John P. Keenan

A Mahayana Theology of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist

Mahayana theology is an approach to thinking about the Christian faith within the philosophical context of the great Mahayana Buddhist thinkers: philosophers of emptiness such as Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, and Candrakirti in the Madhyamika tradi- tion; and philosophers of consciousness such as Maitreya, Asacga, Vasubandhu, Sthi- ramati, Paramartha, and Hsuan-tsang in the Yogacara tradition. The advantage of employing Mahayana philosophy in the doing of Christian theology is that this philosophical tradition developed with the dual purpose of supporting and encour- aging faith and practice while eliminating absolutist claims for metaphysically fixed and unalterable ideas. Mahayana is deconstructive without any of the aloofness that modern French philosophers apparently feel they must adopt vis-a-vis theology and the Church. Just as Plato did for the Fathers of the early church and Aristotle did for Aquinas, Maha- yana opens avenues of thought and questioning for contemporary theologians that will gift our cultures with the grace of new theological insight into the meaning of Christs presence to and among human beings. And so I would like to do some theology here, demonstrating how a Mahayana thinker like myself might envisage the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Thomas Merton's Unfinished Journey in Dialogue with Buddhism

Thomas Merton was many things—literary critic, poet, author of immensely popular spiritual books, social critic, proponent of dialogue with Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Jews. But throughout, he remained a Cistercian monk who longed to reform monastic life, aspired somehow to be a public hermit, and focused unwaveringly on the central importance of contemplative prayer and renewal. Because he was so multifaceted and so widely known and admired, Merton still attracts attention and praise—even the very public praise of Pope Francis speaking before the US Congress in September 2015. And because Merton was so malleable, he has been portrayed by others in many different ways: as an exemplar, a heretic, a confused man, a deeply committed monk, and a representative of all that was beginning to happen in the wake of Vatican II.1 And because, more than most humans, he lived in so many dimensions, it is difficult to write about him. The views and values—even the life experiences—of anyone who attempts to evaluate the contributions of Thomas Merton soon become apparent. Thus it is with some hesitation that I offer here my reading of Merton’s dialogic engagement with Buddhism. I speak from the perspective of a Christian who has long been committed to that endeavor and who, through the convergence of many causes and conditions, has become schooled in the history and doctrine of Buddhism. When asked, I often identify myself as a Mahāyāna Christian. By that I mean that I live and think my Gospel faith in terms of Mahāyāna philosophy rather than the archaic metaphysical patterns of Greek theology, and as a result I have come to what I believe is a more modest and contextual theology of faith. Through my years of study and work in Japan and the United States, my perspective has been honed and enriched through lively and wide-ranging discussions with Buddhist scholars and practitioners, and indeed with mentors and colleagues of many persuasions. By the karmic happenstance of now residing in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, I am not presently in direct, personal dialogue with Buddhists; my engagement today is primarily with Buddhist texts and philosophies and my own ponderings on how those may aid us in the tasks of enunciating the Christian faith. When I pray, I do so in the name of Jesus. Beginning with the 1948 publication of his bestselling autobiographical work The Seven Storey Mountain, Thomas Merton inspired countless people through his