: Buddhist-Christian dialogue has, for many years, emphasized comparisons of doctrines and practices among the two groups of religious traditions. Rarely have these dialogues focused on practical topics such as spiritual care, and even less rarely have they drawn from qualitative studies of either group of religious practitioners. This article fills that gap through considering three questions about the delivery of spiritual care, theories of caregiving, and meta-professional questions from the perspective of qualitative research with Buddhist chaplains working in predominantly (...) Christian contexts. Data are drawn from interviews and surveys conducted as part of various studies between 2017 and 2022 to provide a descriptive overview of the following: first, how Buddhist chaplains respond to suffering drawing on their Buddhist practices; second, how Buddhist chaplains integrate and experience non-self within their caregiving; and third, how Buddhist chaplains perceive and experience Christian hegemony within their education, clinical training, and work (employed or volunteer). Buddhist chaplains have been noted by colleagues for the unique presence they bring to situations of suffering. This presence is connected to non-self in important ways that are little understood by non-Buddhist colleagues and supervisors and, therefore, sometimes discounted or pathologized. The spiritual invalidation thus experienced by Buddhist chaplains is one aspect of working within Christian hegemonic structures. (shrink)

abstract: This paper considers the challenge of transcending partisan and ideological attachments in the work of peace activism through the Buddhist hermeneutic of nonduality. The Diamond Sutra as well as the witness and teaching of Thích Nhất Hạnh form the foundation of the paper's argument. It first recalls Nhất Hạnh's contribution to peace activism, especially his radical stance of neutrality and peace at any cost, which caused him to be marginalized by the American peace movement during the Vietnam War. It (...) then presents the teaching of the Diamond Sutra, where the Buddha challenges the bodhisattva to practice acts of generosity without being attached to the signs of self, person, living being, and life span. Nhất Hạnh's teaching of interbeing is invoked to help explain the dialectical logic of the Diamond Sutra. Finally, the same bodhisattva ideal is shown to be found in the teaching and example of Jesus in the New Testament. The paper concludes with the belief that both Christianity and Buddhism demand from their followers a radical transformation of consciousness that transcends egoism and dualism. (shrink)

abstract: Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's (1926–2022) account of the nearly two years he spent as a fugitive in the Dai Lao Forest among the Indigenous Highlanders of Vietnam in his memoir Fragrant Palm Leaves demonstrates the transformational political potential associated with such access to nature. Based on this and recent work like Tiya Miles's 2023 book Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation, I propose that contemporary environmental activism toward more equitable access to (...) nature in the United States should better highlight this transformational political potential—understood as dismantling systemic ecological and social injustice—in addition to offering public and mental health benefits. (shrink)

abstract: This paper uncovers similarities and differences between Zen Buddhist and Christian understandings of contemplative practice through a comparison of the writings of the Japanese Zen master Bankei Yotaku and the contemporary Christian contemplative writer Martin Laird. Though both claim that human beings are fundamentally connected to their spiritual goal, Zen emerges from the comparison with a more radical version of nonduality. The paper concludes by asking whether Christians can adopt such a radical nonduality within their own religious framework.

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Frederick J. Streng Award for Excellence in Buddhist-Christian StudiesMark UnnoThe awardee for this year's Frederick Streng J. Streng Award for Outstanding Book in Buddhist-Christian Studies is Peter Feldmeier, Experiments in Buddhist-Christian Encounter: From Buddha-Nature to Divine Nature (NY: Orbis, 2019).This monograph is highly sophisticated in covering a wide range of topics from Early Buddhism through the Mahayana, including Zen and Pure Land, the latter of which is often either (...) underrepresented or poorly represented. The mastery and presentation of Christian theology and praxis are superb. As a Christian theologian, Peter Feldmeier demonstrates extensive first-hand knowledge of Buddhist practice, and this is evident in several ways, including a sophisticated presentation of praxes along with religious thought, featuring the differences between the formal logic behind much of Buddhism, the Mahayana in particular, on the one hand, and Christian thinkers, on the other. The author includes discussions of both primary scripture and commentarial/exegetical literature in ways that are accessible, appropriate, and inspiring for undergraduates as well as specialists. Much of the book is dialogical in ways that negotiate differences and similarities in both engaging and nuanced terms, with apt and vivid illustrations/examples. The treatment of the Heart Sutra toward the end represents a more synthetic, constructive turn, one that is all the more effective as Feldmeier has already established the foundations for informed, knowledgeable dialogue beforehand. [End Page 241]Mark UnnoSBCS Board Member and Past PresidentCopyright © 2024 University of Hawai'i Press... (shrink)

abstract: The author of this essay is a poet and puppeteer who was personally acquainted with Thich Nhat Hanh and served as a full-time volunteer with the Vietnamese Buddhist Peace Delegation located in Paris, which sought to achieve reconciliation without supporting either side in the Vietnamese conflict. A translator of many works of Thich Nhat Hanh from Vietnamese, the author reflects the role of the arts in Thich Nhat Hanh's vision for humanity, drawing on her personal memories of her time (...) with the Vietnamese master while also including and reflecting on an interreligious poem in Vietnamese she composed in 1978 to mark the anniversary of Thomas Merton's demise. The last part of this informal reflection outlines how, over the years, the author has used puppeteering as a spiritual practice to express Thich Nath Hanh's hopes for universal peace and healing. (shrink)