Buddhist Way of Dealing with Difficult Interreligious Dialogue: A Study of the Dighanikaya and Majjhimanikaya
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Abstract
Interreligious dialogue, or the encounter between people of different religions or worldviews, has a long history. However, modern interreligious dialogue movement started in the West, specifically the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religion in Chicago, and accelerated with Christian ecumenical movements in the twentieth century. Interreligious dialogue has been viewed as an important tool for conflict resolution and building a peaceful pluralistic society. However, its practice has faced several obstacles and limitations. Scholars have tried to propose principles on dos and don’ts to avoid problems in dialogue. The author argues that avoiding problems might not be a sustainable solution and proposes that dialogue participants need dialogue skills training to deal with problems in dialogue. There is a lack of literature on dialogue skills. This paper contributes to this gap by looking into the wisdom of the Buddhist tradition. It particularly examines the Dighanikaya and Majjhimanikaya of the Buddhist Pali Canon through a qualitative content analysis method to draw out methods of how the Buddha deals with difficult interreligious dialogues effectively. The objectives of this study are to identify types of difficult dialogue encountered by the Buddha and what communication methods the Buddha uses to handle those dialogues in order to minimize problems and maximize benefits for all. This study hopes to enhance modern interreligious dialogue practice and move it forward into the future.
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