Abstract
This chapter probes into what Christians can learn from Buddhism. In the chapter, the author of Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian explores Buddhist-Christian dialogue from the perspective of suffering. It begins with an analysis of the Buddhist and Christian understandings of suffering, the starting point for the teachings of Jesus and Buddha. It then discusses the shared diagnosis of suffering, examines the different remedies prescribed, and posits a complementary liberative praxis between the two traditions. Its thrust is that Christianity invites Buddhists to a greater awareness of the importance of social transformation, while Buddhism reminds Christians not to neglect inner-personal transformation in their pursuit of social change.
An extended version of this chapter was previously published as Paul Knitter, “The Question of Salvation/Liberation: A Double-Belonger’s Perspective,” in Buddhist-Christian Dual Belonging, eds. Gavin D’Costa & Ross Thompson (Farnham: Ashgate, 2016), 31–48. The present chapter is reprinted by permission of the publisher.
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Knitter, P.F. (2016). What Christians Can Learn from Buddhism. In: Chia, EF. (eds) Interfaith Dialogue. Pathways for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59698-7_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59698-7_10
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Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-59697-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-59698-7
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