There Is Nothing to Acquire: Comparing the Unborn Mind and the Silent Land

This paper uncovers similarities and differences between Zen Buddhist and Christian understandings of contemplative practice through a comparison of the writings of the Japanese Zen master Bankei Yotaku and the contemporary Christian contemplative writer Martin Laird. Though both claim that human beings are fundamentally connected to their spiritual goal, Zen emerges from the comparison with a more radical version of nonduality. The paper concludes by asking whether Christians can adopt such a radical nonduality within their own religious framework.