“Profoundly Edifying”

In declaring how the Catholic Church was related to other religions, Nostrae Aetate of the Second Vatican Council noted “other religions found everywhere try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by proposing ‘ways,’ comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites” [article 2]. The declaration had just mentioned by name Hinduism and Buddhism. Christians in Asia live in close contact with both religions.

Early in its history of the Society of Jesus met people of other religions. In our time Pope John Paul II more than once re-invited the Jesuits to the “deeper study of the relations with non-Christian religions, and the dialogue of the Church with cultures.” Recently,  in Japan Jesuits considered links between their founder, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and the Buddha. This inter-religious event was “profoundly edifying.”

A summary of it at the Province Express includes the beginning of one Jesuit’s reflection of a Buddhist retreat in Thailand and links to the rest of his reflection.

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Wiki-image of Buddhist flag used by CC 0 1.0.