Karma Lekshe Tsomo, born Christian but who adopted Buddhism for its philosophy of cognition, writes about the encounter with Buddhism which lays bare the meaning of dukkha or suffering, in a profoundly moving way and revitalises the definition of Buddhism as “transformation disguised as information”.
Sandhya Jain’s discussion of ritual fasting to death infuses life into the understanding of Jainism and sheds light on the tradition’s ties to the Indic religious tradition.
Kartar Singh Duggal’s portrayal of Sikhism is rivetting in that his marriage to a Muslim often viewed as the ‘other’ in Sikh history, is an autobiographical antidote to the historical and infuses history with humanity.
Vincent Shem indicates how a system like Confucianism, in which the personal is the political, casts a spiritual spell.
Bede Bidlack, in his chapter on Taoism, tells us of his magic journey from the mountains of China to the valleys of California.
Jacob Neusner’s chapter on Judaism conveys some of the passion of that traditional search for meaning in history.
Harvey Cose provides a glimpse of how the literal meaning of philosophy – love of wisdom – is transmuted by Christianity into the wisdom of love.
Amir Hussain narrates how his own life incarnates the dialogical possibilities of Islam in relation to Christianity.
The central question that the book addresses is what keeps one believing in one’s religion in a world pulsating with religious pluralism. While celebrating their own faiths, the scholars appreciate how encounters with other traditions have enriched their beliefs. Their contributions affirm that a plural perspective is the alternative and is the path to the meaningful pursuit of religion in our troubled times, says the author.
(Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11, Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110 017.)
