Buddhist Meditation for Christian Contemplatives: Useful and Tricky
Peter Feldmeier
Buddhist-Christian Studies November 18, 2021 DOI: 10.1353/bcs.2021.0006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Buddhist samadhi practices of the divine-abiding meditations |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that spiritual paths and attainments are intelligible only within their own traditions, yet Buddhist practices can be used skillfully within a Christian contemplative agenda. The author commends vipassana or insight meditation as facilitating John of the Cross's active nights of the senses and spirit, and proposes that Buddhist samadhi practices of the divine-abiding meditations could augment what may be missing in a constricted Christian contemplative posture, while respecting theoretical, theological, and practical limits. |
Abstract
abstract:This paper argues that all spiritual paths and attainments are locatable only in their own traditions that have their own logic, culture, and interpretive lenses. Within this first principle, one can see that there are possibilities for a skillful use of Buddhist practices in a Christian contemplative agenda. The author argues that Buddhist practices could serve various purposes: as a contemplative augment; as a direct facilitating of a Christian contemplative agenda; and as a way of providing what might be missing in traditional contemplative practices. They ought to be approached, however, to the degree that they can assist a robust Christian spirituality. Limitations can be theoretical, theological, or practical, and these need to be respected. Given respect for the Christian agenda and limitations inherent in the differences between the two traditions, the author commends the practice of vipassana or insight meditation as a way of facilitating what John of the Cross calls active nights of the senses and spirit. Furthermore, Buddhist samadhi practices of the divine-abiding meditations could augment what might be missing in an all too constricted Christian contemplative spiritual posture. The author also argues that these Buddhists practices can only go so far in assisting a Christian contemplative agenda and that their authentic usages as well as the original agenda of these usages should be respected as religiously different.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |