Pure land and the Kingdom of God : toward a contextual Christian dialogue with 'humanistic Buddhism' in Taiwan

• Main Author: Pan, Ju-Ta
• Published: University of Edinburgh 2006
• Subjects: 200
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.660306

This thesis explores the hypotheses that Christian dialogue with Buddhism is essential for the fuller contextualisation of Christianity in the religiously plural society of Taiwan, and that such dialogue is possible on the basis of common Chinese/Taiwanese humanistic values in combination with producing in both ‘Humanistic Buddhism’ and Protestant Christianity to reform Taiwanese society through the implementation of their reflective visions of the Pure Land and the Kingdom of God. The thesis is presented in three parts. Part One offers a conceptual analysis of religious pluralism in Taiwan, illustrating the syncretistic and pragmatic character of Taiwanese religions, and arguing for the necessity of inter-religious dialogue for the fuller contextualisation of Christianity in Taiwan. Part Two examines the contemporary state of Christian-Buddhist interaction in Taiwan, identifying problems and potentials of dialogue. Part Three constructs a contextual model of Christian-Buddhist dialogue that draws on the insights of selected Taiwanese Protestant contextual theologians, and other international dialogue theologians, and integrates the Confucian values of altruism, moral attainment and concern for this world with ‘Humanistic Buddhism’ and Protestant contextual theology. The final chapter proposes a framework for contextual Christian-Buddhist dialogue that engages common commitments to a praxis of social and spiritual reformation of Taiwanese society through the application of the Buddhist vision of the Pure Land and the Christian vision of the Kingdom of God.