Religious Discourse, Power Relations, and Interreligious Illumination

precis:

This essay deals with the extent to which a sociological inquiry of the comparative study of religion would be mutually beneficial through reciprocal illumination in a Buddhist-Christian context. Our critical comparative theology can be advanced in reference to Francis Clooney's comparative theology. We are concerned with problematizing the Buddhist text of Bodhicaryāvatāra (The Way of the Bodhisattva) in connection with the Buddhist principle of dependent origination. A critical Christian, constructive commentarial work should come into focus. Our interest is to examine critically the elective affinity of the bodhicitt a idea by means of the Heart Sutra in its affirmative context as well as in the Imperial Japanese accommodation. This sociological inquiry, in a hermeneutical fr ame of reference, undertakes the comparative study of Buddhist compassion and the Christian symbol of theologia crucis for mutual illumination and common practice.