Lynn de Silva's theology

Last updated

Lynn de Silva's theology began at an early stage in Lynn de Silva's ministry, when his interest in Buddhism and its culture began to increase. [1] He believed that the credibility of Christianity depended on its ability to relate to Buddhism, which was the faith of the majority of the Sri Lankan population. [1] His objective was to develop a richer appreciation of the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity, in particular, to communicate the Christian message in a manner that the Sri Lankan culture understood, and to construct a theology that is focused towards the Buddhist cultural environment. To this end, he used Buddhist concepts to communicate Christian beliefs in a language understood from the Buddhist context, and he aimed at extending Christian theology with Buddhist concepts in order to gain a more thorough understanding of Christianity. [2] In his book The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity, de Silva states the following:

Contents

There is a growing body of opinion within Christianity that its theology is shop-soiled and needs drastic revision in order first, to re-root it in the basic biblical teaching, secondly, to bring it into harmony with new insights and modes of thought coming from other faiths, ideologies and modern science and thirdly, to relate it to social realities... What I have attempted is to help this process of transformation in Christian thinking. However, theological thinking in order to be meaningful and relevant must be contextual. The context of this book is Buddhism. [3]

To obtain the necessary background in Sri Lankan Buddhist practices, de Silva consulted reputed Buddhist monks and scholars, visited Buddhist places of worship, and consulted written sources on Sri Lankan Buddhism. [4] Although most of his studies were completed in English, he took a special effort to master Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan culture. [1] Furthermore, he became proficient in Pali, the language of the Buddhist scriptures. [1] [4] [3] His findings eventually led to his most popular work, the book titled Buddhism: Beliefs and Practices in Sri Lanka( de Silva 1974 ). [4] [5] In the early 1980s, this book was considered[ who? ] unparalleled as an introduction to Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and also considered the most complete, thorough and sensitive book on Buddhism in Sri Lanka, resulting in it generally being recommended by professors and monks as a standard book on Buddhist practices in Sri Lanka. [1] [5]

Tilakkhana

Lynn de Silva believed that the construction of a theology that is focused towards the Buddhist cultural environment "must begin with living existential realities and not with metaphysical speculations," and that such a theology should attempt at understanding man's existence from concrete experiences common to mankind. [6] In Tilakkhana, or the three characteristics – anicca, dukkha and anattā – of all existence discovered by the Buddha in his diagnosis of the human predicament, de Silva finds the appropriate starting point for such a theology. [7]

Although Tilakkhana is a Buddhist concept, de Silva finds that Tilakkhana is not a concept alien to the Bible. In his search for Tilakkhana in the Bible, de Silva finds anicca and dukkha in a number of Biblical passages, such as Psalms 90, that speak of the transitoriness, suffering, and anxiety of human life. This leads him to believe that "the polarity of conflict between being and the possibility of non-being that lies at the core of human existence, the mood of anxiety, the finitude and precariousness of man's life, is a familiar theme that runs through the Bible." [8] Furthermore, de Silva finds that, although there is no systematic exposition of Tilakkhana in the Bible as found in Buddhist texts, the undertones of anicca, dukkha and anattā do occur together in the Bible. [6]

Anattā-Pneuma

In 1979, de Silva released his most outstanding contribution to Theology, [4] the book titled The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity( de Silva 1979 ), which has since been cited extensively (e.g., [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] ) and attracted reviews from international journals (e.g., [14] [15] [16] ). In this book, de Silva compares the biblical notion of "the soul" (pneuma) or "the self," with the Buddhist doctrine of "no soul" (anattā) or "no self." Contrary to popular belief, de Silva shows that modern Christian scholarship does not support the notion of a soul as an immortal entity separate from the body. [4] [5] [14] He argues that such a misconception arose as a consequence of the translation of the Bible into Greek:

The idea of an immortal soul is certainly a firmly established traditional belief of Christians, but it is a belief that has entered Christian thinking through the influence of Greek Philosophy and is altogether alien to what the Bible teaches about the nature and destiny of man.... It can be confidently said that in the Bible, there is no notion of an immortal soul existing independently as an eternal, immutable, and perdurable entity, which inhabits the body and escapes it at death. It is this notion that Buddhism rejects in no uncertain terms, and on this point there is a fundamental agreement between Buddhism and biblical theology, so much so that it is possible to state the biblical view of man making use of Buddhist categories of thought.(de Silva 1979)

Based on his observation, de Silva shows how the Buddhist doctrine of anattā is complementary to the Christian notion of personal identity – pneuma. [14] He distinguishes that, while pneuma focuses on man as a relational entity, anattā focuses on man as an isolated entity. Furthermore, de Silva infers that if we do consider anattā to be real in Buddhism or Christianity, pneuma must also be real for Nibbāna or the Kingdom of God to be a positive ideal. [14] In conclusion, de Silva proposes the compound notion anattā-pneuma as a solution for the problem of the self in Buddhism and Christianity; this new notion, he states, conforms with the anattā Buddhist-Christian belief in the non-existence of an immortal soul inhabiting the body, but also lays more emphasis on social relationships by means of pneuma. [16]

In his review of de Silva's book The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity, Joseph Kitagawa argues that de Silva is too narrow in his analysis of the anatta doctrine; he claims that a better analysis would have been for de Silva to take into consideration the broader implication of the anattā doctrine, and to challenge the very basis of Greek philosophy which had influenced much of Christian theology. [15] Furthermore, Kitagawa argues that de Silva could have entertained the possibility that Theravada Buddhism might look for Ultimate Reality more readily in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, rather than turning towards Christianity. [15] In Donald Mitchell's analysis of the same book by de Silva, he states that a better framework for dialogue with Hindu traditions could be allowed if de Silva considered an expanded hermeneutical circle that includes a more positive notion of soul that is compatible with the biblical understanding of man. [14] By doing so, Mitchell argues, de Silva would be able to "include inherently valuable insights from the Christian tradition on the nature of man." [14]

From the evangelical theologians, Tissa Weerasinghe believed that de Silva needs to put more emphasis on the "glaring disharmony" between Christianity and Buddhism that their differing views on the biblical notion of soul suggest. [17] In relation to de Silva's treatment of this notion, Dyrness states that insights into the biblical picture of human life apart from God cannot be found by a dialogue with Buddhism, but by Christian Asians carefully considering the Scriptures and their own Asian setting. [17] A similar perspective is taken by Lim et al., who insist that de Silva should communicate the Christian message to the Buddhists, instead of giving Buddhist meanings to Christian concepts and harmonising in a syncretistic way the concepts belonging to the two religions. [18] In a publication that aims at an evangelical approach to religions and cultures, Yung interprets de Silva's contribution as not so much an able exercise in dialogue, but, rather, a brilliant Christian apologetic, addressed to Theravada Buddhists. [19]

Salvation

With his inclusivistic view on religion in the early stages of his career, Lynn de Silva believed that salvation does not only apply to Christians, but also to other religions. He maintains that while Christians can use Christ as their means for salvation, other religions can use their own means for salvation:

This does not mean that only those who consciously acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ as known in history will be saved and all others will be lost eternally. The Christ-event is the classic instance of salvation, but not the exclusive event in history through which God has mediated his salvation to mankind. The other events, although they do not measure up to the classic event, are in no way insufficient means of salvation. Each event, like the Christ event, is a promise and guarantee of the salvation that is to be in the end-time.(de Silva 1967b)

Later in his life, de Silva developed more of a pluralistic view on religion, believing that neither of the two religions is superior to the other. This change of view is evident in his posthumously published article Buddhism and Christianity Relativised, in volume 9 of the Dialogue journal. [20]

In Tilakkhana, de Silva finds a foundation for a constructive dialogue with Buddhists regarding the role of Jesus as saviour in Christianity. [21] Buddhists overcome Tilakkhana by turning attention away from the self and focusing their attention towards anattā; therefore, the ultimate goal to which Buddhism is directed towards – Nibbana – can be achieved by self effort. [18] This, de Silva believes, is one of the "deepest dilemmas in Buddhism," leading him to ask the question "What is the self that denies the self and at the same time asserts that it alone can save the self?" [18] He infers that "to deny the self and to affirm self-sufficiency is a contradiction." [18]

He argues that it is the Bible that takes the anattā characteristic of Tilakkhana seriously. With Jesus as saviour, de Silva believes a perfect solution for man's tragic condition in Tilakkhana can be found in Christianity; in particular, he shows that the role of Jesus as saviour supports his conviction that a person cannot save himself through self effort. [18] He goes on to say that by emphasising the anattā characteristic, Christians could make an attempt to convince Buddhists of the necessity of divine help in attaining Nibbana. [18]

Despite doctrinaire Buddhists' claims, de Silva shows that the need for a saviour has found expression in Buddhism in numerous ways. By examining his own culture, de Silva goes on to show that the majority of lay Buddhists in Sri Lanka view the Buddha as a living saviour, who is able to confer blessings to mankind. [22]

In her Ph.D. thesis containing a chapter on de Silva's work, Damayanthi Niles claims that there is a problem with de Silva's argument in relation to salvation, in that it "reconciles the exclusive Christ-event and the inclusive vision of God's salvific plan purely on Christian terms," and that it does not take the "religious visions and commitments of other faiths seriously." [23] Furthermore, she argues that de Silva's understanding of salvation, as found in his paper Non-Christian Religions and God's Plan of Salvation( de Silva 1967b ), borrows a religious idea from other religions and uses the idea to make Christianity more palatable to other religions and to Christians sensitive to pluralism. [23]

Anattā and God

Lynn de Silva shares John Hick's view that although different religions use different concepts such as God and Buddha, all these concepts refer to the same Ultimate Reality. [24] Regarding this commonality between religions, de Silva writes:

Man is related to a power or reality 'above' or 'beyond' himself, i.e., beyond his material life. This reality is referred to in different religions as Brahma, Allah, 'Buddha'--life, or even Nirvana. Religion is therefore an expression of man's relation to the limits of his own existence. That ultimate frontier of human existence, in whichever way religions may conceive it, is what the word 'God' signifies. [25]

He acknowledges that the Buddhist way for obtaining peace and insight without the need for belief in God constitutes a "novel and powerful challenge to Christianity." [26] However, he maintains that the concept of God could still become a fruitful area for dialogue with Buddhism. [27] For such dialogue to take place, he argues that a reorientation of Christian thought about God is necessary, in order to eliminate some of their base notions of God and to help them come to a more thorough understanding of what they mean by "God." [27]

In relation to the place of "God" in Buddhism, de Silva contributed to the development of the Dharma-God idea, in which what the Buddha rejected is interpreted as being the notions that were considered during the Buddha's generation to be associated with God, rather than the Ultimate Reality that the term "God" or "Brahman" signified. [28] Regarding the concept of Dharma (or Dhamma) in Buddhism, de Silva states that if there is nothing beyond the Dhamma, then the Dhamma must be the supreme Being in whom the highest ideals are acknowledged and actualised. [29]

His main contribution toward overcoming the incompatibility between Buddhism and Christianity in regards to the concept of God is in arguing that an understanding of the Biblical treatment of anattā can find a place for "God" in Buddhism. [18] [27] In particular, he argues that Christianity carries the concept of anattā into its logical conclusion, and that "it is in relation to the reality of God that the reality of anattā can be meaningful". [18]

Thanatology

In the last few years before his death, de Silva focused his study towards the study of human death, namely, the field of Thanatology. His quest was motivated mainly by the death of his wife Lakshmi in December 1980, but also by his curiosity about the meaning of resurrection. [4] With this frame of mind, de Silva studied the beliefs and practices of people with respect to death, such as the phenomenon of mediums, with help from Buddhist exponents of reincarnation. [4] Although traces of his findings were found in his last writings, de Silva died before completing his study, in May 1982. [4] His last findings were published posthumously by his friend and colleague, Fr. Aloysius Pieris S.J., in the paper Buddhism and Christianity Relativised, which appeared in volume 9 of the Dialogue journal.

In this paper, de Silva talks about "Life Beyond Death," and writes that theologians should not ignore data about the Parapsychology. He urges that evidence about the paranormal is compelling, and that it is a field that merits careful study. Regarding Purgatory, de Silva states in this paper that the Hindu/Buddhist view, where Ultimate Reality is reached through a process of purification through liberation from self and elevation to stages of spiritual development, is more acceptable than the belief in a single life on earth and an everlasting hell or heaven after death. Furthermore, he insists that the Hindu/Buddhist view conforms to modern theological as well as psychical research. In agreement with the Hindu/Buddhist view, de Silva regards Purgatory to be a place of cleansing, which ultimately makes a person ready for eternal life in Heaven:

We need to purge the doctrine of Purgatory of its traditional imagery and restate the truth underlying it. Basically, purgatory symbolizes the process of purging the distoring elements in a person; it is a process of cleansing by which a person is fitted for his ultimate destiny. The kind of "suffering" as a penalty for wrongs done, but as a painful surrender of the ego-centered self, the losing of self, the discovery that one is anattā in the process of finding one's true being. Purgatory is a process of spiritual death and rebirth, of progressive sanctification, a process which begins in this very life.

In his final Dialogue journal publication Reflections on Life in the Midst of Death, de Silva explains that it is sin which has created the illusion of self in man, and that it is this illusion that drives man towards self-possession and selfishness. He states that belief in self alienates man from Ultimate Reality as well as from one another, giving rise to dukkha or feelings of despair, emptiness and meaninglessness, when man is in the midst of death. He stresses on the importance of love in overcoming this clinging to self, and maintains that love is non-selfish by nature, and that love involves responsibility and venturing beyond one's own interests:

Separation which is the result of sin can be overcome according to the Christian understanding, only by love, for love is the reunion of life with life, the reconciliation of the self with God and with itself. Love transforms death into meaningful destiny...when we love someone, we do not merely love him but we love the love that is in him and this is eternal life in action. Such love has an eternal quality. Nothing can destroy it. Love is stronger than death.

Tissa de Alwis, in his Th.D. thesis studying the works of Lynn de Silva, argues that "de Silva's attempt to harmonise Rebirth, Purgatory, and an intermediate state, which is a kind of a continuum in which one passes from a near state of annihilation to the closest union with God, is inconsistent with the radical picture of Biblical anatta"; furthermore, de Alwis states that de Silva "fails to define lostness in the final sense and slides into an unrestricted universalism." [30]

Publications

Books

Book chapters

Papers

Newspaper and magazine articles

Dialogue journal

Following is a list of editorials and article edits in the Dialogue journal by Lynn de Silva. [4]

Old series (September 1961 – April 1973)

TitleNumberPageMonthYear
From Diatribe to Dialogue (Editorial)11September1963
Comments and Criticisms on Dr. K.N. Jayathilake's article "Can the Buddhist Theory of Rebirth be Proved"114September1963
Mexico 1963 (Editorial)223January1964
B.J.B. and the Search for the Historical Jesus (letter)238January1964
Living on the Christian–Buddhist Frontier (Editorial)345June1964
The Problem of Suffering: The Christian Answer in the Light of Buddhist Thought475October1964
The Gospel in Relation to the Buddhist view of History5110February1965
The Problem of the Self – The Christian Solution in Relation to Buddhist Thought6123July1965
The Look in the Eye (Editorial)7139November1965
"The Girl was Born"8180March1966
The Validity of Empirical Evidence in Reincarnational Stories8182March1966
Biogenesis versus Reincarnation8185March1966
Is Buddhism Atheistic?9193July1966
How do we know God?9199July1966
Is God a Person?9202July1966
Rebirth — The Critic's Reply9206July1966
Alternate Theories to the Theory of Reincarnation9209July1966
Beyond Tolerance (Editorial)10213November1966
Christian Religions and God's Plan of Salvation11246April1967
Pistis and Saddhā 12281September1967
The Christian Attitude to Buddhism137–12December1967
Christian Attitude to Buddhism: A Reply1319–24December1967
Faith and Authority (Editorial)14317February1968
Three Open Letters to the Chairman of the Buddhist Symposium: on Faith, Authority & Omniscience1591July1968
Towards an Indigenous Theology (Editorial)1629November1968
The Doctrine of Creation 1631November1968
A Parable (Editorial)1754March1969
Gautama's Search for the Ultimate (God)1763March1969
Dharma as the Ultimate Reality 1767March1969
Buddhism, Christianity and the Death of God1876August1969
Theistic Development in Buddhism1985December1969
Dialogue and Mission20,2195June1970
Dialogue and Mission20,21107June1970
"Beirut" over Radio Ceylon22132October1970
Worship of the Buddha Image25167December1972
Relic Worship and the cult of the Bodhi Tree 26195December1972

New series (January 1974 – January 1981)

TitleVolumeNumberPage
What is Dialogue (Editorial)111
The Debate of the Century: The Panadura Vade 1117
HolyWorldlines (Editorial)211
The Meaning of Religion in Sri Lanka Today: A Christian View2112
Can the Mind Exist apart from the Brain?2276
Anattā and God23106
Freedom from Teutonic Captivity (Editorial)311
Concord (Editorial)3243
Turn to "Community" as the Focus for Dialogue41,21
The Understanding and Goal of Dialogue41,23
Proselytism 41,237
Religious Dimensions in Humanity's Relation to Nature (Christian Scriptural Insights)5119
Rethinking Theology in the Context of Buddhism61,253
Living in a Pluralistic World (Editorial)6383
Every Religion has Its Jealousies (Editorial)711
Monks and the Asian Reality (Editorial)7247
Dialogue Creative Transformation81,2,31
Buddhism and Christianity Relativised91,2,373
Reflections on Life in the Midst of Death1014

De Silva as subject

Related Research Articles

Nirvana is a concept in the Indian religions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism that refers to the extinguishing of the passions which is the ultimate state of salvational release and the liberation from duḥkha ('suffering') and saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and rebirth.

Salvation is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, salvation generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its consequences. The academic study of salvation is called soteriology.

Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept within Christianity that some ideas have universal application or applicability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comparative religion</span> Systematic comparison of the worlds religions

Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yields a deeper understanding of the fundamental philosophical concerns of religion such as ethics, metaphysics and the nature and forms of salvation. It also considers and compares the origins and similarities shared between the various religions of the world. Studying such material facilitates a broadened and more sophisticated understanding of human beliefs and practices regarding the sacred, numinous, spiritual and divine.

Christianity and other religions documents Christianity's relationship with other world religions, and the differences and similarities.

In Buddhism, the three marks of existence are three characteristics of all existence and beings, namely anicca (impermanence), dukkha, and anattā. The concept of humans being subject to delusion about the three marks, this delusion resulting in suffering, and removal of that delusion resulting in the end of dukkha, is a central theme in the Buddhist Four Noble Truths, the last of which leads to the Noble Eightfold Path.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhism in Sri Lanka</span>

Theravada Buddhism is the largest and official religion of Sri Lanka, practiced by 70.2% of the population as of 2012. Practitioners of Sri Lankan Buddhism can be found amongst the majority Sinhalese population as well as among the minority ethnic groups. Sri Lankan Buddhists share many similarities with Southeast Asian Buddhists, specifically Myanmar Buddhists and Thai Buddhists due to traditional and cultural exchange. Sri Lanka is one of five nations with a Theravada Buddhist majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masao Abe</span> Japanese Buddhist

Masao Abe was a Japanese Buddhist philosopher and religious studies scholar who was emeritus professor at Nara University. He is best known for his work in comparative religion, developing a Buddhist-Christian interfaith dialogue which later also included Judaism. His mature views were developed within the Kyoto School of philosophy. According to Christopher Ives: "Since the death of D. T. Suzuki in 1966, Masao Abe has served as the main representative of Zen Buddhism in Europe and North America."

Exclusivism is the practice of being exclusive, a mentality characterized by the disregard for opinions and ideas which are different from one's own, or the practice of organizing entities into groups by excluding those entities which possess certain traits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhism and Jainism</span> Indian religions

Buddhism and Jainism are two Indian religions that developed in Magadha (Bihar) and continue to thrive in the modern age. Gautam Buddha and Mahavira are generally accepted as contemporaries. Jainism and Buddhism share many features, terminology and ethical principles, but emphasize them differently. Both are śramaṇa ascetic traditions that believe it is possible to attain liberation from the cycle of rebirths and deaths (samsara) through spiritual and ethical disciplines. They differ in some core doctrines such as those on asceticism, Middle Way versus Anekantavada, and self versus non-self.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhism and Christianity</span> Comparison of the belief systems

There were links between Buddhism and the pre-Christian Mediterranean world, with Buddhist missionaries sent by Emperor Ashoka of India to Syria, Egypt and Greece from 250 BC. Significant differences between the two religions include monotheism in Christianity and Buddhism's orientation towards nontheism which runs counter to teachings about God in Christianity, and grace in Christianity against the rejection of interference with karma in Theravada Buddhism on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Sri Lanka</span>

Sri Lanka is officially a Buddhist country, while Sri Lankans practice a variety of religions. As of the 2012 census, 70.2% of Sri Lankans were Buddhists, 12.6% were Hindus, 9.7% were Muslims, 7.4% were Christians. Buddhism is declared as the State religion of Sri Lanka and has been given special privileges in the Sri Lankan constitution such as the government is bound for protection and fostering of Buddhist Dharma throughout the nation. However, the constitution also provides for freedom of religion and right to equality among all its citizens. In 2008 Sri Lanka was the third most religious country in the world according to a Gallup poll, with 99% of Sri Lankans saying religion is an important part of their daily life.

Conceptions of God in classical theist, monotheist, pantheist, and panentheist traditions – or of the supreme deity in henotheistic religions – can extend to various levels of abstraction:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gautama Buddha in Hinduism</span>

The Buddha is considered the ninth avatar among the ten major avatars of the god Vishnu, according to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theological College of Lanka</span>

The Theological College of Lanka (TCL) is an ecumenical college for Pastoral Formation (seminary) that was inaugurated in 1963 by the Anglican Church, the Methodist Church and the Baptist Church in Sri Lanka. Later the Presbyterian Church joined the federation; Goals of the seminary being ministerial formation, education and empowering the new clergy (ministers) and laity in the environment and context of Sri Lanka and their own languages, Sinhala and Tamil. Graduates primarily serve the national churches in Sri Lanka and beyond. Rev. Basil Jackson, a British Methodist Missionary, became the founding Principal of the college in 1963.. It is believed that language is the vehicle of culture and when Christians begin to think, speak, preach, pray and write in their own languages, they soon become familiar with their cultural values and begin to appreciate them in the practice of their Christian faith. This new step was foreseen by all the churches as an attempt to produce indigenous theology and Sri Lankan Hermeneutics by people who are being educated in Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynn de Silva</span> Sri Lankan theologian and Methodist minister

Lynn Alton de Silva was a Sri Lankan theologian and Methodist minister. He was the founder and editor of one of the first theological journals on Buddhist-Christian encounter called Dialogue (1961–1981), chief translator for the revision of the Old Testament of the Sinhalese Bible published as New Sinhala Bible (1973–1982), and director of the Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue (EISD) in Sri Lanka (1962–1982). Lynn de Silva is widely regarded as one of the foremost Christian practitioners of Buddhist-Christian dialogue in Sri Lanka, and also as one of the pioneers in this dialogue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue</span>

The Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue (EISD), formerly called Study Center for Religion and Society, is an institute located in Colombo, Sri Lanka that is devoted to the study and interpretation of religious and social movements of people in Sri Lanka, in order to assist the Church in fulfilling its duty to be a witness and service to the life of the nation. The center has been involved in successfully organising a number of dialogues, meetings and seminaries, and it has become an internationally recognised center for study and dialogue with Buddhism, along with other ecumenical concerns. The center was recognised in the 1970s and 1980s as one of the most active of all similar study centers worldwide.

Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism is a Sri Lankan political ideology which combines a focus upon Sinhalese culture and ethnicity (nationalism) with an emphasis upon Theravada Buddhism, which is the majority belief system of most of the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. It mostly revived in reaction to the colonisation of Sri Lanka by the British Empire and became increasingly assertive in the years following the independence of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multiple religious belonging</span> Idea that individuals can belong to more than one religious tradition

Multiple religious belonging, also known as double belonging, refers to the idea that individuals can belong to more than one religious tradition. While this is often seen as a common reality in regions such as Asia with its many non-exclusionary religions, religious scholars have begun to discuss multiple religion belonging with respect to religious traditions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Aloysius Pieris SJ is a Sri Lankan Jesuit priest, theologian, intellect, and the founding director of the Tulana Research Center for Encounter and Dialogue.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Obituary – Rev. Dr. Lynn A. de Silva", Methodist Conference Report, 1982
  2. ↑ Brueggemann, Walter (2001), Hope for the world: mission in a global context, Westminster John Knox Press, p. 110
  3. 1 2 (Niles 1998, p. 50)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pieris S.J., Aloysius (1982), "Rev. Dr. Lynn A. de Silva: A Tribute", Dialogue, 9, Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue: 1–3
  5. 1 2 3 "Lynn A. de Silva (1919–1982)", Buddhist-Christian Studies , 3, University of Hawai'i Press: 157–158, 1983, JSTOR   1389922
  6. 1 2 ( de Alwis 1982 , p. 123)
  7. ↑ ( de Alwis 1982 , p. 121)
  8. ↑ ( de Alwis 1982 , p. 124)
  9. ↑ Langan, Robert (1999), "What on closer examination disappears", The American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 59 (1), Springer Netherlands: 87–96, doi:10.1023/A:1021496922983, PMID   10078326, S2CID   34960691
  10. ↑ Burns, Charlene (2003), ""Soul-less" Christianity and the Buddhist Empirical Self: Buddhist-Christian Convergence?", Buddhist-Christian Studies , 23: 87–100, doi:10.1353/bcs.2003.0004, JSTOR   1390369, S2CID   170456297
  11. ↑ Mok, Alex (2005), "Humanity, extraterrestrial life, and the cosmic Christ, in evolutionary perspective", Australian eJournal of Theology (4), ISSN   1448-6326, archived from the original on 2009-10-17, retrieved 2010-03-02
  12. ↑ Fernando, Antony; Swidler, Leonard (1998), Buddhism Made Plain: An Introduction for Christians and Jews, New York: Orbis Books, ISBN   0-88344-198-5
  13. ↑ Griffith-Dickson, Gwen (2002-01-31), "From 'Self' and 'Other' – to 'We'", Gresham College, excellent source to consult on the Buddhist doctrine of no-self
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mitchell, Donald W. (1980), "(Review) The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity by Lynn A. de Silva", Philosophy East and West , 30 (4), University of Hawaii Press: 542–544, doi:10.2307/1398982, JSTOR   1398982
  15. 1 2 3 Kitagawa, Joseph M. (1983), "(Review) The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity by Lynn A. de Silva", The Journal of Religion , 63 (1): 102–106, doi:10.1086/487007, JSTOR   1203142
  16. 1 2 Amore, Roy C. (1980), "(Review) The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity by Lynn A. de Silva", Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 48 (4): 630–631, doi:10.1093/jaarel/XLVIII.4.630, JSTOR   1463468
  17. 1 2 Dyrness, William A. (1990), Learning about Theology from the Third World, Zondervan, pp. 132, 133, ISBN   0-310-20971-4
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lim, David & Spaulding, Steve (2005), Sharing Jesus Holistically with the Buddhist World, William Carey Library, ISBN   0-87808-508-4
  19. ↑ Yung, Hwa (2000), "Towards an evangelical approach to religions and cultures", Transformation, 17 (3): 86–91, doi:10.1177/026537880001700303, S2CID   149288562
  20. ↑ Schmidt-Leukel, Perry [in German] (2003), "Buddhism and Christianity: Antagonistic or Complementary?", Studies in World Christianity (in German), 9 (2): 265–279, doi:10.3366/swc.2003.9.2.265
  21. ↑ ( de Alwis 1982 , p. 171)
  22. ↑ ( de Alwis 1982 , p. 176)
  23. 1 2 ( Niles 1998 , p. 55)
  24. ↑ Hallett, Garth L. (2007), "From statements to parables: rethinking pluralist identities", Theological Studies, 68 (3), Thomson Gale: 555–572, doi:10.1177/004056390706800304, S2CID   55856276
  25. ↑ (Hallett 2007, p. [ page needed ])
  26. ↑ ( de Alwis 1982 , p. 216)
  27. 1 2 3 ( de Alwis 1982 , p. 217)
  28. ↑ ( de Alwis 1982 , p. 218)
  29. ↑ ( de Alwis 1982 , p. 224)
  30. ↑ de Alwis, Tissa Brian (1983), "Christian Buddhist Dialogue in the Writings of Lynn A. de Silva", Dialogue, 10 (1), Colombo, Sri Lanka: Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.