75 Books for Buddhist-Christian Dialogue

December 21, 2012 By Carl McColman 9 Comments

Thomas Merton and the Dalai Lama
Thomas Merton and the Dalai Lama
Are you interested in exploring the richness of dialogue and interspiritual prac
tice between Christianity and Buddhism? If so, then heres enough literature to ke
ep you going for a while. Each of the seventy-five books on the following list h
as some sort of connection with both Christianity and Buddhism.
Some of these titles are academic studies, some the writings of monastics, other
s geared toward the laity. Some are books by Christians about Buddhism, or by Bu
ddhists about interfaith dialogue; by Christians who find meditation a helpful a
djunct to their primarily Christ-centered faith, or by persons who identify as du
al practitioners, seeking an authentic path that is simultaneously faithful to bo
th the Gospel and the Dharma. One or two are by Christians, about Christian spir
ituality, but informed by the authors Buddhist practice.
This list is rather weighted toward the Christian side of the conversation. I wo
uld love to include more Buddhist authors and more Buddhist perspectives on Chri
stianity, but Im not as familiar with the Buddhist side of this conversation. Whi
le the most popular topic of these books is meditation, some are more narrowly f
ocused on matters such as theodicy or psychology.
I have only read a fraction of these books myself, so I offer them here with no
endorsement other than my own interest in the subject. A list this size will nat
urally entail books of varying quality or merit, so you are advised to read with
a discerning mind.
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A. William McVey, Existentialism and Christian Zen: An East/West Way to Chri
st
Aelred Graham, Zen Catholicism: A Suggestion
Aelred Graham, Conversations: Christian and Buddhist
B. Alan Wallace, Mind in the Balance: Meditation in Science, Buddhism and Ch
ristianity
Bonnie Bowman Thurston, ed., Merton & Buddhism: Wisdom, Emptiness & Everyday
Mind
Brian J. Pearce, OP, We Walk the Path Together: Learning from Thich Nhat Han
h & Meister Eckhart
Carrin Dunne, Buddha and Jesus: Conversations
D. T. Suzuki, Mysticism: Buddhist and Christian: The Eastern and Western Way
Denise Lardner Carmody and John Tully Carmody, Serene Compassion: A Christia
n Appreciation of Buddhist Holiness
Donald W. Mitchell, Spirituality and Emptiness: The Dynamics of Spiritual Li
fe in Buddhism and Christianity
Donald W. Mitchell and James A. Wiseman, eds., Finding Peace in Troubled Tim
es: Buddhist and Christian Monastics on Transforming Suffering
Donald W. Mitchell & William Skudlarek, OSB, eds., Green Monasticism: A Budd
hist-Catholic Response to an Environmental Calamity
Donovan Roebert, The Gospel for Buddhists and the Dharma for Christians
Elaine MacInnes, Zen Contemplation for Christians: A Bridge of Living Water
Elizabeth West, Happiness Here & Now: The Eightfold Path of Jesus Revisited
with Buddhist Insights
Gordon Peerman, Blessed Relief: What Christians Can Learn from Buddhists abo
ut Suffering
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, The Good Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the T
eachings of Jesus
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Spiritual Advice for Buddhists and Christians
Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle, Living in the New Consciousness
Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle, The Practice of Zen Meditation
J. K. Kadowaki, Zen and the Bible
James William Jones, The Mirror of God: Christian Faith as Spiritual Practic
e, Lessons from Buddhism and Psychotherapy
James Wiseman and Donald Mitchell, eds., The Gethsemani Encounter: A Dialogu
e on the Spiritual Life by Buddhist and Christian Monastics
Janet Conner, The Lotus and the Lilly: Access the Wisdom of Buddha and Jesus
to Nourish Your Beautiful, Abundant Life
Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic Between B
uddhism and Christianity
John Cowan, Taking Jesus Seriously: Buddhist Meditation for Christians
John P. Keenan, The Gospel of Mark: A Mahayana Reading
John P. Keenan, The Meaning of Christ: A Mahayana Theology
Kakichi Kadowaki, Zen and the Bible
Kenneth S. Leong, The Zen Teachings of Jesus
Kim Boykin, Zen for Christians: A Beginners Guide
Kristin Johnson Largen, What Christians Can Learn from Buddhism: Rethinking
Salvation
Leo D. Lefebure, The Buddha and the Christ: Explorations in Buddhist and Chr
istian Dialogue
Marcus Borg, Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings
Mary Jo Meadow, Christian Insight Meditation: Following in the Footsteps of
John of the Cross
Mary Jo Meadow, Gentling the Heart: Buddhist Loving-Kindness Practice for Ch
ristians
Patricia Hart Clifford, Sitting Still: An Encounter with Christian Zen
Patrick Henry, ed., Benedicts Dharma: Buddhists Reflect on the Rule of Saint
Benedict
Paul F. Knitter, Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian
Paul O. Ingram, Theological Reflection at the Boundaries
Paul Mommaers, Mysticism, Buddhist and Christian: Encounters with Jan van Ru
usbroec
Perry Schmidt-Leukel, ed., Buddhism and Christianity in Dialogue: The Gerald
-Weisfeld Lectures 2004
Peter Feldmeier, Christianity Looks East: Comparing the Spiritualities of Jo
hn of the Cross and Buddhaghosa
Raimon Panikkar, The Silence of God: The Answer of the Buddha
Rita M. Gross and Terry C. Muck, eds., Buddhists Talk about Jesus, Christian
s Talk About the Buddha
Rita M. Gross and Terry C. Muck, eds., Christians Talk About Buddhist Medita
tion, Buddhists Talk about Christian Prayer
Robert Aitken and David Steindl-Rast, The Ground We Share: Everyday Practice
, Buddhist and Christian
Robert Kennedy, Zen Gifts to Christians
Robert Kennedy, Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit: The Place of Zen in Christian
Life
Robert Powell, Christian Zen: The Essential Teachings of Jesus Christ
Roger Corless, The Vision of Buddhism
Roger Corless and Paul F. Knitter, eds., Buddhist Emptiness and Christian Tr
inity: Essays & Explorations
Rose Drew, Buddhist and Christian?: An Exploration of Dual Belonging
Ross Thompson, Buddhist Christianity: A Passionate Openness
Ross Thompson, Wounded Wisdom: A Buddhist and Christian Response to Evil, Hu
rt and Harm
Ruben L. F. Habito, Healing Breath: Zen for Christians and Buddhists in a Wo
unded World
Ruben L. F. Habito, Living Zen, Loving God
Seiichi Yagi and Leonard Swidler, A Bridge to Buddhist-Christian Dialogue
Susan J. Stabile, Growing in Love and Wisdom: Tibetan Buddhist Sources for C
hristian Meditation
Susan Walker, ed., Speaking of Silence: Christians and Buddhists on the Cont
emplative Way
Thich Nhat Hanh, Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers
Thich Nhat Hanh, Living Buddha, Living Christ
Thich Nhat Hanh and Daniel Berrigan, The Raft is Not the Shore: Conversation
s Toward a Buddhist-Christian Awareness
Thomas Merton, Mystics and Zen Masters
Thomas Merton, The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton, Zen and the Birds of Appetite
Thomas Ragland, The Noble Eightfold Path of Christ: Jesus Teaches the Dharma
of Buddhism
Tilden H. Edwards, Jr., Criss-Crossing the Christian-Buddhist Bridge in Tartha
ng Tulku, ed., Reflections of Mind: Western Psychology Meets Tibetan Buddhism
Tom Chetwynd, Zen and the Kingdom of Heaven
William Johnston, Christian Zen: A Way of Meditation
William Johnston, The Mirror Mind: Zen-Christian Dialog
William Johnston, The Still Point: Reflections on Zen and Christian Mysticis
m
William Skudlarek OSB, Demythologizing Celibacy: Practical Wisdom from Buddh
ist and Christian Monasticism
Willigis Jger, Mysticism for Modern Times
Wolfgang Kopp, Free Yourself of Everything: Radical Guidance in the Spirit o
f Zen and Christian Mysticism