The publication Love and Compassion. Chan/Zen Buddhism and Carmelite Spirituality is the result of a collaboration between the Fonte de Burgos Editorial Group, the Monte Carmelo publishing house and the CITES - Universidad de la Mística de Ávila. Curated by Father Jerzy Nawojowski OCD, this book is part of the “Mysticism and Religions” collection, with a total of 528 pages, offering a profound reflection on the values of love and compassion from the perspective of Chan/Zen Buddhism and the spirituality of Carmel.
Throughout its pages, Love and Compassion invites the reader to delve into a detailed analysis that seeks to promote an enriching dialogue on these profound spiritual issues. The goal is to establish a bridge between these two rich religious traditions, exploring how they approach love and compassion from their respective perspectives, in order to promote a more empathetic and benevolent world.
Interreligious dialogue and the search for peace, love and brotherhood have been fundamental themes in the meetings between Carmelite spirituality and Buddhism held at the CITES in Avila. In 2017, the Catholic Order of the Discalced Carmelites, the Teresian-Sanjuanist International Center (CITES) and the Center for Buddhist Studies (CBS) of the University of Hong Kong, came together to organize the “First Teresian Mystical World Meeting and Interreligious Dialogue: Theravada Buddhism and Teresian Mysticism: Meditation and Contemplation, Paths to Peace” in Avila. This event marked the beginning of a series of three meetings that sought to promote mutual understanding between both spiritual traditions.
The success of this first meeting led to the planning of the “2nd World Meeting of Teresian Mysticism and Interreligious Dialogue: Chan/Zen Buddhism and Carmelite Spirituality on Love and Compassion”, initially scheduled for July 2020 in Avila, Spain. The main objective was to explore how love and compassion are promoted in both traditions to contribute to building a more empathetic and compassionate world. Prominent representatives of Chan/Zen Buddhism from East Asia and the West would share their experiences and knowledge, with the expected participation of an experienced Chan/Zen meditation guide from Canada and the morning recitation of sutras by Chinese monastics.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Universidad de la Mística de Avila (CITES) had to reschedule this congress for the end of June 2022, only to be forced to cancel it again due to a new outbreak of COVID-19. The speakers invited by CBS and CITES had already prepared their presentations and essays for this II Congress, looking forward to the event with enthusiasm. This situation inspired the idea of publishing a book based on the contributions prepared for the Congress, turning the challenges presented by the pandemic into an opportunity to disseminate these reflections. This book, which has now been released, seeks not only to share knowledge and experiences, but also to promote interreligious dialogue and promote mutual understanding between the spiritual traditions of Chan/Zen Buddhism and Carmelite spirituality.
The book consists of four parts. The first part addresses love and compassion from the perspective of Chan/Zen Buddhism through contributions from experts in this tradition. The second part focuses on analyzing how love and compassion are manifested in texts, spirituality and mystical experience within the Carmelite tradition. The third section includes a series of comparative studies dedicated specifically to the dialogue between Chan/Zen Buddhism and Christianity, reflecting on points of encounter and mutual understanding. The fourth and final part includes the five winning works of the 3rd Teresa of Jesus International Prize and Interreligious Dialogue.
With regard to the writings of the Buddhist delegation, after an introduction by Professor Guang Xing, former director of the Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Hong Kong, Dr. Yao Zhihua writes about human nature and the human condition from the perspective of Chan/Zen Buddhism. Next, Dr. Wei Shan explains how loving-kindness and compassion are developed in the Chan Buddhist tradition. Dr. Robert Sharf, in his contribution entitled “On Wisdom, Compassion and Ethics in Chan/Zen Buddhism”, suggests that Huineng's silence on the subject of compassion is related to the nature and place of ethical action in the Mahayana tradition. Ven. Chang Wu brings to the book an article entitled “The Cultivation of Compassion in Chan/Zen Meditation”. Venerable Dr. Chongdok explains “The source of compassion in Buddhism. The Chan/Zen Perspective”. And venerable Professor Guo Xing closes the volume with the title “Enlightenment and the Implementation of Compassion and Wisdom”.
The section dedicated to the Carmelite tradition is inaugurated by Jerzy Nawojowski, OCD, who introduces us to the meaning and goals of interreligious dialogue through his “The importance and objectives of interreligious dialogue from the Carmelite perspective”. Later, there is the chapter entitled “God so loved the world that he gave his Son”, written by Pedro Ignacio Fraile Yécora, which offers a reflection on divine love manifested in Christianity. Continuing with this thematic line, Secundino Castro Sánchez, OCD, contributes to his study on “The Exercise of Charity by Carmelite Authors”, emphasizing the practice of the virtue of charity within this religious order. María José Pérez González, OCD, adds her vision with the essay “Love at the center of the path of Carmelite prayer and contemplation”. Finally, cite the work of Rafał Sergiusz Niziński, entitled “Spiritual Marriage to Experience Ecology and Politics. Life in the Seventh Mansions”, closes this section.
The third part focuses on three comparative studies and interreligious dialogue between Chan/Zen Buddhism and Christianity. The first, entitled “The dialogue between Catholic tradition and Chan/Zen Buddhist tradition: past, present and future”, is signed by María Jesús Hernando García. The second study, “Christian Zen: A Critical Examination of the Use of Zen Among Catholics”, was prepared by Daniel Millet Gil. Finally, the third is “Enlightenment and Revelation. Buddhist and Christian Ethics” was written by Xabier Pikaza.
International Award:
As an added value, the winning works of the 3rd Teresa of Jesus International Prize and Interreligious Dialogue have been included in the book. These consist of five studies that comparatively explore the experience of religion and divinity in different traditions. These jobs are:
“Spanish mystics as liminal bridges between Catholicism and Protestantism” by Daniel Muñoz Triviño (winner).
“Stripping the hidden jewel. Concurrences between the “Mount Carmel Climb” and the poems of Han Shan” by Douglas Calvo Gainza (second prize).
“Love for the Beloved is a dialogue between Teresa of Jesus and the Cosmic Love of Thich Nhat Hanh from Zen Buddhism from a perspective for Interreligious Dialogue” by Sue Luzia Moreira (second prize).
“Mysticism and restoration of “the human” from the experience of Edith Stein and Etty Hillesum” by Anderson Fabián Santos Meza (second prize).
“Inhabiting the book: imprint, word, abode. Teresa de Jesús and Edmond Jabès: confluences of two scriptural traditions” by María del Sagrario Rollán (second prize).
Love and Compassion is an enlightening and content-rich work, providing readers with a comprehensive analysis of diverse spiritual teachings, meditative practices, and religious concepts. Each segment of the book acts as a mirror to demonstrate the connections between different spiritual paths, with an emphasis on love and compassion as key paths for both personal and global progress.
This work invites us to set aside creed-based discrepancies, focusing on the common interests that we all share in our search for purpose, connection and an environment full of benevolence. It becomes an essential source of consultation for those interested in dialogue between different beliefs, spirituality on a comparative level, and for all those who seek to deepen the transformative power of these essential forces. The text is presented as a valuable resource for those who want to deepen the study of these influential spiritual traditions and for those who seek to better understand the integration of these virtues into spiritual experience and social practice.
For your information, the Teresian-Sanjuanist International Center, together with the Center for Buddhist Studies of the University of Hong Kong and the Dharma-Gaia Foundation, have announced the “3rd World Meeting of Teresian Mysticism and Interreligious Dialogue”. This event, which will address the theme “Tibetan Buddhism and Carmelite Spirituality: Guidelines for Visualizing, Contemplating and Finding the Sacred”, will be held in the Castilian city of Avila, from July 25 to 28, 2024.
For more information about this new congress see:
Links:
CITES: International Center of Teresian and Sanjuanist Studies
CBS (TODAY): The Centre of Buddhist Studies of the University of Hong Kong
Related news from Buddhistdoor in Spanish:
