The Dialogue of Spiritual Experience in Buddhist-Christian Encounter
Journal of Global Catholicism July 1, 2026 S Mark Heim
Engaging with Buddhist meditative practices of emptiness can deepen a Christian understanding of what it means to be a creature. Three forms of Buddhist introspection are examined: analytical awareness of consciousness as empty of essences, real-time application of antidotes to reified projections, and nondual awareness of emptiness without a subject (nirvanic realization). The first form reveals a shared recognition that neither creatures (in Christianity) nor selves (in Buddhism) have essential being. The second shows a convergence between the Christian sinful creature and the Buddhist falsely projected self, offering practical therapeutic emptiness. The third suggests a resonance between Buddhist nondual emptiness and Christian apophatic or kenotic openness to divine indwelling, though not fully explored.