Toward a Contemporary Understanding of Pure Land Buddhism: Creating a Shin Buddhist Theology in a Religiously Plural World

by Hirota, Dennis

• ISBN13: 9780791445303
• ISBN10: 0791445305
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-04-01
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

Toward a Contemporary Understanding of Pure Land Buddhism offers proposals for creatively reinterpreting the Pure Land path. Japanese Pure Land thought brought about a major development in Buddhist tradition by evolving a path to enlightenment that is pursued while carrying on life in society. It is rooted in the Mahayana ideal of compassion and in the bodhisattva or being of wisdom who vows to ferry all living things to the other shore of awakening. In this book, three Buddhist scholars utilize hermeneutic thought, process theology, and the mandala contemplation of Buddhism to address issues of modernity and religious values in the world today. Proceeding as a conversation with two prominent Christian theologians, the book also presents a new model of interreligious dialogue. Gordon D. Kaufman and John B. Cobb, Jr. reflect critically in different chapters on the Buddhist proposals, drawing on their long experience as religious philosophers facing questions of the present intelligibility and applicability of Christian thought.

Table of Contents

A Note on the Format	vii
Introduction	1	(32)
Dennis Hirota
Part One Contemporary Interpretations of Pure Land Buddhist Tradition
Images of Reality in the Skin Buddhist Path	33	(40)
Dennis Hirota
Understanding Amida Buddha and the Pure Land	73	(28)
John S. Yokota
Mandala Contemplation and Pure Land Practice: A Comparative Study	101	(26)
Musashi Tachikawa
Part Two Responses from Two Western Religious Thinkers
Pure Land Buddhism Today	127	(20)
Gordon D. Kaufman
A Christian Critique of Pure Land Buddhism	147	(16)
John B. Cobb, Jr.
Part Three Reconsiderations of Buddhist Theological Reflection
Dialogic Engagement and Truth	163	(36)
Dennis Hirota
A Call to Compassion	199	(24)
John S. Yokota
The World and Amida Buddha	223	(26)
Musashi Tachikawa
Afterword	241	(8)
Dennis Hirota
Bibliography	249	(4)
List of Contributors	253	(2)
Index	255