The sound of liberating truth Buddhist-Christian dialogues in honor of Frederick J. Streng

Abstract

was the founding editor of the annual journal Buddhist-Christian Studies and past President of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies. He is author of T’ien-t’ai Buddhism: An Outline o f the Fourfold Teachings and editor of Buddhist and Taoist Practice in Medieval Chinese Society. He is now working on the relationship of Buddhism to contemporary society. John B. Cobb, Jr. was born in Japan of Methodist missionary parents. His education was chiefly at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Most of his teaching career was spent in Claremont at the School of Theology and the Graduate School. He retired in 1990. As a Christian theologian he has been involved in Buddhist-Christian dialogue, working especially with Masao Abe in the organization of a theological encounter group and subsequently in the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies. His book, Beyond Dialogue: Toward a Mutual Transformation o f Christianity and Buddhism, contributes to the discussion. Paula Cooey is Professor of Religion at Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas. She is the author of numerous books and articles. Her most recent books are Family, Freedom & Faith: Building Community Today (Westminster-John Knox Press, 1988) and Religious Imagination and the Body: A Feminist Perspective (Oxford University Press, 1996).Malcolm David Eckel is Associate Professor of Religion and Associate Director of the Division of Religious and Theological Studies at Boston University. His most recent book is To See the Buddha: A Philosopher's Quest for the Meaning o f Emptiness. Ruben L. F. Habito is Professor of World Religions and Spirituality at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. He taught at Sophia University for twelve years prior to his coming to SMU. His publications include: Original Enlightenment: Tendai Hongaku Doctrine and Japanese Buddhism (International Institute for Buddhist Studies), Healing Breath: Zen Spirituality for a Wounded Earth (Orbis Books), Total Libertion: Zen Spirituality and the Social Dimension (Orbis Books), as well as more than ten books in Japanese. Paul O. Ingram is Professor of Religion at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of The Modern BuddhistChristian Dialogue (Edwin Mellon) and Wrestling With the Ox: A Theology o f Religious Experience (Continuum). He co-edited Buddhist-Christian Dialogue: Essays in Mutual Transformation with Frederick J. Streng (University of Hawaii). Thomas P. Kasulis is Professor of Comparative Studies at Ohio State University. He is the author of Zen Action! Zen Person (University of Hawaii) as well as numerous other publications on Japanese philosophy and religion. John P. Keenan is an Episcopal Priest, a former Resident Scholar at the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture in Japan, and Professor of Religion at Middlebury College. He is the author of The Meaning o f Christ: A Mahayana Theology (SUNY Press). Sallie B. King is Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia. She is the author of Buddha Nature and Journey in Search o f the Way, both published by SUNY Press, and, with Christopher S. Queen, the coeditor of Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia, also published by SUNY Press. Winston L. King is Emeritus Professor of Religion at Vanderbilt University. He also taught with distinction at Grinnell College and Colorado State University. He is the author of nine books, the most o f the Sword (1993), well as numerous essays and articles. Alan Sponberg taught Buddhist studies at Princeton and Stanford universities for eleven years before moving to the University of Montana where he is Professor of Asian Religion and Philosophy. His research interests focus on cross-cultural transformations of Buddhism, both historical and contemporary, and his publications include Maitreya, the Future Buddha. Bonnie Thurston holds a BA from Bethany College, and MA and PhD degrees from the University of Virginia. She has done post-doctoral work in New Testament at Harvard Divinity School, Eberhard Karls Universität (Tuebingen, Germany), and the Ecole Biblique (Jerusalem) and currently teaches New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She is the author of six books and over sixty articles. Taitetsu Unno retired in 1998 from his position as the Jill Ker Conway Professor of Religion and East Asian Studies at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts He is a leading scholar of Shin Buddhism. His revised second edition of Tannisho: A Shin Buddhist Classic appeared in 1996, and his River o f Fire, River o f Water was published by Doubleday in 1998.