From July 27 to 30, 2017, the “First World Meeting on Teresian Mysticism and Interreligious Dialogue” took place. Theravāda Buddhism and Teresian Mysticism: Meditation and Contemplation, Paths to Peace” in the medieval city of Avila, organized by the Teresian-Sanjuanist International Center (CITES) in collaboration with the Center for Buddhist Studies (CBS) of the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
Invited by the Order of Discalced Carmelites, a delegation of Theravada Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Myanmar, the United Kingdom and Taiwan traveled to Avila for an interfaith conference attended by more than one hundred people from thirty countries. Among other participants, the conference included Theravāda and Carmelite monks and scholars, including some of the most renowned exponents of their respective traditions, for four days of dialogue, meeting and academic exchange. The Discalced Carmelites conceived this meeting, mainly, as the first in a series aimed at establishing a dialogue between Carmelite mysticism and other religious traditions. The motivation of the Carmelites was to facilitate and promote mutual understanding and to promote peace between peoples with different cultures, languages and points of view. In this first forum, the interlocutor was Buddhism
Theravāda, and the dialogue offered participants the possibility of spiritual enrichment from religious people of another denomination and the opportunity to explore the similarities and differences between the two traditions in a spirit of harmony, integrity and mutual respect. The theme chosen for the conference was “Meditation and Contemplation: Pathways to Peace”. More specifically, attention was paid to the comparative study of the paths of Theravāda Buddhist meditation and the Carmelite path of prayer and contemplation, for which spiritual cartographers and main interlocutors, Ācariya Buddhaghosa and Saint Teresa of Avila, were appointed.
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