Buddhist-Christian Colloquium in Bangkok: seven verbs to heal wounded humanity together
In Thailand, 150 delegates attended the meeting promoted by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue together with some important Buddhist organisations. The colloquium focused on the ways of compassion (Karuṇā) and charity (Agape) to bring hope in today's context. The next event is set for 2025 in Cambodia.
Bangkok (AsiaNews) – The Seventh Buddhist-Christian Colloquium ended today. The four-day event was held at the Baan Phu Waan Center in Bangkok on the theme "Karuṇā and Agape in dialogue for the healing of a wounded humanity and the earth”.
In the colloquium’s final statement, participants write: “Yet, in these troubled times, we refuse to give in to despair, for we strongly believe that in the midst of dark clouds, those who are deeply rooted in their respective religious traditions and willing to work together with everyone can bring a ray of hope to a desperate humanity.”
The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue organised the meeting with Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Mahamakut Buddhist University, Chinese Buddhist Order of Sangha in Thailand, Wat Phra Chetuphon, the Sirivadhanabhakdi Foundation, and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand
About 150 Buddhists and Christians came together from Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the Holy See, as well as a representative of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.
Local authorities and representatives of other religions present in Thailand, such as Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism, also attended the inaugural session.
Starting from the look at the meeting points between the Buddhist value of compassion (Karuṇā) and the Christian idea of charity (Agape), participants accepted the need to address the challenges that humanity is facing today.
"We recognize that both Buddhism and Christianity share a deep commitment to the well-being of humanity and the Earth,” said Card Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. “We are aware that our world is wounded in many ways – socially, economically, ecologically – and it demands to be healed. In this shared recognition of our collective responsibility, we find common ground that transcends religious boundaries."
“As Buddhists and Christians, we see the Buddha and Jesus as Great Healers,” reads the final statement. “The Buddha pointed to greed and Jesus to sin as the cause of suffering. On many levels, Jesus and the Buddha proposed love and compassion as medicine to drive out the darkness in the human heart and the world. Nourished by their respective spiritual teachings, Buddhists and Christians, for thousands of years, have adopted compassionate ways of living to address the suffering of life.”
Given this, the final statement picks seven verbs to inspire joint action: acknowledge that we all belong to one human family; dialogue to prevent violence and heal both the victim and the perpetrator; cultivate empathy for the suffering of others and the environment; innovate in order to ensure that the spiritual patrimony of one's own religious traditions speaks to today's wounded humanity; educate especially the little ones to encounter the other; pray to purify hearts and minds.
At the end of the colloquium, participants also made the symbolic gesture of planting two trees: a ratchaphruek, the symbolic tree of Thailand, and a payung plant, which in the Thai language means "to support".
Finally, it was decided that the Eighth Buddhist-Christian Colloquium will be held in 2025 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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