Buddism for a Violent World

Buddhism for a Violent World takes the religiously plural world we live n seriously and demonstrates that in-depth encounter with a religion not ur own can lead to challenge and enrichment. Written by a Christian who has drawn deeply from Buddhist spirituality for over 25 years, it ffers a Christian reflection on what Buddhism could offer a disturbed nd fractured world. The author draws on conversations with Buddhists, xperiences in Buddhist countries, most particularly Sri Lanka, where he lived for nearly 8 years, and her academic study. The book's message is that Buddhism has much to offer the world and that we can ll benefit from gaining wisdom from more than one spiritual source.Elizabeth J Harris is Senior Lecturer in the Comparative Study of Religion at Liverpool Hope University in Britain, specializing in Buddhist Studies, and President of the European Network of Buddhist-Christian Studies. From 1996-2007 she was the national Inter Faith Officer for the Methodist Church in Britain.'This is truly an extraordinary book: Elizabeth Harris, a specialist in Buddhist-Christian relations, introduces Buddhism by retelling her own autobiographic journey into Buddhism, deeply interwoven with the violence-shaken recent history of Sri Lanka. This vivid and highly personal account allows the reader to enter imaginatively into the author's own experience and follow her on a contemporary pilgrimage to Buddhist-Christian spirituality. It provides insights into both, the transformative power of Buddhism as well as its limitations. Yet most importantly, it teaches exemplary lessons about the kind of interreligious learning that happens when people of one faith open their heart and mind to the wisdom and practice of the religious other. In that regard, I consider it as normative.'Perry Schmidt-Leukel, University of Münster, Germany'In this splendid book, Dr. Harris manages to accomplish three things. She gives the reader an empathetic insight into the teachings of Buddhism. She also shows that it is possible for Christians to learn from the wisdom of another faith-tradition. She has wise things to tell of Buddhism's teachings about the world's violence and how to overcome it. Do yourself a favour: buy this book and let it enlighten you.'