If…Christians recognize that there is no contradiction between the Buddhist teaching of pratitya samutpada and the Christian teaching of a loving God, then the practice of Buddhist meditation and the deep realization of the nature of reality to which that leads need not draw one away from Christian faith. Instead, it can be a rich complement that can gradually be integrated into a fully biblical faith. One can realize that both God and oneself are instances of pratitya samutpada without in any way losing one’s confidence in God’s love and acceptance or becoming less sensitive to God’s call to act for justice and inclusivity.

John Cobb, “Deep Pluralism,” The Pluralist, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Spring 2006), pp. 63-73

I’m always a little confused at the way this term is used positively to mean “interdependence” (more Mahayana usage) as opposed to referring to the whole causal chain of suffering, ignorance and rebirth (more Theravadan usage), but, if we assume Cobb to mean awakening to, or understanding the truth of dependent origination (Pali: patticasamupadda), then I’m on board.

(see also: dependent origination)

17 Notes/ Hide

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  6. resonantfrequencies said: interesting usage, agreed!
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