The World Council of Churches’ Vesak 2023 message might clash with the Catholic Church’s sense of mission beyond interfaith dialogue
catholicism
The Colloquium of Six Religious Leaders of Hong Kong: Lunar New Year Message, 2023
The esteemed Colloquium of Six Religious Leaders of Hong Kong releases its message for 2023’s Lunar New Year of the Hare
Christian Zen: Unlikely and Unorthodox, or Universal?
I recently received unfortunate news. A Buddhist-Christian interfaith event organized by the International Centre for Teresian-Sanjuanist Studies (CITeS), The University of Mysticism in Ávila, has been cancelled. The event was supposed to take place in July 2020, before the pandemic forced the conference to be held on July 2021. After the recent surge in cases […]
Postcard from Raymond: Merton’s Theology of the Problematic
My colleague Justin Whitaker has just published news about the 50th anniversary of the Catholic monk and writer Thomas Merton. It is no surprise that Buddhists have joined Christians in commemorating his life. I admired Merton to the point of making his work one half of my BA thesis, which was a Buddhist-Christian dialogue between […]
1st. World Encounter Teresian Mysticism and Interreligious Dialogue: Theravada Buddhism and Teresian Mysticism — Meditation and Contemplation, Pathways to Peace
Dear friends, a troupe from HKU’s Centre of Buddhist Studies and Buddhistdoor Global are in the medieval city of Avila, the hometown of Saint Teresa of Avila and where the University of Mysticism is based. The University will hold its interfaith conference between Carmelite and Buddhist contemplatives tomorrow on the 27th. If this sounds of […]
Why I Don’t Believe in Spiritual Experiences
Raymond Lam Some scientists and psychologists draw parallels between religious experiences and psychological illnesses and conditions, like epilepsy. We’re not just talking about feelings of lovingkindness or compassion generated in meditation, but ecstatic visions of angels or hearing thundering voices of celestial beings. Drawing parallels between mental illness and religious ecstasy is pretty politically incorrect, […]