Rev. Danny Fisher

Just a Buddhist Minister Trying to Benefit Beings

Check Out My Review of Kristin Beise Kiblinger’s Buddhist Inclusivism: Attitudes Towards Religious Others in the Current Issue of The Journal of Buddhist Ethics

I’ve got a review of Kristin Beise Kiblinger’s book Buddhist Inclusivism: Attitudes Towards Religious Others in the current issue of The Journal of Buddhist Ethics.  I hope you’ll take a look.  Here’s the opening paragraph:

Buddhist Inclusivism: Attitudes Towards Religious Others is a most welcome, if wonky, addition to the growing body of literature about Buddhism and interfaith issues. Principally an impassioned plea for Buddhists to think more carefully about their ways of regarding non-Buddhists, author Kristin Beise Kiblinger’s book is by sharp turns remarkably astute and highly debatable. On the one hand, a praiseworthy service is done here: Kiblinger identifies an enormously important issue that does indeed require further thinking and written reflection by Buddhist practitioners and scholars. On the other hand, though, it is often Buddhist Inclusivism’s execution that emphasizes this need. Because the book comes from a scholar who does not self-identify as a Buddhist and it draws deeply from a project with decidedly Judeo-Christian roots (namely, theology of religions), square pegs do not infrequently meet with round holes. Though the book offers valuable critical reflections from outside the tradition, many of the rubrics used, assessments made, and advice proffered will require considerable mulling over by scholars and practitioners of Buddhism.

Read the rest here.

A Gift of Dharma for 3.21.10

Today’s quote is from Buddhadasa Bhikkhu (1906-1993), the Thai ascetic monk, public intellectual, and founder of the hermitage Wat Suan Mokkh. This is it:

People language is used by the ordinary people who don’t understand Dhamma very well and by those worldly people who are so dense that they are blind to everything but material things. Then, there is the language which is spoken by those who understand reality (Dhamma), especially those who know and understand reality in the ultimate sense. This is another kind of language. Sometimes, when only a few words or even just a few syllables are uttered, the ordinary listener finds Dhamma language paradoxical, completely opposite to the language he speaks. We can call it “Dhamma language.” You always must take care to recognize which language is being spoken.

People who are blind to the true reality (Dhamma) can speak only people language, the conventional language of ordinary people. On the other hand, people who have genuinely realized the ultimate truth (Dhamma) can speak either language. They can handle people language quite well and are also comfortable using Dhamma language, especially when speaking among those who know reality, who have already realized the truth (Dhamma). Amongst those with profound understanding, Dhamma language is used almost exclusively, unfortunately, ordinary people can’t understand a word. Dhamma language is understood only by those who are in the know. What is more, in Dhamma language it isn’t even necessary to make a sound. For example, a finger is pointed or an eyebrow raised and the ultimate meaning of reality is understood. So, please take interest in these two kinds of language–people language and Dhamma language.

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