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Dialogue Between Buddhism and Christianity is More Urgent Than Ever

By Raymond Lam | | Buddhistdoor Global

How dramatic, arbitrary, and often repetitive the tides of history are. We get a lot right—the 2,500-year-long Buddhist dispensation being at the top of my list of human accomplishments, along with the invention of paper, the development of modern medicine, and the continuous, wonderful exploration of outer space. But we also look back at some events that could have ended up as relatively innocuous hiccups but ended up as milestones that reshaped continents and reconfigured entire countries or empires. The historian’s job is to look at the past, whether recent or distant, and separate events that are significant from those that are innocent and clarify the broader “situational uncertainty” of something that has happened (my apologies for appropriating Clausewitz). Preferably, since there is no absolute history, the historian can also dignify the past with an interpretation that warns us of repeating mistakes, and offers a wise and compassionate way forward for as many people as possible, indeed for all beings. Many historical instances tell us that conflict arose from a mixture of selfishness, aggression, and misunderstanding or ignorance. We cannot guarantee that selfishness or aggression can ever be mitigated, but we should at least try to neutralize ignorance and cultivate reciprocal understanding as much as possible. I recently wrote a blog post on a major difference between the United States and China a day or so after the Trump administration officially slapped tariffs on a slew of Chinese products, starting the first trade war between the world’s two largest economies. On the surface level these are manifestations of tensions that have been building since the era of all-out globalization in the 1980s. Perhaps it could speak to the different political worldviews of these two countries, or issues in their strategic relationship. Initially, I was not sure whether religion had anything to do with what is currently, ostensibly, an economic and geo-strategic competition. However, I am increasingly convinced that if religious preoccupations and perspectives could influence the actions of certain American and Chinese policymakers and influencers, then it is more important than ever to understand and grapple with those preoccupations.