[Buddha-l] Buddhism & American Christianity

[Hugo]

Hello,

On 11/10/05, curt <curt at cola.iges.org> wrote:
> students have been affected by Buddhism. If she can possibly track down
> some Carmelite nuns they would probably love to tell her about how they
> have been influenced by Buddhism.

While googling for "Carmelite nuns buddhism" I found:

"FRUIT SALAD CAN BE DELICIOUS":
 THE PRACTICE OF BUDDHIST-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE
by Paul O. Ingram
http://www.crosscurrents.org/Ingram2.htm#TEXT2

Excerpt:
Fourth, interreligious dialogue presupposes that truth is relational
in structure. It may not be quite correct to think that truth is
relative, but our sense of truth is certainly relational. We can only
understand from the perspective we occupy; we can only apprehend
whatever truth is from the particular cultural, religious, social,
gender-specific perspectives we inhabit. For this reason, Carmelite
nuns practicing contemplative prayer do not ordinarily experience the
Buddha nature underlying every thing and event at every moment of
space-time. Nor do Buddhist nuns ordinarily experience mystical union
with Christ the Bridegroom as the result of their meditative practice.
Since no one and no religious tradition can enclose the whole of
reality -- the way things really are as opposed to the way we desire
things to be -- within its particular institutional and doctrinal
boundaries, dialogue reveals how the faith and practice of another
faithful human can challenge, stretch, and enliven our particular
self-awareness as religious persons. In other words, the purpose of
interreligious dialogue is mutual creative transformation.(2)


Greetings,
--
Hugo