Christianity Looks East

Book excerpt: This fascinating book takes a fresh look at interreligious dialogue with St. John of the Cross and Bhadantacariya Buddhaghosa as representatives of Christian and Buddhist paths to liberation. As the world is increasingly experienced as a global village, dialogue with other religious traditions is widely regarded as possibly the greatest modern (or post-modern) challenge, and the distinctive journey of our time. Dialogue not only informs our understanding of various expressions of holiness, it also can inform one's own religious faith and practice. This book investigates a form of dialogue that can be a model for future dialogues. Without laying assumptions on the nature of religious experience, it allows these classic texts and their representative religions to speak for themselves. What is often lacking in this history of dialogue is its lack of appreciation for distinctive religious paths and the experiences described therein.