I believe… that a very sizable number of adherents of every major world faith will agree that critical thinking and an openness to new ideas and problems are crucial for the health and continued growth of any religion. In the end, perhaps this is the highest expression of the humility so greatly valued in both Christian and Buddhist monastic rules: As any religion can be seen as ultimately more a means to the truth than an end, and as the nature of that truth might very well be more universal than any of us suspects, we cannot claim that our own religion is right while others are wrong. On the contrary, I feel that religions have much to learn from each other. In its formative years, Chinese Buddhism absorbed a great deal from the surrounding beliefs of Taoism and Confucianism, and Buddhism grew immeasurably more profound from the experience. I have every confidence that Buddhism and Christianity can learn to share their beliefs in much the same way, and both sides will undoubtedly emerge all the richer for it.
The Venerable Yifa writing in Benedict’s Dharma: Buddhist Reflect on the Rule of Saint Benedict
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