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N THIS ISSUE WE ARE PRIVILEGED TO PUBLISH REm ECTIONS BY &R 0IERRE &RAN½OIS DE "£THUNE A "ELGIAN "ENEDICTINE MONK WHO HEADS A WORLD WIDE ORGANIZATION OF MONASTICS INTERESTED IN INTERFAITH ENCOUNTER &R DE "£THUNE S EXPERIENCES AND DISCOVERIES MAKE IT PLAIN THAT UNDERSTAND ING AND RECONCILIATION BETWEEN RELIGIONS IS INDEED POSSIBLEˆTHOUGH AS HE SAYS IT WILL NOT BE EASY (E CALLS HIS METHOD hSACRED HOSPITALITYv BECAUSE IT IS MODELED ON THE TRADITIONAL PRACTICE OF THE UNCONDITIONAL WELCOME OF STRANGERS INTO ONE S HOUSE AND THE EQUALLY IMPORTANT CONVERSE OF ONESELF ACCEPTING WELCOME EXTENDED BY STRANGERS )N BOTH THE GIVING AND THE RECEIVING OF HOSPITABLE WELCOME &R DE "£THUNE EXPLAINS WE ARE NECESSARILY VULNERABLE AND IT IS THIS VERY VULNER ABILITY THAT ALLOWS US TO EXPERIENCE A CHANGE OF HEART )N THE CONTEXT OF INTERRELIGIOUS ENCOUNTER HE WRITES VERBAL EXCHANGES THOUGH NECESSARY ARE NOT SUFl CIENT -EMBERS OF HIS -ONASTIC )NTERRELIGIOUS $IALOGUE VISIT PRACTITIONERS OF OTHER FAITHS JOIN IN THEIR SERVICES EAT WITH THEM PRAY WITH THEM !ND SUBSEQUENTLY THESE VISITORS BECOME HOSTS AND WELCOME THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN THEIR TURN ! CHANGE OF HEART CAN BE BROUGHT ABOUT BY SUCH EXPERIENCES IN THAT WHAT WAS STRANGE IS NOW DEMYSTIl ED AND WHAT WAS MISTRUSTED IS NOW REGARDED WITH SYMPATHETIC UNDERSTANDING "UT ALL THIS DOES NOT LEAD TO CONVERSION TO ANOTHER RELIGION 2ATHER THE REVERSE IT STRENGTHENS ONE S OWN FAITH AND DEEPENS ONE S OWN PRACTICE &R DE "£THUNE S REm ECTIONS ON SPIRITUAL HOSPITALITY ARE PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE FOR THIS JOURNAL 2ELIGION %AST 7ESTT IS A PUBLICATION OF THE )NSTITUTE FOR 7ORLD 2ELIGIONS WHOSE FOUNDER THE LATE 6EN "UDDHIST -ASTER (SÓAN (UA WAS A DEVOTED PRACTITIONER OF INTERRELIGIOUS HOSPITALITY (E OFTEN SPONSORED INTERFAITH GATHERINGS AND FOR EXAMPLE INVITED VISITING #ATHOLIC PRIESTS TO CELEBRATE -ASS IN THE "UDDHA (ALLS OF THE MONASTERIES OF WHICH T HE WAS ABBOT 2ELIGION %AST 7EST CARRIES ON THIS SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY BY WELCOMING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AUTHORS FROM ALL SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS 4HE JOURNAL AIMS TO BE A SACRED SPACE AT LEAST IN THE REALM OF WORDS IN WHICH READERS CAN VISIT OTHER FAITHS CAN CONSIDER UNFAMILIAR THOUGHTS AND LIVES WITH RESPECT AND SYMPATHY AND CAN THEREBY EXPERIENCE A CHANGE OF HEART &OLLOWING &R DE "£THUNE S ESSAY IN THIS ISSUE ARE TWO ARTICLES THAT COMPLEMENT HIS REm ECTIONS /NE DESCRIBES THE TRADITION OF HOSPITALITY IN )SLAM ANOTHER APPLIES THE CONCEPT OF SACRED HOSPITALITY TO THE WORK OF A HOSPITAL CHAPLAIN .EXT READERS ARE WELCOMED INTO THREE SPIRITUAL LIVES AS THE AUTHORS GIVE ACCOUNTS OF RELIGION LIVED AT THE SAME THAT IT IS OBSERVED 7E OFFER THESE ACCOUNTS HERE IN THE BELIEF THAT INTERRELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING IS FURTHERED BY THE SCHOLARLY INVESTIGATION OF COMPARATIVE SPIRITUAL PRACTICE >HHJ: D8ID7:G
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4WO TRADITIONS OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE ARE THEN DESCRIBED l RST THE PRACTICE NGAMA 3UTRA A OF RETURNING THE ATTENTION INWARD AS SET FORTH IN THE 3| URA "UDDHIST SCRIPTURE IMPORTANT IN THE -AHAYANA TRADITION BUT LITTLE KNOWN IN THE 7EST 3ECOND THE READER IS INTRODUCED TO THE hPRACTICE OF THE PRES ENCE OF 'OD v AS IT WAS DEVELOPED BY THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY &RENCH ADEPT "ROTHER ,AWRENCE OF THE 2ESURRECTION #ONTINUING THE THEME OF LAST YEAR S ISSUEˆTHE NATURE OF THE SELFˆWE CONCLUDE WITH A CONTRAST BETWEEN THE #ONFUCIAN DOCTRINE OF THE SELF AS DEl NED BY SOCIAL ROLES AND THE #ARTESIAN THEORY OF THE SELF AS VERIl ED BY THE INDIVIDUAL CONSCIOUSNESS ˆ$AVID 2OUNDS
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