What Christians Can Learn from Buddhism: Rethinking Salvation

It is a truism in the study of religion that to understand one's own tradition truly one must inhabit another's deeply. Kristin Johnston Largen in this exciting volume takes the reader on such a pilgrimage into Buddhism, to ultimately address what we as Christians might mean by salvation. In the last generation, lay Christians have already trod into Buddhism to see the tradition for themselves. So this exercise in comparative theology employs interreligious dialogue as an integral and imperative part of Christian theology today. It first explores the model of comparative theology and the meanings of salvation, or soteriology, in Christian tradition. It then reviews the chief outlines of the Buddhist worldview and explores the concept of salvation in Buddhism - nirvana, achieved through emptiness - and how it informs a host of Buddhist practices. Only then does Largen return to the Christian tradition to show not only what Buddhists can teach us about themselves but also about ourselves. Critically corrected by this larger religious context, Largen demonstrates, Christian soteriology can be enriched and enlivened.