Healing Deconstruction: Postmodern Thought In Buddhism And Christianity (american Academy Of Religion Reflection And Theory In The Study Of Religion, No. 03)

HEALING DECONSTRUCTION AAR American Academy of Religion Reflection an d Theory in the Stud y o f Religion Editor David E. Klemm Number 03 HEALING DECONSTRUCTIO N Postmodern Thought in Buddhism and Christianity edited by David Loy HEALING DECONSTRUCTION Postmodern Thought in Buddhism an d Christianit y edited by David Loy Scholars Press Atlanta, Georgia HEALING DECONSTRUCTIO N Postmodern Thought in Buddhism and Christianity edited by David Loy © 199 6 The American Academ y of Religion Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Healing deconstructio n : postmoder n though t i n Buddhism an d Christianity / edite d b y David Loy. p. cm . — (AA R reflection and theor y in the stud y of religion ; no. 03) Papers originally presente d a t the fourth International Buddhist Christian Dialogue Conferenc e held a t Bosto n University, July—Aug . 1992. ISBN 0-7885-0121- 6 (clot h : alk . paper) . —ISB N 0-7885-0122- 4 (pbk. : alk . paper ) 1. Postmodernism—Religious aspects—Christianity—Congresses . 2. Postmodernism—Religious aspects—Buddhism—Congresses . 3. Christianity and other religions—Buddhism—Congresses. 4. Buddhism—Relations—Christianity—Congresses. 5 . Derrida, Jacques—Congresses. 6 . Deconstruction—Congresses. I . Loy , David, 1947 - . II . Internationa l Buddhist-Christia n Dialogu e Conference (4t h : 199 2 : Bosto n University) III . Series . BR128.B8H35 199 6 230'.046—dc20 96-692 CIP Printed i n the Unite d States of America on acid-free naner 1 CONTENTS Introduction David Loy 1 Idolatry an d Inheren t Existence THE GOLDEN CAL F AND TH E WOODEN BUDDH A Roger Corles s 1 1 Dead Words, Living Words, and Healing Words THE DISSEMINATIONS O F DOGEN AN D ECKHAR T David Loy 3 3 Sky-dancing a t the Boundaries of Western Thought FEMINIST THEOR Y AND TH E LIMITS OF DECONSTRUCTIO N Philippa Berr y 5 3 Mindfulness o f the Selve s THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION S IN A TIME O F DIS-SOLUTIO N Morny Joy 7 1 In No Wise is Healing Holistic A DECONSTRUCTIV E ALTERNATIV E TO MASAO ABE'S "KENOTIC GO D AND DYNAMI C SUNYATA" Robert Magliol a 9 Notes o n Contributors 11 9 9 This page intentionally left blank Introduction DAVID LOY The boo k yo u hol d i n you r hand s i s a confluenc e o f tw o contemporary developments , bot h wit h importan t implication s fo r religious thought . One is Buddhist-Christian dialogue, which has grown to become perhaps th e mos t fruitfu l o f many interreligious encounter s today. In the 1980' s a series of three conferences brought together a core group of scholars and practitioner s who decide d to form th e Society for Buddhist-Christian Studie s i n 1987 ; on e o f th e contributor s t o thi s volume, Roge r Corless, was a founding member of that Society. Earlier versions o f thes e paper s (wit h th e exceptio n o f Morn y Joy's ) wer e presented a t th e Fourt h Internationa l Buddhist-Christia n Dialogu e Conference, hel d a t Boston University July-August 1992 and jointl y cosponsored b y the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies an d th e Boston Theological Institute. One re