by Deirdre Collings

Ordinary Mind continues with its series on the different traditions of Buddhist thought and practice. This issue explores Buddhism in a comparative context, with articles on Buddhist and Christian monasticism, comparative theology, the psychology of religion, the psychology of mind and the difference between faith and academic styles of thought. What all these articles have in common is the attempt to analyse or compare traditional Buddhist approaches with western understandings of mind and the spiritual path. While such dialogues have been gaining momentum throughout this century - particularly in the last two decades - they are still in relatively early stages of development. Early luminaries in the Buddhist Christian dialogue were Catholic priests such as Thomas Merton, David Snellgrove and Heinrich Dumoulin, all of whom wrote about Buddhism without reserve whilst still retaining their own religious beliefs. Notable ambassadors from the east have been D. T. Suzuki, Thich Nhat Hanh and His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. The expanding interest in psychoanalytic thought and Buddhist psychology has also burgeoned in the past few decades, with conferences and cross-disciplinary studies beginning to enrich our understanding of both approaches. Even the manner in which Buddhism is studied has become the subject of scrutiny by western intellectuals, forging the beginning of a discourse about ways of knowing and belief.

Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche and Dr Eric Ryan begin with a theological dialogue about reality, which compares the Buddhist notion of emptiness and the Christian conception of God. Dr Nicholas Coleman is concerned with the religious search for meaning in life, providing a stimulating discussion about the salvific significance of religion. He challenges the reader to regard our existential condition as deeply concerned with transcending the world of space and time in order to reconnect with some inherent spiritual reality. Dr William Johnston delves into the emergent field of Psychology of Religion, which has grown out of the psychoanalytic tradition of Sigmund Freud. He examines the Freudian formulation of the 'illusion-processing' aspect of mind and the possible implications this may have for spirituality and the meditative process. Christina Fox reviews a recent book from the Gethsemani Encounter; a dialogue initiated by the Dalai Lama between Buddhist and Christian monastics in 1996. Professor Guy Claxton brings his lively intellect and personal training in both the psychological and spiritual traditions to bear on how we formulate our experiences of reality and the spiritual path. He argues that the construction of meaning should always be open to critical assessment, while still leaving room for mysteries that suffer from too much intellectualising. Professor Jay Garfield discusses the hermeneutical problems of Buddhist philosophy and challenges the reader to reflect upon the uncritical ways in which we often assimilate knowledge.

This issue's Forum features a dialogue between a Buddhist monk and a Cistercian priest, whose deep involvement in their respective traditions provides a deeply reflective insight into the monastic path. Other regular features include an interview with David Templeman, local historian and co-curator of the recent Buddhist exhibition in NSW, a review of Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche's book The Essence of Buddhism, interviews with local Buddhists on Millenarianism and a number of short book reviews by Dr John Powers from the Australian National University.

We hope that this collection of reflections on Buddhist and western traditions of philosophical, psychological and religious thought stimulates your interest in the enrichment that lies in ongoing and open dialogue about the human condition.