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“Ultimate reality” and God in buddhist-christian encounter

Reflections and questions. “Ultimate reality” and God in buddhist-christian encounter. Not long history of mutual encounters Clement of Alexandria, Stromata : comment on Buddha Nestorian (6 th -8 th ) century and Fransiscan (Medieval Times) missionaries in India, China

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“Ultimate reality” and God in buddhist-christian encounter

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  1. Reflections and questions “Ultimate reality” and God in buddhist-christian encounter

  2. Not long history of mutual encounters Clement of Alexandria, Stromata: comment on Buddha Nestorian (6th-8th) century and Fransiscan (Medieval Times) missionaries in India, China Pseudonymous legends of Barlaam and Josaphat widely spread in Medieval Christianity orientation

  3. Buddhism is • Nihilistic • Atheistic • Pantheistic • Not a religion? • … Orientation: christian misconceptions and ignorance

  4. No transcendent God No divine authority beyond humanity No “personal” God No Creator Yet: belief in gods/deities/divine figures Buddhism rejects theism/god

  5. Two main claims: • Gautama is NOT equivalent to theistic God • Gautama is MORE than a human being in all Buddhist movements • Theravada: “wonderful man” • Mahayana: earthly Buddha one among number of manifestations of Eternal Buddha • Pure Land: Savior Figure Gautama and God

  6. Nirvana Dharmakaya “suchness” (Asvaghosa) SUNYATA ??? “Ultimate reality” in buddhism

  7. Features approaching theistic God: • Infinite, limit-less • Can be “omnipresent,” “omnipotent” • Can be “active” • Beyond rational “definition” • Features different from Christian God: • No transcendence • Not personal--- no personal relationship/union with the believer • … Buddhist “ultimate reality” and christian god

  8. Buddhas’s “silence” about God/metaphysics • Yet: Mahayana’s speculative approach soon after Gautama’s death (Abhidarma; “Perfection of Wisdom”; “Heart Sutra) • Christian mystical and asthetic theology has been compared to sunyata to speak of God’s incomprehensibility, mystery, suprational nature • Pseudo-Dionysius of Areopagite • Thomas Aquinas • Nicholas of Cusa • VMK: only formal but not material similarity Sunyata and incomprehensibility of God

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