A Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue of Life in Japan: Finding Shared Values for Global Collaboration for the Common Good

During the past half century, there have been many examples of Buddhist-Christian dialogues in Japan. This article analyzes the dialogue between members of the Risshō Kōsei-kai association and the Focolare Movement, a dialogue that is based on a friendship and a deep spiritual unity that comes from living radically according to one’s own religion and being attentive and open to the other’s. From their dialogue of life, these Christians and Buddhists have discovered common values based on worldviews that, in some cases, are quite different. The shared values have become the foundation of an interreligious collaboration that is open to the world and to finding solutions to the global issues we all face today. Interreligious cooperation is based on the dialogue of life: a grassroots, living dialogue between persons of different religions. The dialogue of life between people and communities uncovers common values that are necessary for interreligious collaboration for the common good. Given the global issues facing the world today due to factors such as multiculturalism and globalization, this search for shared values can no longer be regarded as optional. This is not only true from a practical point of view, but also for theoretical reflection on global issues. Nisshō Takeuchi, a Japanese monk and a scholar of the Nichiren School, participated in a Christian-Buddhist Symposium held in Osaka and on Mount Hiei in April 2006 sponsored by the Buddhist Japanese association Risshō Kōsei-kai and the Catholic-based Focolare Movement in collaboration with other Buddhist institutions. After the encounter, Takeuchi affirmed: