Providing
a rigorous analysis of Buddhist ways of understanding religious
diversity, this book develops a new foundation for cross-cultural
understanding of religious diversity in our time.
Examining the complexity and uniqueness of Buddhas approach to
religious pluralism using four main categories namely exclusivism,
inclusivism, pluralistic-inclusivism and pluralism the book proposes a
cross-cultural and interreligious interpretation of each category, thus
avoiding the accusation of intellectual colonialism. The key argument
is that, unlike the Buddha, most Buddhist traditions today, including
Theravada Buddhism and even the Dalai Lama, consider liberation and the
highest stages of spiritual development exclusive to Buddhism. The book
suggests that the Buddha rejects many doctrines and practices found in
other traditions, and that, for him, there are nonnegotiable ethical and
doctrinal standards that correspond to the Dharma. This argument is
controversial and likely to ignite a debate among Buddhists from
different traditions, especially between conservative and progressive
Buddhists.
The book fruitfully contributes to the literature on inter-religious
dialogue, and is of use to students and scholars of Asian Studies, World
Religion and Eastern Philosophy.