Can We Talk? Interfaith Dialogue, Yours or the Pope's.

[CBHagman]

I've been mulling over the issue of interfaith dialogue, particularly light of Benedict XVI's recent meeting with Islamic leaders, followed by a trip to Turkey.

I've also been doing some reading of Thich Nhat Hanh's Living Buddha, Living Christ, which a kindly Dominican confessor counseled me to read. It has been a rewarding look at the common ground between the spiritual practices of Buddhists and contemplative Catholics.

Your experiences, comments, suggested reading, favorite articles, etc., are hereby solicited and encouraged.

[Matilda]

1. Dom Bede Griffiths was a most interesting and wonderful human being.

He was an Englishman, who converted to Catholicism and became a Benedictine and then founded an
ashram in India. He believed that Western Christianity had lost touch with the feminine side of
God, and needed to find it again and absorb it in order to become whole, and he turned to the East
for inspiration in his search.

There's a very good, if personal, article about him here from an Australian website (he visited
Australia a couple of times to my knowledge, and always spoke to sellout audiences).

http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/research/theology/ejournal/aejt_8/frank.htm

This little excerpt from the article gives food for thought:

"In a conversation with William Johnston he says, "I did once hold the view of fulfillment, but for many years now I have accepted ‘complementarity’.” Yet, Johnston remarks Bede added with characteristic second thoughts, "I would say honestly that to me there is a fullness and finality in Christ which I don't find in others. But I wouldn't press that on the Hindu obviously. I would rather simply emphasise the distinctive character of Christian revelation and of Christ.” In relation to this remark, Raimundo Panikkar has his own comment to make: "There are Indian gurus of great and profound spirituality who tell me: 'The final stage in spiritual evolution is the discovery of the Christ.' They realize that Christ is the most sublime Epiphany that has ever existed on earth.”