Interreligious Dialogue
The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology February 25, 2020 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198722380.013.32 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThis chapter examines what the Church can learn from and offer to the contemporary contemplative turn, focusing on interreligious spirituality. It profiles Thomas Merton and Swami Abhishiktananda as exemplary mystics who navigated life between established traditions and personal practice, seeking to share wisdom about encountering 'the other.' The chapter then raises theological questions arising from their interreligious experience and presents a case study in comparative theology: a dialogue between the Zen Buddhist Mumonkan and the Christian Cloud of Unknowing. The author argues that such engagement offers insights for the Church's response to contemporary spiritual seeking.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Argues that the Church can learn from interreligious mystics like Merton and Abhishiktananda and that comparative theological dialogue between texts such as the Mumonkan and the Cloud of Unknowing offers valuable insights. |
Abstract
This chapter asks what the Church has to learn from, and what it can offer to, the contemplative turn in contemporary culture. It begins with one particular aspect of this phenomenon, namely the interreligious spirituality of persons who find themselves caught up ‘between’ the wisdom of established traditions and their pursuit of an authentic personal practice. Thomas Merton and Swami Abhishiktananda are presented as well-known interreligious mystics, two exemplary spiritual guides who seek to pass on their own deeply discerned wisdom about how to live a life of encounter with ‘the other’. In raising some of the theological questions that emerge as they seek to negotiate their interreligious experience, the second part of the chapter leads into a brief exercise or ‘case study’ in Comparative Theology: a dialogue between two well-known mystical texts, the Zen Buddhist Mumonkan and the Christian Cloud of Unknowing.