When the history of Christian monasticism is written for the twentieth century, it will include one surprising and revolutionary development that nothing in its previous history could have prepared it for: the living dialogue with Buddhism. Over the past thirty years, while Christian theologians were eagerly discussing their doctrinal traditions with their Buddhist counterparts and rethinking their characterization of the "non-Christian" world, men and women monastics East and West were sharing methods of meditation and experiencing life in one another's communities. All of this, in turn, was part of a larger pursuit among religious-minded people across the world for a revitalized spirituality, one open to the inheritance of traditions previously considered false or at least irretrievably foreign. As the essays gathered together in the book will show, with Buddhist and Christian populations almost evenly distributed and the preservation of community-based monasticism still living in both traditions, Korea is in a unique position to reflect on the ideals of a life of "self-renunciation" as they have been conceptualized and embodied in these two world religions, and to ask what meaning the monastic experience still has for society at large.

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Authors discuss the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity.

Explores the phenomenon of monasteries from antiquity to present day as cloister places of refuge where fundamental aspects of life are regimented and spirituality is practiced.

When St. Benedict compiled his Rule for Monasteries in the early decades of the sixth century, the Buddhist monastic code had already been in existence for about nine hundred years. Since monastic life is shaped by spiritual practices that are very similar across different religious traditions, it should not be too much of a stretch to suggest that Christians can learn from the accumulated wisdom of Buddhist monasticism. For Buddhists, celibacy, accompanied by skillful reflection on their personal reactions to it, is a means of letting go of attachment to sensory pleasure. Buddhist monks do not marry; they strive to relinquish the desire for sexual pleasure because this form of gratification obstructs the one-pointed stillness that leads to insight. For Christians, celibacy—like marriage—is ultimately about love: responding to God's love for us and expressing selfless love for others. In light of the Christian understanding of marriage as an authentic—indeed, the ordinary—path to holiness, Skudlarek proposes a demythologized view of celibacy, presenting it as an alternate and equally valid spiritual practice for those who choose not to accept the demands of a committed sexual relationship. Drawing on the monastic interreligious dialogue, Skudlarek considers the Buddhist view of celibacy, which is not mythologized as a response to a divine call or as a superhuman way of life. He examines their regard for it as simply—and profoundly—a path to freedom, peace, and happiness. As Christians become aware of the benefits of celibacy for monks who observe it without reference to the Gospel, they may be able to appreciate all the more its importance and value for those who wish to follow Christ as celibates, and in this way come to share in the freedom of the children of God.

This work is a fascinating analysis of a timeless and timely topic. It treats of the monastic fact both phenomenologically and philosophically, reflecting on the contemporary role of monasticism in the acute issue of dialogue among major religions, especially between Buddhism and Christianity. Hardy's approach is refreshingly open to the challenge of religious pluralism; at the same time, it is conscientiously honest in stating the limits of dialogical discourse when it comes to religious truth claims. Monastic Quest and Interreligious Dialogue is at once thought provoking, sobering, and inspiring.

Monasticism has a special position in the history of pastoral care. It produced innovations in various aspects of pastoral care despite, or more precisely, because of its isolation in legal or social terms from the secular world. The thirteen papers contained in this volume will reveal that there was a great variety in the ways pastoral care continued to be practised by monasticism, depending on time, space, and the nature of each religious order. Adopting a comparative approach, their historical and geographical range of investigation is not limited to medieval Europe but expands to the Americas and even to Japan in the early Modern Age. This volume bases on a conference held on 1 and 2 March 2019 at Okayama University, Japan, as part of the close collaboration between a Japanese research group on Christian/Buddhist religious movements and the Research Project "Monasteries in the High Middle Ages: Innovation Laboratories for European Life Designs and Regulatory Models" of the Saxon and the Heidelberg Academies of Sciences and Humanities, as well as the Research Center for Comparative History of Religious Orders (FOVOG, Dresden).

Like an underground river, the monastic tradition keeps on resurging in a host of unexpected times and places. Secular Monasticism, A Journey describes one of its most recent incarnations. The founders and members of the Lindisfarne Community share with us their bold attempt to be a secular monastic religious order open to the exigencies of the contemporary world. Age-old wisdom once again reveals its perennial relevance in helping us learn how to be followers of Christ in Gods today. Brother John, Taiz In the first five pages, I thought of ten people I know who should read this book: young people, old people, all people tired of taken-for-granted spirituality. Devour this book. Let it help you dream up a way of joining or creating a micro-community of prayer and action that frees you to experiment in following the ways of Christ. Thats what these folks have done. This story helps us imagine ourselves out of the boxes and buildings Christianity has become. The Rev. Dr. Dori Baker, Scholar-in-Residence, The Fund for Theological Education Lindisfarne Community has graciously accepted Gods call to dance with the radical (and sometimes wearying) changes of our time. Like the Celts, they find meaning in their ongoing spiritual evolution through poetry and story, through a willingness to navigate the waters of the soul while remaining fiercely loyal to the good earth that bore us and nurtures us. Like the Celts, this family of secular monastics hungers more for mystical union with the Divine Mystery than for any trappings of earthly renown or success. Carl McColman, author and blogger (from the foreword)