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PneumatologyandtheChristianBuddhistDialogue:DoestheSpiritBlow
throughtheMiddleWay?
AmosYong
Leiden:Brill,2012.ISBN:9789004231177.359pages
AmosYongsPneumatologyandtheChristianBuddhistDialogueisanimpressiveexercise
in comparative theology. Drawing inspiration from the
comparative theological
endeavoursofKeithWard,RobertNeville,FrancisXClooneyandJamesFredericks,Yong
sets outtodiscoverwhether the trajectory of theHoly Spirit in
the Christian tradition
convergeswiththeMiddleWayproposedbytheBuddha.DoesthewindoftheHolySpirit
blowalongtheBuddhistpaththataffirmstheemptiness(nyata)yetinterrelatedness
(prattyasamutpda)ofallthings?
Yong recognises that Christological categories like incarnation,
resurrection and
atonementpossessnoeasyequivalentsinBuddhism,becausethefundamentalconcern
of Buddhism is not sin and expiation but the pain arising from
attachment to an
impermanent self.Toopenuprelationalspacebetweenthetwo
traditions, heutilizes
three pneumatological categories: divine presence; divine
activity; and
divineabsence.Undertherubricofdivinepresence,hejuxtaposestheruahElohimofGenesis
1&2 alongside Ngrjunas Prajpramit tradition of no self
(antman) and
emptiness(nyata),andNishidaslaterphilosophyofAbsoluteNothingness.Bravely
venturingintocontemporarydebatesintheneurosciencesaboutspirit,mindandbody,he
analysescomplexChristianandBuddhistnotionsabouttheworldandhumannature,and
drawsattentiontowaysinwhichbothtraditionsexpressrealityinnondualterms.
Yongssecondcategory,divineactivity,hasasoteriologicalfocus.Heimaginativelyaligns
thecontemplativepracticesoftheDesertFathers,aspreservedintheJesusPrayerand
thePhilokaliasteachingontheosis(unionwithGod),withtheTheravadaunderstandingof
renunciation and liberation (nibbana) inBuddhaghoasVisuddhimagga
(ThePathofPurification). Identifying how both traditions promote
the outwarddisciplining of the
bodyandtheinwardcentringofthemind,inordertogobeyondtherationalmind,he
pinpointsparallelsbetweentheChristiansparticipationinthedivinenature(2Pet.1:4)
andthearahantsperfectioninwisdomandunderstanding.
Thefinalcategoryofdivineabsencedoesnotrefertothedarknightofthesoul,asone
might reasonably expect, but to Pentecostal andBuddhist notions
of demonic activity.
Here,Yong juxtaposesAsianPentecostalinsights intosatanic
activityalongsidepopular
demonologies from the Theravada tradition of Sri Lanka and the
Buddhist Tantric
traditionofTibet.Examining the Satan/Mara threatalong theway,
and themeansof
exorcism, he asks whether the Mahayana concept of skilful means
(upya), which
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identifiesdifferentmethodsofliberationfordifferentpeople,mighthavesomerelevance
forChristianexperiencesofthedemonic.
Thevolumepossessesnumerousadmirablequalities.Theauthorlocateshisworkwithin
his own faith experience and is refreshingly honest about his
commitment
toPentecostalism,bothbeforeandafterhiscomparativeexplorations.Inanautobiographical
note, he tells of his birth to Chinese Malaysian parents, his
emigration with them to
Californiaattheageoften,andhisstartlingdiscoveryatseminarythatotherChristians
besidesPentecostalsdisplayedthevirtuesofkindness,love,joy,peace,etc.Later,duringa
briefreturnvisittoMalaysia,hecomestoquestionwhetherthesameHolySpiritmightnot
alsobeactiveinthelivesofBuddhists,Muslims,HindusandJews.
Yongs argumentation is cautious, logical and respectful. He
identifies the precise
traditionsandtextsheintendstoinvestigate,usesvocabularythatpractitionerswithinthe
traditionscanrecognise,andnevercompromisestheintegrityoralterityofthetraditions.
Inaddition,heskilfully avoidsthemistakeofmarginalising thework
oftheHolySpirit
from the work of the Father and Son, and resists the temptation
to generalise. For
instance, although he demonstrates that the attainment of wisdom
in Theravada
Buddhism is comparable to the Orthodox saints attainment of
inner stillness in the
presenceof God, and that the Theravada path of lovingkindness,
joy, compassion and
equanimityisanalogoustothewayoftheHolySpiritinChristianity,hedoesnotpropose
thatthetraditionsareidentical.
AnoticeabledifferencebetweenYongs,ClooneysandFrederickscomparativetheologyis
thatYongseekstogroundhistheologyofreligionsinpneumatology,whereasClooneyand
Fredericks move away from an apriori approach and engage
traditions on their ownterms.
TheauthorisnotconversantwithSanskritorPali,thelanguagesoftheBuddhistcanon.
However, the broadscopeofhis reading,his extensive
bibliographyand hismeticulous
footnotes go far in compensating for this lack. Strikingly, when
referencing Buddhist
textual sources, he preserves accurate Pali terms (like dhamma,
anatta, nibbana) and
appropriateSanskritwords(likedharma,tmanandnirva).
Pneumatology and the ChristianBuddhist Dialogue makes an erudite
contribution to
comparativetheology.ItestablishessensiblegroundsforaproductiveChristianBuddhist
encounter,providessignpostsforfutureventuresandhelpstoeliminatemisconceptionsabout
Buddhism and Pentecostalism. The workmay well challenge the reader
in quite
unexpectedwaysandperhapsevenincreasehercommitmenttoherownfaithtradition.
Reviewer:AnitaC.RayisanHonoraryFellowsintheCentreforInterreligiousDialogue,
locatedwithintheFacultyofTheologyandPhilosophyatAustralianCatholicUniversity.
AnitafocusesonChristian,HinduandBuddhisttheologies.
Email:[email protected]
