BORROWING KEY INSIGHTS FROM ALOYSIUS PIERIS (LOVE MEETS WISDOM)  OR  PAUL KNITTER (WITHOUT THE BUDDHA I CANNOT BE A CHRISTIAN) DISCUSS THE THEME OF ‘BUDDHIST-CHRISTIANCOMPLEMENTARITY’ 

BORROWING KEY INSIGHTS FROM ALOYSIUS PIERIS (LOVE MEETS WISDOM)  OR  PAUL KNITTER (WITHOUT THE BUDDHA I CANNOT BE A CHRISTIAN) DISCUSS THE THEME OF ‘BUDDHIST-CHRISTIANCOMPLEMENTARITY’

Introduction (500)

A recent study in the United Kingdom (UK) by religious sociologists notes the increase in the number of people in traditionally Christian countries in the West, such as the UK who have either ‘converted’ to Buddhism or have become interested in its tenets and practices.[1] According to the Pew Research Centre (2019),  Buddhism is followed by 7% of the world’s population and is considered the fourth-largest religion in the world. Christianity, on the other hand represents, 33% of the world’s population and is among the most widely followed religions across the globe. While acknowledging the importance and outstanding academic contribution to the area of Buddhist-Christian dialogue by Sri Lankan theologian Aloyisus Pierres, this essay will primarily focus and discuss the Paul Knitter’s ‘provocatively’ entitled book Without Buddha I Could  not be a Christian and the wider issue of whether Buddhism and Christianity can be complimentary.

Acknowledging that the term ‘religion’ is somewhat Eurocentric in outlook when discussing non-western cultures, this essay will attempt to critically analyze and understand the complementarity between Christianity and Buddhism while also scrutinizing Knitter’s colonial absorption of Zen Buddhism. As we are having a conversation between two faith traditions one theistic and the other non- theistic it is important to briefly debate as to whether a non-theistic faith tradition can be termed a ‘religion.’ According to Ninian Smart, who created the generally accepted criteria of seven essences that are ‘common to all religions’, Buddhism may be categorized as a religion. It falls under the following seven essences: practical and ritual, experimental and emotional, narrative and mythic, doctrinal and philosophical, ethical and legal, social and institutional and finally material. Ninian describes his list of ‘essences’ as “giving a balanced view of the movements which have animated the human spirit and have taken a place in shaping society, without neglecting either ideas or practices.”[2]

The main inspiration behind Knitter’s book is to further explore his personal                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              interest in ‘double belonging’ and postmodern pluralist theology.  Its central purpose deriving from how he says “my conversation with Buddhism has enabled me to take another, more creative, more satisfying look at my Christian beliefs”, making him a “Buddhist Christian (rather than a Christian Buddhist).”[3] This essay seeks to explore both areas of Buddhist-Christian complementarity and those places where Buddhism and Christianity seem incompatible. Knitter’s work will also be considered as a colonialist project to ‘absorb’ Buddhism into Christianity.

Reciprocity or Synthesis? 500

The main themes and ideas in Knitter’s work are presented in seven chapters with an overview of three sections. The first section explores his problems in affirming Christian beliefs, while the second part interrogates his initial ‘passing over’ to Buddhism concluding with a ‘passing back’ to his ‘Christian identity’[4] engaging  what John Dunne described in his book The Way of all the Earth (1978) as an ‘Odyssey’: “The spiritual journey takes the form of “passing over” and “coming back”…a journey which always leads back home.”[5]  The question that arises is whether Knitter is suggesting that ideas in Buddhism and Christianity can lead to a more fulfilling understanding of both traditions, or whether in fact he is suggesting that they should be fused or synthesised into a single religion. Either way, his overall view and conclusion suggests that both Christianity and Buddhism complement each other. Knitter states that “my conversation with Buddhism has enabled me to take another, more creative, more satisfying look at my Christian beliefs.” [6]

The first three chapters of Knitter’s work cover the difficulty that Buddhism does not have a concept of God, immediately placing it in conflict with God as the central figure of Christianity. Knitter, who wants to find direct parallels in both religions, considers God as Spirit in Buddhism, leading to the conclusion that this Spirit is personal, due to his infinite love, but not a person.  Knitter notes that this idea “does not represent all of Christian tradition and experience.”[7]  In Christian theology God is omnipresent and is understood as both immanent, and transcendent, having an existence far beyond the world and beyond human imagination and experience. Christians believe “that individual persons and groups can enjoy a personal relationship with God, but that God always remains a mystery beyond human understanding”.[8] According to Princeton theologian Daniel Migliore, the  explanation of God in the “Christian theological tradition has frequently been ambiguous and confused.” The gospel of John 4:24 states that “God is Spirit”, but how has this been interpreted?

Knitter’s argument that God as a person should be taken symbolically clearly has antecedents in Aquinas and Augustine.[9]  We can contrast this with a recent North American  psychological study that show the popular conception of God in children and adults, is commonly anthropomorphic.[10]  They advocate that people still tend ‘talk’ to God and believe that God hears them, so is less omnipresent and seems more ‘human’ in nature. Theologians and philosophers routinely argue that the traditional view of God is sometimes seen as “utterly incompatible with the modern experience of reality as dynamic, processive and relational.”[11]  Who can adequately explain the absolute nature of a God that is ‘unaffected by the human events of history’? This suggests that they see the Christian relationship with God as “unilateral and coercive rather than reciprocal and persuasive.”[12] It also suggests “an insensitivity to the enormity of suffering in the world.”[13]  Commenting on the mystery of God, Knitter believes that “Buddhist teachings have helped me to open myself to this spirit (of God) and feel her presence”[14]

Knitter suggests that Christians can learn much from the Buddha’s second of the four Noble Truths Samudaya:the arising of suffering and he suggests that it is a legitimate comparative conversation with the Christian traditional doctrine of ‘original sin’ that Christians may only gain salvation through the love of God.[15] Buddhists see the cause of suffering as a form of ignorance and believe that “enlightenment is possible for all every human being because every single human being possesses Buddha-nature. Therefore, there can be less suffering in the world tomorrow than there is today.”[16]

Buddhism-Christianity Complementarities (500)

The question here is to ask what is it from a soteriological view to be a Buddhist or Christian? Buddhism is followed by 7% of the world’s population and is considered fourth-largest religion in the world. It originated in ancient India, somewhere between the sixth and  centuries BCE ^[17] and does not involve the analogy of worshipping God. The basic doctrine of Buddhism is, nothing is permanent, therefore, change and transformation is attained through experience. Christianity, on the other hand, represents 33% of the world’s population and is among the most widely followed religion across the globe. It was founded in the first century CE during the Roman Empire and flourished and spread under the Emperor Constantine. The faith and beliefs of Christianity are based on the life and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Before the beliefs of Christianity spread to larger populations, it started with a small community group. Christianity depends on the belief of one God, who was responsible for creating heaven, earth, and the universe. Sacred Scripture (Bible) and the doctrine of salvation by the death of Jesus on the Cross and his resurrection, are two key symbols of Christianity. While the interpretation of the Bible as well as the ritual practices, might vary in the many different Christian denominations, the central tenet of Christianity is that Jesus was human and divine and was human in all ways except sin. Christians believe that the salvation of humankind was gained by Christ’s death on the cross – the crucifixion of Jesus. Knitter would contend from a ‘salvation’ viewpoint that the religious language Christianity holds onto a ‘language of power’ and tends to be used in a literal way that excludes and judges’ others both within and without any given Christian church community. Buddhism tends more towards de centralizing the ‘self’ on the path to Enlightenment, while the Western Christian tradition teaches ‘oneness with Christ’ and the path to ‘salvation’. Although “some Catholic theologians have begun to ask if God’s salvation is available apart from Christ and the Church.”[18]

He does concede that “as in all religions, words (also) play a big role in Buddhism. But it is always a subordinate role.”[19]

Look at Cobbs book on similarities and differences here  Paul Knitter’s  major propositions are, in the same way, describing them and then finding points of comparison or divergence with traditional Christian theology. These are: whether Nirvana and Heaven can be considered to be the same thing, in which Knitter[20] admits that he could be accused of rejection of doctrine rather than reinterpretation the attempt to find commonalities between the figures of Jesus Christ and the Buddha (Borg, 1999;  Maransky, 2011).

A useful point of comparison in this section is the work of James Fredericks, whose work Buddhists and Christians:Through Comparative Theology to Solidarity stresses the individuality of both traditions, even though it is possible to learn from Buddhism to think about Christianity in new ways.

In general one could say that Christianity has an emphasis on love and wisdom and Buddhism emphasises introspection on the self.

Explore how comparative religious approaches and Christian theologies are able to deal with the possibility of other religions existing in a diverse world. Fredericks (2014) argues that other religions must be understood on their own terms, in order to shed new light on Christian beliefs.  He suggests that we need to be “shifted from fulfilment theology as theory to interreligious dialogue as practise.”[21] Fredericks argues that Knitter’s project is instead to ‘absorb’ Buddhism into Christianity. Intrareligious dialogue / Interreligious dialogue??

Buddhist-Christian Divergences (500)

Prayer and meditation are one Buddhist-Christian divergence.  In 1989, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) document Letter to The Bishops Of The Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation states,

The Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions, neither should these ways be rejected out of hand simply because they are not Christian. On the contrary, one can take from them what is useful so long as the Christian conception of prayer, its logic and requirements are never obscured.[22]

Knitter and Colonial Interpretations of Buddhism (500)

In this section, Knitter’s work will be considered in terms of the wider ‘Western’ interaction with Buddhism, to determine whether his book can be considered a colonial project which takes Buddhism out of context. Some context should be provided by discussing the ways in which postcolonial theory has shed new light on the way in which Buddhist teaching is perceived in traditionally Christian countries.  Richard King’s discussion of whether ‘Buddhism’ is, in fact, a colonial construct created during the European ‘discovery’ of Indian religions will be used to frame this argument (King, 2013, p.143). The argument in this section will be that when Knitter (2013) refers to Buddhists as “they”[23] he is homogenising a pluralistic religion to serve his own purpose of developing a Christianity that is more palatable to those attracted by the tenets of Buddhist teachings. By ‘otherising’ Buddhism, Knitter is using a language that restricts the dichotomy to ‘them and us’ thus, (probably unconsciously)

Postcolonial Approach to Buddhism

The 19^th century was the pinnacle of expansion colonial rule, “nine-tenths of the entire surface of the globe was controlled by European, or European-derived powers.”[24] During the 20^th century this Eurocentric biased structure of ‘them’ and ‘us’ was challenged, socially and politically and many nations regained their independence.  The postcolonial period emerged and new theoretical structures emerged which demands “equality and well-being for all human beings on earth.”[25] It is important to include here a brief postcolonial analysis of Western interpretations of Buddhism. The sociologist Büyükokutan Barış for example has discussed ‘cultural appropriation’ of Buddhism during the Vietnam war. He terms this as the “the appropriation process”[26]  that takes place – when two cultures related to the peace movement that emerged among poets and writers during the Vietnam war…he studied the works of 12 authors of whom six had an interest in Buddhism. In January 1967, Snyder and Ginsberg chanted Buddhist sutras at the San Francisco Human Be-In, an anti-war event, after leading a Buddhist purification ritual of the event site.”[27]

“Buddhism was risky for a poet because the poet had to become the apprentice of a full-fledged Buddhist master to acquire legitimate knowledge of Buddhism.”[28]

“narrow windows of opportunity for appropriators and owners to meet. This means that the exchange in question is not negotiated but reciprocal.”[29]

The development of Western Buddhism stems from borrowing perceived Buddhist teachings indiscriminately and applying them to Western frameworks of thinking.

compare these with Knitter’s approach.

There is no sense that Knitter successfully fully engages with Buddhist teaching rather he strategically draws from and employs doctrinal elements of the Buddhist faith to reinforce and buttress his own arguments.  In other words as he says himself “I am not a scholar of Buddhism” and “Buddhist orthodoxy is not my primary or, or crucial concern.”[30] Therefore  he utilises his preferred concepts in Buddhism to serve his own Christian needs rather than attempting to fully engage with Buddhist teaching.  This is illustrated by his comment, “Even if I have misunderstood Buddhism, if it leads me to a new, deeper understanding of the Christian message, well that is how things will happen.”[31] Critical balance should be provided in this section by discussing Knitter’s attempts to discuss different Buddhist traditions, such as Zen Buddhism, for example on page 12.

Conclusion (500)

It is beyond the scope of this essay to…

Bring together all the threads developed in this as a final synthesis.

In his book, Knitter attempts to describe his own “Buddhist Christianity”, the practice of Catholic Christianity in which difficult theological questions are answered using Buddhist teachings. However, through close analysis of Knitter’s work it is possible to see that Knitter’s conception of a homogenised ‘Buddhism’ is highly coloured by traditional colonialist narratives about mystical Eastern religions. Instead of taking Buddhism on its own terms, Knitter tends to force Buddhism to conform to existing ideas from the history of Christian theology. As argued by Fredericks, a more inclusive comparison of both religions must take those religions on their own terms and not try to gloss over their plurality. What Knitter fails to achieve is to look at both ‘religions’ by analysing the historical, political,  social and cultural backgrounds to each faith tradition. It is a theological critique of Christianity and Buddhism that has been described as syncretism. Theologian Jeffery Carlson cites Thich Nhat Hanh on the subject of religious immersion:

It is not just absolute reality that cannot be talked about. Nothing can be conceived or talked about. Take, for instance, a glass of apple juice. You cannot talk about apple juice to someone who has never tasted it. No mat- ter what you say, the other person will not have the true experience of apple juice. The only way is to drink it. It is like a turtle telling a fish about life on dry land. You cannot describe dry land to a fish…. Things cannot be described by concepts and words. They can only be encountered by direct experience.[32]

Alyouios Pieres  cosmological approach

Dialogue is an important tool for creating mutual empathy and understanding…

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[1]  Caroline Starkey and Emma Tomalin, “Building Buddhism in England: The Flourishing of a Minority Faith Heritage,” Contemporary Buddhism 17, no. 2 (2016): xx, doi:10.1080/14639947.2016.1228330

[2] Ninian Smart, The World’s Religions (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 11-21.

[3] Paul F. Knitter, Without Buddha I Could not be a Christian (London: Oneworld Publications, 2013), xii.

[4]  Knitter, xiii.

[5] John S. Dunne, The Way of All the Earth: Experiments in Truth and Religion (Indiana USA: University of Notre Dame Press, 1978), 151.

[6] Knitter, xii.

[7] Ibid, 8.

[8] “The Basics of Christian Theology,” Boston College, accessed January 2, 2020, https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/centers/boisi/pdf/bc_papers/BCP-Christianity.pdf.

[9] Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti. Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit in ecumenical, international, and contextual perspective. Baker Books, 2018, 48.

[10] Larisa Heiphetz et al., “How Children and Adults represent God’s Mind,” Cognitive Science 40 (December 2016): xx.

[11] Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004), 64-65.

[12] Migliore, 65.

[13] Ibid.,65

[14] Knitter, 51.

[15] Knitter, 49

[16] Ibid., 49-51.

[17]  Mark Siderits, Buddhism as Philosophy: An Introduction. (Routledge, 2017).

[18] James L. Fredericks, Buddhists and Christians: Through Comparative Theology to Solidarity (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2014), 8.

[19] Knitter o

[20] Ibid, 81.

[21] James L. Fredericks, Buddhists and Christians: Through Comparative Theology to Solidarity (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2014), 26.

[22] “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation – Orationis Formas,” Vatican, accessed January 6, 2020, 116http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19891015_meditazione-cristiana_en.html.

[23] Knitter, 8.

[24] Robert J. Young, Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: OUP Oxford, 2003), 2.

[25] Young, 7.

[26] Barış Büyükokutan, “Toward a Theory of Cultural Appropriation: Buddhism, the Vietnam War, and the Field of U.S. Poetry,” American Sociological Review 76, no. 4 (2011): 662, doi:10.1177/0003122411414820.

[27] Ibid., 625.

[28] Ibid., 626.

[29] Ibid., 637.

[30] Knitter, xiv.

[31] Ibid. xv.

[32] Jeffrey Carlson, “Pretending to Be Buddhist and Christian: Thich Nhat Hanh and the Two Truths of Religious Identity,” Buddhist-Christian Studies, 20, no. 2000 (n.d.), 117.