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Buddhism and Christianity on Evil: Critical Evaluation of Masao Abe’s Comparative Studies
Kwan, Kai-man
Kwan, Kai-man
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Abstract
By studying Masao Abe’s comparative studies, this essay explores the possibility of a Buddhist-Christian dialogue. The essay is divided into five sections. First, Abe’s reservations about the Christian views on deity and evil are explained, and some revisions are proposed. The second section explains Abe’s concept of dynamic Sunyata, which he considers to be a satisfactory explanation of the world, and hence the concept of God is not needed. The third section focuses on Abe’s views on ethics. He argues that Buddhism also cares about ethics, and the solution to evil is the personal experience of absolute nothingness or Sunyata—which is also the awakening of the true self. This is neither dualism nor monotheism. For Buddhists, both absolute good and absolute evil are illusions, and this is the main difference between Buddhism and Christianity. On the basis of the experience of Sunyata, Buddhism re-establishes the distinction between good and evil, but it is not limited by this viewpoint. The fourth section will shift to a dialogue between Abe and some Western scholars. As many Western scholars disagree with Abe’s treatment of absolute evil, this section will discuss the criticisms of Christopher Ives, Richard Rubenstein, etc. Lastly, the author will reflect on Abe’s comments on Christianity, and respond to his queries of the Christian views on God and evil from theological and philosophical perspectives.
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2017
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Christian Study Centre on Chinese Religion and Culture, Chung Chi College, Shatin, Hong Kong