Buddhist Responses to Religious Diversity - Theravāda and Tibetan Perspectives - Douglas Duckworth

Buddhist Responses to Religious Diversity - Theravāda and Tibetan Perspectives - Douglas Duckworth

11. Suffering and Its Relief: A Buddhist Approach to Religious Pluralism

Buddhist Responses to Religious Diversity - Theravāda and Tibetan Perspectives - Douglas Duckworth

Christopher Ives [+-]
Stonehill College
Christopher Ives is a professor of Religious Studies at Stonehill College. In his scholarship he focuses on ethics in Zen Buddhism, and currently he is working on Buddhist approaches to nature and environmental issues. His publications include Imperial-Way Zen: Ichikawa Hakugen’s Critique and Lingering Questions for Buddhist Ethics (2009); Zen Awakening and Society (1992); The Emptying God (co-edited with John B. Cobb, Jr., 1990); Divine Emptiness and Historical Fullness (edited volume, 1995); a translation of Nishida Kitarō’s An Inquiry into the Good (co-translated with Abe Masao, 1990); and a translation of Hisamatsu Shin’ichi’s Critical Sermons of the Zen Tradition (co-translated with Tokiwa Gishin, 2002). He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Buddhist Ethics and is serving as co-chair of the Buddhist Critical-Constructive Reflection Group and on the steering committee of the Religion and Ecology Group of the American Academy of Religion.

Description

A fruitful Buddhist approach to religious pluralism is to step away from viewing the plurality of religious traditions as different ways of getting at the Real or śūnyatā (à la John Hick and Masao Abe) and construe the plurality of religious traditions as different responses to core human problems, including what Buddhism designates as “suffering.” Along these lines, the Four Noble Truths can provide a template for encountering (and perhaps analyzing and categorizing) various religious traditions—for theorizing religious pluralism. At the practical level, with this approach Buddhists can build on dialogue with adherents of other traditions and engage in collaborative action with them in response to problems like violence and the climate crisis.

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Citation

Ives, Christopher. 11. Suffering and Its Relief: A Buddhist Approach to Religious Pluralism. Buddhist Responses to Religious Diversity - Theravāda and Tibetan Perspectives. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 187-196 Aug 2020. ISBN 9781781799055. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=38397. Date accessed: 20 Apr 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.38397. Aug 2020

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