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My Engagements With World Religions: Buddhism Part III

My Engagements With World Religions: Buddhism Part III

Last updated on: February 25, 2026 at 3:31 am by Henry Karlson

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My Engagements With World Religions: Buddhism Part III 2026-02-25T03:31:30-05:00 Henry Karlson

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Japanese Statue of the Bodhisattva Asaṅga. Photo: 日本語: 運慶, 写真：藤本四八(1911, 飯田　-　2006、小樽)English: sculptor: UNKEI, 13th century, photo: Shihachi Fujimoto(family name)), (1911, IIDA,NAGANO, Japan – 2006,Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan ) a renowned Japanese photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

When I moved to the Washington, DC, area, I continued reading as much as I could from Buddhist sources, but now, I included much more secondary literature. I started making connections between various elements of Buddhist thought, especially from those I was most interested in, with ideas stated by various patristic writers. For example, I saw St. Maximos the Confessor, and his description of a pleasure-pain cycle in the human condition that leads to our perdition, as being similar to what is taught in Buddhism through the Four Noble Truths. This led me to consider the possibility that Christ’s death and resurrection, in a general sense, reflected aspects of the Four Noble Truths (in the way Christ fulfills the expectations of all nations). I thought that Christ on the cross could be connected with the first two truths (life is suffering, and it is suffering as a result of what we have done); then I considered his resurrection and ascension and how they reflected the other two truths, that is, with his resurrection we are shown it is possible to transcend the suffering we created (as a result of sin), and his ascension was, in a way, the path set up for us to follow to attain our own liberation. As there are many details, or differences, in the way various Buddhist traditions explained the Four Noble Truths, I thought I was justified with my own Christian approach to them (so long as I realized, and made clear, what I was doing, following the methodology of good comparative theology). I considered exploring these themes in greater detail, but I was told by an advisor to wait and find something else to write upon (in part, because he did not understand the connections I was making). Then, as I read more Buddhist literature, I became fascinated with the concept of the icchantika (the “desiring one,” that is, one who is said to be stuck in saṃsāra, unable to ever attain nirvana).

Many, if not most people, assume Buddhism is a universalistic faith, that it not only teaches anyone can attain nirvana, eventually everyone will. However, the notion of the icchantika, of one who is damned to infinitely wander through saṃsāra (and, in some forms, only in the hell realms), is explored and commented upon in many schools of Buddhist thought, especially Yogācāra Buddhism. I wanted to understand this category further, to understand how a belief system which is universalistic and encourages its followers to become bodhisattvas working for the salvation of all, could suggest there is someone who could never attain nirvana. Exploring the concept, I found, as should not be surprising, it was extremely controversial, with many turning it into a temporary status, and others suggesting that a person, by themselves, might be an icchantika, but a Buddha could give them the seed of enlightenment, overcoming their condition, so that eventually, everyone could truly be “saved.” Some, however, took the notion seriously, and among them, I found were those writing at the earliest stages of the development of Yogācāra Buddhism (later forms, such as found in China, would question the status of the icchantika, and use various sutras to suggest it is only a temporary category of being). I was especially interested in the way Asaṅga dealt with the category; sadly, the more I read through his writings (and commentaries on them), I found that he did indeed make room for the category of icchantika, and he always made sure his readers knew they existed, but he did not present them and how someone could become an icchantika in a comprehensive or systematic fashion. I had to extrapolate from what he said about them, and other classifications that a person could be found to possess (gotras), to discern a way that someone would have to act to become an icchantika. It appears that everyone began with the seed of enlightenment and the potential to follow any of the gotras (families or types of followers of the Buddha), but slowly, over time, the various potentials could be eliminated by one’s actions, until, at last, they would all be annihilated, leaving the person agotra and stuck in saṃsāra. Studying this gave me greater insight to the kind of process necessary to understand why someone might end up suffering eternal perdition; perdition itself is not entirely about any particular sin (though it is connected to sin, as sin creates its own punishment), but about the will to sin, and the person who constantly wills to sin (even after being giving the opportunity and means to change) will constantly suffer the punishments their actions create for them. Hell is the state of constant suffering experienced by the one who constantly acts in such a way to never let go of their sin but to reaffirm it. Hans Urs von Balthasar gave me further insight into this in the way he said that in the eschatological judgment, everyone is given the chance to repent of their sins and cast them upon Christ, and in this way, change their ways, thanks to the mercy Christ offers them at the judgment. If they do, the judgment and suffering will come to an end, and what they experienced is the equivalent to purgatory, but if they never do so, then they can be said to be among the damned as they find Christ continuing to judge their sin and ask them to change their ways.

As I was exploring the concept of the icchantika, and how it could relate to Christian thought, I took an intensive summer session in Sanskrit at Madison, Wisconsin. While there, I was told of an opportunity to teach an introduction to Buddhism course at Georgetown (because the professor who normally taught it was going on sabbatical). I applied for the position, was given an interview over the phone, and was chosen to be the one who taught it. I was given two sections to teach in the fall semester, and during that time, I was asked if I wanted to teach another Buddhist-themed course in the Spring. I was told I could choose what I wanted to teach. While I considered offering a class on Yogācāra Buddhism, I decided to teach a class on Buddhist-Christian dialogue. Teaching these classes made sure I explored, even more, various schools of Buddhist thought in more detail than I had done before. They also taught me how to find simple ways to explain difficult Buddhist concepts (such as śūnyatā), something which I needed to do for those who took my Buddhist- Christian Dialogue class without much knowledge or understanding of Buddhism.

After exploring the icchantikas and teaching classes on Buddhism and Buddhist-Christian dialogue, I have found myself reading more texts from many other types of Buddhism (especially through the texts found in the The BDK English Tripiṭaka Project). While Yogācāra remains the most influential school of thought in my writings, I have found elements of Pure Land Buddhism and Vajrayāna, “tantric” Buddhism, very interesting. And, despite the way I have found many other areas of study requiring more of my focus, like Liberation Theology, I make sure I continue, in some way, to engage Buddhism in my theological and spiritual reflections. I have found it vital for Christian theological exploration (even of the comparative kind) to have practical elements to them, that is, to promote a praxis with them. Interestingly enough, Buddhism, especially in the West, has also had such an awakening, in part, because of its contact with Christianity, leading to the creation of “Engaged Buddhism,” a form which explains that proper Buddhist practice cannot ignore issues of justice. Engaged Buddhism can be and is embraced by Buddhists of many schools of thought, as it deals more with the moral (śīla) teachings they have in common than the doctrinal differences they hold. I have found Engaged Buddhism to be interesting and helpful, reinforcing need I have to deal with proper praxis and social justice in my own writings. And while this is important, I still find myself to be interested in spirituality, in metaphysics, and dogmatic questions, and as such, though I find myself having to deal with practical concerns, I still find myself interested in the theoria and how Christianity and Buddhism can complement each other when dealing with it.

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N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.

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