Buddhist-Christian Dialogue

This course offers an advanced, interdisciplinary introduction to Buddhist-Christian dialogue through close engagement with classical texts and contemporary comparative theology. Drawing on Mahayana Buddhist thought (with figures such as Nagarjuna, Tsongkhapa, Huineng, and Hsing Yun) and Christian philosophical theology (including Augustine, Kierkegaard, and Herman Dooyeweerd)--especially themes of nonduality, incarnation, subjectivity, and ethical-religious transformation--the course examines how distinct traditions articulate truth, selfhood, suffering, compassion, and liberation. Emphasis is placed on methodological questions in comparative philosophy and theology, including hermeneutics, conceptual metaphor, and the limits of translation across religious worlds. Students will develop skills in critical comparison while exploring how interreligious dialogue can foster intellectual rigor, spiritual depth, and constructive engagement in a pluralistic global context.