| The central aim of this thesis is to encourage the use of comparative theology in contemporary Buddhist-Christian dialogue as a new approach that would truly respect each religious tradition's uniqueness and make dialogue beneficial for all participants interested in a real theological exchange. The novelty that this thesis brings to Buddhist-Christian dialogue consists in its two directions of research. First, it aims to bring the rich tradition of Orthodox Christianity - and more specifically Romanian Orthodoxy through the voice of its best known theologian, Dumitru Staniloae - into dialogue with Buddhism. Second, as a result of the impasse reached by the current theologies of religions (exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism) in formulating a constructive approach in dialogue that would respect both Christian and Buddhist traditions, this thesis assesses the thought of the founding fathers of an academic Buddhist-Christian dialogue in search for clues that would encourage a comparativist approach. They are considered to be three important representatives of the Kyoto School - Kitaro Nishida, Keiji Nishitani and Masao Abe - and John Cobb, an American Process theologian. The guiding line for assessing their views of dialogue is the concept of human perfection, as it is expressed by the original traditions in Mahayana Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity. Following Abe's methodology in dialogue, an Orthodox contribution to comparative theology proposes a reciprocal enrichment of traditions not by syncretistic means, but by providing a better understanding and even correction of one's own tradition when considering it in the light of the other, while using internal resources for making the necessary corrections. This new approach will be tested by formulating several practical applications of Buddhist-Christian dialogue for both Buddhists and Christians in faithfulness to their own traditions. |
