The First Meeting of the Society for Buddhist-Christian StudiesAuthor(s): Donald W. MitchellSource: Buddhist-Christian Studies, Vol. 9 (1989), pp. 261-263Published by: University of Hawai'i PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1390019 .

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NEWS AND NOTES

The First Meeting of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies

Donald W. Mitchell Purdue University

At this first annual meeting of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies, which was held in Chicago, November 18-19, 1988, in conjunction with the American Academy of Religion, there was a roundtable discussion on pluralism and dialogue, and a general business meeting of the Society.

The roundtable took place on the afternoon of November 18 and was chaired by Frederick J. Streng (Southern Methodist University). Opening statements were made by Sallie B. King (Southern Illinois University), Paul F. Knitter (Xavier University), and Paul 0. Ingram (Pacific Lutheran University). King discussed how a Christian or Buddhist is affected in dialogue such that he/she often generates an inner dialogue and interpretations of experience that are conditioned by worldviews from both traditions. Knitter raised the question of absolute claims in dialogue. In dialogue, one cannot just reject one's absolutes, so the problem is how to keep them in a way that enriches rather than hinders dialogue and how to be committed yet open. Ingram explored two typologies in dialogue, one found in the theology of religions, and the other a more pri- mordial typology. The first sees dialogue as passing beyond one's circle of faith and returning enriched by the experience. One may seek to transform one's own circle but always lives within that circle of faith. The second type involves a more pluralistic experience that seeks to understand and express the sacred from different aspects in a more wholistic fashion without being confined to any particular circle of faith. The discussion was very lively and the next meet- ing of the Society will examine in more depth some of the issues that were raised.

At the business meeting, John Cobb (School of Theology at Claremont), who was presiding as president of the Society, introduced Professor Yutaka Tanaka (Tokyo University) from the Japan Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies. Professor Tanaka and Professor Eiko Kawamura (Hanazono University) were attending the meeting as official observers from the Japan Society. The two guests announced that the next meeting of the Japan Society for Buddhist- Christian Studies will be during the summer of 1989 and will address the theme, "Zen and Pure Land Buddhism." A paper will be delivered by Professor

Buddhist-Christian Studies 9 (1989). ?, by University of Hawaii Press. All rights reserved.

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262 NEWS AND NOTES

Shizuteru Ueda of Kyoto University. Professor Masao Abe (Pacific School of Religion) will also be involved. Also at the business meeting, Bonnie Bowman Thurston (Wheeling College) and Anne Klein (Stanford University) were elected to the Board of Directors. They replace Joan Chatfield, M.M. (Institute for Religion and Social Change) and Ruth Tabrah (Shin Minister).

On the basis of the results of the 1988 meeting, the Society for Buddhist- Christian Studies will offer the following resources to its membership.

Educational resources. -A committee has been appointed to begin the work of collecting, evaluating, and categorizing material beneficial to lay persons and clergy interested in Buddhist-Christian dialogue. The specific task of this committee will be finding stimulating materials which make the Buddhist and Christian traditions, as well as the dialogue between these traditions, available to persons with beginning or intermediate knowledge in these fields. The com- mittee especially has in mind persons working within the community setting of a local group, parish, sangha, interfaith council, and so forth. The committee envisions developing an annotated resource book and a collection of materials at the Society's Berkeley office.

Resources for university or seminary courses. -Frederick Streng suggested that since more and more people are offering courses on the Buddhist-Christian dialogue, it would be beneficial to collect and share information about what is being done in these courses. The Society will be collecting course syllabi on the Buddhist-Christian dialogue, bibliographical materials, information on meth- ods of teaching about the dialogue, audio-visual material used in such a course, and information on dissertations or theses that have been or are being written about this dialogue.

A video documentary of the 1987 Berkeley Conference. -The Society has completed a thirty-minute VHS documentary on the highlights of the 1987 Buddhist-Christian Conference held at Berkeley. The documentary introduces some of the basic issues in the Buddhist-Christian dialogue, including its his- tory, the theology of dialogue, spirituality, social justice, and the future of the encounter. It is designed for use in classrooms and religious institutions, Bud- dhist and Christian, to stimulate discussion on this important aspect of interre- ligious dialogue.

Regional mailing lists. -The Society will make its mailing list available to people planning Buddhist-Christian encounters throughout North America and other parts of the world.

For more information on any of these resources, one can contact The Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies, 2400 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709.

Members of the Society were involved in other AAR sections at Chicago hav- ing to do with the Buddhist-Christian dialogue. There was a session on "Women in Buddhism and Christianity: Conversations Together." Participants included Rita Brock (Stephens College), Paula Cooey (Trinity University), Rita Gross (University of Wisconsin), and Ursula King (University of Leeds). There was also a session on "Process Thought: The Nishida School of Buddhist Philos-

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FIRST MEETING OF SBCS 263

ophy in Comparative Perspective." A paper was given byJoseph Braken (Xavier University) entitled, "Divine Pleroma and Absolute Emptiness," with a response from Eiko Kawamura (Hanazono University). The second paper, given by James Fredericks (St. Patrick Seminary), was on "Cosmology and Metanoia: A Buddhist Path to Process Thought for the West." A response was given by Chris Ives (University of Puget Sound). This panel was chaired by Tokiyuki Nobuhara of the East-West Process Studies Project at Claremont.

At the conclusion of the Chicago meeting, plans were made for the next meeting of the Society which will be held in conjunction with the 1989 AAR meetings in Anaheim. At that time, the Society will hold two programs and a general meeting. The first program will be a roundtable on the limits of dia- logue. Opening statements will be given by Rita Brock (Stephens College), David Lochhead (Vancouver School of Theology), Elizabeth Napper (University of Virginia), and Taitetsu Unno (Smith College). The second program will be a roundtable on the Buddhist-Christian dialogue in relation to science, herme- neutical skepticism and socioeconomic theory. Opening statements will be given by David Chappell (University of Hawaii), Paula Cooey (Trinity Univer- sity), and Rita Gross (University of Wisconsin).

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