The Christian-Buddhist Workshop group of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) has produced its first book, to showcase its work over the last several years and to encourage younger people to study Buddhism. Titled The Buddha and Jesus: An anthology of articles by Jesuits engaged in Buddhist Studies and Inter-religious Dialogue, the collection of 16 essays discusses Buddhist traditions, inculturation, meditation methods, issues in Chinese Buddhism, doctrinal interpretations in early Buddhism, the spirituality of indigenous peoples and more. All but one of the authors is a Jesuit.
“The reason why we published this book is because we wanted Jesuits and other people to get an idea of the work we have done for the past several years,” said Fr Cyril Veliath SJ, JCAP Coordinator for Dialogue with Buddhism since 2005 and the book’s editor. JCAP has been holding annual workshops on Buddhist-Christian dialogue since 2010 in collaboration with the Jesuit Conference of South Asia. This year’s workshop will be held from March 4 to 6 in Bodhgaya, India, where Buddha is believed to have gained enlightenment.
“In all these workshops, the participants presented scholarly papers, engaged in fruitful discussions with Buddhist monks and believers, visited temples and other historical sites, and in general amplified greatly their horizons regarding inter-religious dialogue,” said Fr Veliath.
The book’s contributors include Fr Wajira Nampet SJ, who was raised Buddhist before entering the Society of Jesus; Fr In-gun Kang SJ, who is serving in Cambodia and has participated in Buddhist-Christian dialogues in Theravada nations such as Cambodia, Thailand and Sri Lanka; and Fr Jojo Fung SJ, Coordinator for Jesuit Companions in Indigenous Ministry (JCIM) for JCAP. It was published on behalf of JCAP by Tulana Jubilee Publications of the Tulana Research Centre for Encounter and Dialogue in Sri Lanka.
“It is my earnest hope that [through this publication] many more of our younger people, both Jesuits and non-Jesuits, come to realize the significance and worth of the study of Buddhism, a religion that constitutes the principal faith of the vast majority of the inhabitants of East and Southeast Asia,” said Fr Veliath.
In his review of “The Buddha and Jesus” for the Japan Mission Journal of the Jesuits in Japan, Fr Joseph O’Leary said the book “contains a precious range of knowledge of Buddhism past and present” and is “an encouraging sign that the Society of Jesus have not let slip the Buddhist thread that has been so distinguished an element in their history”.
In his review in the East Asian Pastoral Review, the journal of the East Asian Pastoral Institute, Fr Aristotle Dy SJ said, “Young Christian scholars and Religious with an interest in Buddhism will benefit greatly from this book, which is a good companion to any general introduction to Buddhism.”
Fr Dy feels however that there is room for improvement. “One would have wished for a more focused approach to dialogue between ‘The Buddha and Jesus’, but this collection is nonetheless valuable in bringing Jesuits specialising in Buddhist studies together, and making their work available to a wider audience.”
And the need to reach a wider audience is imperative. “Through history, religion is at times exploited as a factor in conflicts,” said JCAP President Fr Mark Raper SJ. “Asia is no stranger to this phenomenon. The names of Buddha or Jesus can be exploited for political or material ends. This unacceptable reality only makes a deeper study of the true teaching more urgently needed.”
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Photo caption: The Buddha and Jesus: An anthology of articles by Jesuits engaged in Buddhist Studies and Inter-religious Dialogue, edited by Fr Cyril Veliath SJ