Religious epistemology through Schillebeeckx and Tibetan Buddhism : reimagining authority amidst modern uncertainty / Jason VonWachenfeldt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

VonWachenfeldt, Jason, author.

Series:

T&T Clark studies in Edward Schillebeeckx

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Schillebeeckx, Edward, 1914-2009.

Schillebeeckx, Edward.

Dge-ʼdun-chos-ʼphel, A-mdo, 1903-1951.

Dge-ʼdun-chos-ʼphel.

Catholic Church--Relations--Buddhism.

Catholic Church.

Knowledge, Theory of (Religion).

Religions.

Buddhism--Relations--Catholic Church.

Buddhism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (264 pages).

Edition:

First edition.

Distribution:

[London, England] : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020

Place of Publication:

London ; T&T Clark, 2020.

Summary:

"This study investigates how a comparison between the Catholic theologian Edward Schillebeeckx's controversial reading of Thomist philosophy and the Tibetan Buddhist Gendun Chopel's challenge to the standard Geluk teaching of Tsongkhapa's Madhyamaka philosophy might assist in rethinking conceptions of religious knowledge. Jason M. VonWachenfeldt shows how Gendun Chopel's Madhyamaka approach to the questions of knowledge in light of cultural conventionality and historical contingency can possibly better inform a Christian theological response to similar questions of modern society. Utilizing a wide variety of methodical approaches to establish an imaginary dialogue between these two thinkers, this comparison remains embodied in the thought and praxis of actual individuals, and yet still firmly embedded within the conversations and trajectories of their broader religious traditions. The final chapter constructively combines and contrasts the insights of both thinkers regarding the knowability of ultimate truth in order to develop new possible approaches to epistemology that assist the contemporary believer in avoiding the problematic nihilism of a purely subjectivist epistemology-which is so rampant in the contemporary "postmodern" milieu-while still always maintaining and sharpening the practitioner's humility towards discourses on metaphysics through the critical eye of a deconstructive apophaticism"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction. The problem of objective "truth" and the threat of relativism for religious practitioners in the modern world

Comparative theology, religious diversity, and the question of ultimate truth

The "bridge concept" and its materials

The histories of individuals, and the context for their ideas

The roles of individual intellect and the collective intelligence of the community in knowledge formation

The role of the historical founders of religious traditions in shaping and conveying

Religious knowledge, meaning, and truth for contemporary believers

The role and authority of personal experience in the apophatic knowledge of ultimate reality

Conclusion. Possible Madhyamaka implications for Catholic theology.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9780567698650

0567698653

9780567698667

0567698661

9780567698643

0567698645

OCLC:

1238133909