God Is in the Gaps

Abstract

The following work is designed as a playful exercise, or intellectual meditation, in Buddho-Christian imaginal theology. While playful, however, takes very seriously what Peter Berger has referred as the contestation between Jerusalem and Benares, or between the religions of the West and the religions of the East. 1 As Berger explains, this new contestation means an open-minded encounter with other religious possibilities on the level of their truth claims. To truly enter is to be prepared change one's own view of reality. Moreover, once entered, it is unlikely that its participants will remain unchanged. Quite personally, and I think for a lot of us, this contestation is located at the intersection of Christianity and Buddhism-especially the Buddhism of the Far East. Even more personally and specifically, is located at a point where the Buddhist paradigm functions as the controlling image within a Christian symbol system, and there are no longer two religions but rather-for lack of a clearer description-Buddho-Christianity. This location underlines Berger's further point that the new contestation is not merely two religions standing in mutual appreciation. As he says: