Otherness-Reception and Self-Rediscovery in the Dialogue and Comparative Study of Christianity and Buddhism

This Special Issue aims to carefully analyze the differences and connections between the core concepts of Christianity and Buddhism through a comparison of their doctrines, beliefs, and practices. From the perspective of religious dialogue and the “other” theory, it promotes mutual understanding between the two religions, ultimately enhancing inter-religious peace. The issue includes 11 articles, covering theoretical reflections on religious dialogue from the perspectives of theology and philosophy, the history and main areas of discussion in the Buddhist–Christian dialogue, reflections on the path of Chinese Buddhist–Christian dialogue, comparisons of Buddhist and Christian artistic imagery, debates between Buddhism and Christianity in the Ming and Qing dynasties, Schleiermacher and Huineng, Buddhist nature and religiousness, Thomas and Mahayana Buddhism, Zhao Zichen and Master Taixu, Marxist atheism and Buddhism, etc. It also touches upon some core concepts in both religions, such as love, friendship, religiousness, Buddhist nature, the self, the other, the soul, liberation, salvation, enlightenment, atheism, self-reliance, and other-reliance. Based on the comparative research conducted by eleven Chinese scholars on the doctrines, dogmas, ethics, rituals, and spirituality of the two religions, the theoretical reflections and dialogue practices of Chinese academics on the Buddhist–Christian dialogue are presented to the world, expanding the application of religious dialogue theory in the context of Chinese religious studies.