Buddhavacana and Dei Verbum: A Phenomenological and Theological Comparison of Scriptural Inspiration in the Saddharmapun d arika Sutra and in the Christian Tradition

Challenged by the teaching of Vatican II about the seeds of the Word in non-Christian religions, this book investigates the sacred character of the Saddharmapun d arika Sutra and its relation to the fundamental theological category of scriptural inspiration. In applying the methods of modern exegesis, the Sutra in its ingenious composition is disclosed as a religious drama about the inspirational experience of the Buddha. The draft of a theology of inspiration along the guide lines of the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum of Vatican II elaborates a ‘christology of the Word’ as its core, which allows an extension of inspiration in analogical manner to non-Biblical scriptures. The contrast of Christ, the Word incarnate , and Buddha, the Inspired One , offers a new contribution to an inter- religious dialogue.