The publication Love and compassion. Chan/zen Buddhism and Carmelite Spirituality is the result of a collaboration between Grupo Editorial Fonte de Burgos, Monte Carmelo Publishing House and CITeS -Universidad de la Mística de Ávila. Under the curatorship of Father Jerzy Nawojowski OCD, this book is part of the collection "Mysticism and Religions", with a total of 528 pages, offering a profound reflection on the values of love and compassion from the perspective of chan/zen Buddhism and Carmelite spirituality.
Throughout its pages, Love and Compassion invites the reader to engage in a detailed analysis that seeks to foster a rich dialogue on these profound spiritual questions. The goal is to bridge these two rich religious traditions, exploring how they approach love and compassion from their respective perspectives in order to foster a more empathetic and benevolent world.
Interreligious dialogue and the search for peace, love and brotherhood have been fundamental themes in the meetings between Carmelite spirituality and Buddhism held at CITeS in Avila. In 2017, the Catholic Order of Discalced Carmelites, the International Teresian-Sanjuanist Center (CITeS) and the Center for Buddhist Studies (CBS) of the University of Hong Kong, joined together to organize the "First World Meeting Teresian Mysticism and Interreligious Dialogue: Theravada Buddhism and Teresian Mysticism: Meditation and Contemplation, Paths to Peace" in Avila. This event marked the beginning of a series of three meetings that sought to promote mutual understanding between the two spiritual traditions.
The success of this first meeting led to the planning of the "2nd World Meeting of Teresian Mysticism and Interreligious Dialogue: Chan/Zen Buddhism and Carmelite Spirituality on Love and Compassion", initially scheduled for July 2020 in Avila, Spain. The main objective was to explore how love and compassion are promoted in both traditions to contribute to building a more empathetic and compassionate world. Leading representatives of chan/zen Buddhism from East Asia and the West would share their experiences and insights, with the expected participation of an experienced chan/zen meditation guide from Canada and the morning recitation of sutras by Chinese monastics.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Avila Mystique (CITeS) had to reschedule this congress for the end of June 2022, only to be forced to cancel it again due to a new outbreak of COVID-19. The speakers invited by CBS and CITeS had already prepared their presentations and essays for this II Congress, looking forward to the event. This situation inspired the idea of publishing a book based on the contributions prepared for the Congress, turning the challenges presented by the pandemic into an opportunity to disseminate these reflections. Through this book, which has now seen the light of day, we seek not only to share knowledge and experiences, but also to foster interreligious dialogue and promote mutual understanding between the spiritual traditions of Chan/zen Buddhism and Carmelite spirituality.
The book consists of four parts. The first part addresses love and compassion from the perspective of chan/zen Buddhism through contributions from experts in this tradition. The second part focuses on analyzing how love and compassion are manifested in texts, spirituality and mystical experience within the Carmelite tradition. The third section includes a series of comparative studies dedicated specifically to the dialogue between Chan/zen Buddhism and Christianity, reflecting on points of encounter and mutual understanding. The fourth and final part includes the five winning papers of the III International Award Teresa of Jesus and Interreligious Dialogue.
With regard to the writings of the Buddhist delegation, after an introduction by Professor Guang Xing, former director of the Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Hong Kong, Dr. Yao Zhihua writes about human nature and the human condition from the perspective of Chan/zen Buddhism. Next, Dr. Wei Shan explains how loving-kindness and compassion develop in the Chan Buddhist tradition. Dr. Robert Sharf, in his contribution entitled "On Wisdom, Compassion and Ethics in Chan/zen Buddhism," suggests that Huineng's silence on the topic of compassion is related to the nature and place of ethical action in the Mahayana tradition. Ven. Chang Wu contributes to the book an article entitled "The Cultivation of Compassion in Chan/Zen Meditation." Ven. Dr. Chongdok explains "The Source of Compassion in Buddhism. The Chan/Zen Perspective." And Venerable Professor Guo Xing closes the volume with the title "Enlightenment and Putting Compassion and Wisdom into Practice."
The section dedicated to the Carmelite tradition is inaugurated by Jerzy Nawojowski, OCD, who introduces us to the meaning and goals of interreligious dialogue through his "The importance and objectives of interreligious dialogue from the Carmelite perspective". This is followed by the chapter entitled "God so loved the world that he gave his Son", written by Pedro Ignacio Fraile Yécora, who offers a reflection on the divine love manifested in Christianity. Continuing with this thematic line, Secundino Castro Sánchez, OCD, contributes with his study on "The exercise of charity in the Carmelite authors", emphasizing the practice of the virtue of charity within this religious order. María José Pérez González, OCD, adds her vision with the essay "Love at the center of the Carmelite path of prayer and contemplation". Finally, to cite the work of Rafał Sergiusz Niziński, entitled "Spiritual Marriage to Experiencing Ecology and Politics. Life in the Seventh Mansions," closes this section.
The third part focuses on three comparative studies and interreligious dialogue between Chan/zen Buddhism and Christianity. The first, entitled "The dialogue between the Catholic tradition and the chan/zen Buddhist tradition: past, present and future", is signed by María Jesús Hernando García. The second study, "Christian Zen: a critical examination of the use of Zen among Catholics," was prepared by Daniel Millet Gil. Finally, the third, "Enlightenment and revelation. Buddhist and Christian ethics" was written by Xabier Pikaza.
International Award:
As an added value, the winning papers of the III International Award Teresa of Jesus and Interreligious Dialogue have been included in the book. These consist of five studies that comparatively explore the experience of the religious and the divinity in different traditions. These works are:
"Spanish mystics as liminal bridges between Catholicism and Protestantism" by Daniel Muñoz Triviño (winner).
"Stripping the hidden jewel. Concurrences between the "Ascent of Mount Carmel" and the poems of Han Shan" by Douglas Calvo Gainza (runner-up).
"O Amor ao Amado é dialogal entre Teresa de Jesus e o Amor Cósmico de Thich Nhat Hanh do Budismo Zen numa perspectiva para o Diálogo Inter-religioso" by Sue Luzia Moreira (runner-up).
"Mysticism and restoration of "the human" from the experience of Edith Stein and Etty Hillesum" by Anderson Fabián Santos Meza (second prize).
"Inhabiting the book: footprint, word, dwelling. Teresa of Jesus and Edmond Jabès: confluences of two writing traditions" by María del Sagrario Rollán (runner-up).
Love and Compassion is an enlightening and content-rich work, providing readers with a comprehensive analysis of various spiritual teachings, meditative practices and religious concepts. Each segment of the book functions as a mirror to demonstrate the connections between different spiritual paths, emphasizing love and compassion as key pathways to both personal and global progress.
This work invites us to set aside creed-based discrepancies, focusing on the common interests we all share in our search for purpose, connection and a benevolent environment. It becomes an essential source of reference for those interested in interfaith dialogue, spirituality on a comparative plane, and for all those who seek to deepen their understanding of the transformative power of these essential forces. The text is presented as a valuable resource for those who wish to deepen their study of these influential spiritual traditions and for those who seek to better understand the integration of these virtues within spiritual experience and social practice.
For your information, the Teresian-Sanjuanist International Center, together with the Center for Buddhist Studies of the University of Hong Kong and the Dharma-Gaia Foundation, have announced the "3rd World Encounter of Teresian Mysticism and Interreligious Dialogue". This event, which will address the theme "Tibetan Buddhism and Carmelite Spirituality: Orientations for visualizing, contemplating and encountering the sacred", will be held in the Castilian city of Avila, Spain, from July 25 to 28, 2024.
For more information on this new congress see:
Links:
CITeS: International Centre of Teresian and Sanjuanist Studies
CBS (HKU): The Centre of Buddhist Studies of the University of Hong Kong
News related to Buddhistdoor in English:
The importance of interreligious dialogue and objectives for encounter from a Buddhist perspective.
