A group of 20 – 19 Jesuits and a Protestant pastor – gathered in Tokyo in August to explore the links between Ignatian Spirituality and Buddhism in the third Buddhist Christian Dialogue Workshop.  Held in Tokyo from August 14 to 16, the workshop was themed “Buddha and Ignatius”.

Dialogue with people of other faiths is particularly important for Jesuits working in Asia, which is home to several major religions such as Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism, and inter-religious dialogue is a major dimension of the Jesuit commitment to be companions of Jesus and servants of his mission.

The Jesuits consisted of 14 priests, four scholastics and a brother from eight Provinces and two Conferences, Asia Pacific and South Asia.

The discussions included topics such as the links between the basics of Buddhism and the teachings of Christ as revealed in the Spiritual Exercises, a comparative evaluation of the Exercises and the rudiments of Buddhism, Christian Identity and Buddhism, and Buddhist Psycho-Spirituality at the Service of Ignatian Spirituality.   Also discussed was the revival of Buddhism in China and prospects there for inter-religious dialogue.

There were also sessions in sharing that encouraged richer reflection.  These included the poignant tale by Fr Wajira Nampet SJ of his earlier life as a Buddhist and the factors that led to his acceptance of Christ, and the deeply personal account by Fr Bernard Senecal SJ of Sogang University, of his initial encounters with Buddhism and the effect they had on his worldview which until then was almost wholly Catholic.  Fr Christian Cochini SJ also inspired the group with his account of his contact with various Buddhist monks and nuns in China.

The group was also led through the intricacies of Vipassana and Zen meditation, and they visited a Buddhist group called the Rissho Koseikai.

This was the first time the workshop was opened to scholastics, and it had a major impact on those who attended.  Joseph Nha SJ  (Vietnam) said he admired the fact that so many Jesuits were striving for dialogue with Buddhism, while for Arun D’Souza SJ  (India), it was his first opportunity to contrast and evaluate Christian and Buddhist ways of thinking.

“The workshop was a profoundly edifying experience for everyone,” said workshop organiser Fr Cyril Veliath SJ, adding that Fr Lawrence Soosai SJ had expressed the group’s feelings well when he said “it evoked within us a spiritual upsurge, an outcome of the convergence of the wisdom of the Buddha and the spirituality of St. Ignatius”.