The Ground We Share: Everyday Practice, Buddhist and Christian [Paperback]

Robert Aitken (Author), David Steindl-Rast (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 1996

These dialogues between Robert Aitken Roshi, one of the first American-born Zen masters, and Brother David Steindl-Rast, the Roman Catholic monk and hermit, took place during a week-long retreat the two old friends undertook in 1991 in a remote part of the island of Hawaii. Their aim was to approach the dialogue between Buddhism and Christianity in a fresh way, one that takes as its starting point a comparison of the personal experiences of the dialoguers—as a Buddhist and as a Christian, respectively—rather than abstract concepts. The result is the discovery of a surprising amount of common ground—the kind of shared experience that forms a solid foundation for further dialogue.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This is a lovely, engaging, insightful conversation between two important contemporary spiritual teachers and practitioners, one (Aitken) an American-born Zen master and the other (Steindl-Rast) a Benedictine monk. The conversation is drawn from a week-long retreat that Aitken and Steindl-Rast shared in Hawaii in 1991. They agree quickly to focus on "everyday practice" rather than on abstract conceptions of Buddhism and Christianity. The result is not a formal contribution to the growing body of Buddhist-Christian dialogue so much as an illuminating and multifaceted exploration of common ground--the sacred heart that beats at the center of a world shared by Christians and Buddhists. This volume offers a rare opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation between compassionate believers comfortable with their differences, fully engaged with each other, and fully engaged in the world. Steve Schroeder

Review

"This is a lovely, engaging, insightful conversation between two important contemporary spiritual teachers and practitioners, one (Aitken) an American-born Zen master and the other (Steindl-Rast) a Benedictine monk. The conversation is drawn from a week-long retreat that Aitkin and Steindl-Rast shared in Hawaii in 1991. They agree quickly to focus on 'everyday practice' rather than on abstract conceptions of Buddhism and Christianity. The result is not a formal contribution to the growing body of Buddhist-Christian dialogue so much as an illuminating and multifaceted exploration of common ground—the sacred heart that beats at the center of a world shared by Christians and Buddhists. This volume offers a rare opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation between compassionate believers comfortable with their differences, fully engaged with each other, and fully engaged in the world."—Steve Schroeder, Booklist



"This book is important, not because it advances any broad ecumenical agendas, but because Buddhism has become an important element in the American intellectual landscpae, and most 'New World' Buddhist practitioners have their roots in either the Jewish or the Christian tradition. The Ground We Share is valuable proof that equanimity and honesty must form the common ground of dialogue."—Scott Whitney, Parabola

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (June 18, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570622191
• ISBN-13: 978-1570622199
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #603,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jesus & Buddha Play a Polite Game of Chess (revised review), December 7, 2000

By 

Big Hominid "bighominid" (Seoul, Korea) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Ground We Share: Everyday Practice, Buddhist and Christian (Paperback)

Despite its virtues, The Ground We Share is by no means a pioneering or revolutionary work in the area of serious interreligious dialogue. The book is an edited transcript of a week-long retreat that took place in Hawaii, during which Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, and Robert Aitken-roshi, a Western Zen master, sat down and chewed the religious fat in front of a tape recorder during the early 1990s. It is informative more in the sense that we are privy to an actual verbal dialogue between men of different faiths than in the sense that something revolutionary is happening. (Buddhist-Christian dialogue is not a new field.)

The overarching theme of the discussion was practice, but within that framework the topics ranged from sexuality to student-teacher relationships to everyday morality to philosophy.

Disappointments first: the preface informs us that the morsels of dialogue are no longer in their original order, but were edited with an eye toward subject coherence. It might have been more interesting had the original spontaneity and choppiness of the dialogue been preserved. The book in its present state feels somewhat stilted.

Brother David also proves disappointing in two respects: first, because he has studied Zen under some of the same masters who taught Aitken-roshi, he does not approach the dialogue with a recognizably traditional Christian theology. He happily agrees with most or all of what Aitken-roshi says because he has found his own way of interpreting Christianity in a manner friendly to Zen. While this is laudable in and of itself, it makes for a dialogue between two polite fellows who agree too readily on all topics. I have never read a more conflict-free book, and I wonder to what extent such a book would benefit those Christians whose theological proclivities are more middle-of-the-road than Brother David's.

Brother David's other fault is his volubility. An Austrian by birth, Brother David has carried over into English the germanophonic tendency to speak in long, exhaustive paragraphs. The transcript is dominated by his lengthy discourses, making Aitken-roshi sound at times either meek or uninterested.

The dialogue is occasionally reminiscent of the story of the Zen master who was hosting a philosophy professor. The professor, in an attempt to impress the master, began expounding almost as soon as he entered the master's dwelling. The master, saying nothing, began pouring tea into the professor's cup. As the professor talked, the master continued pouring until the cup began to overflow. Startled, the professor cried, "Stop! No more will go in!", at which point the master said, "So it is with you. If you wish to learn something, first you must empty your cup." Brother David is obviously a learned, well-traveled individual, but I was left with the impression that his cup was full.

Despite these faults, the book is excellent as a study of how decent, civil interreligious dialogue could and should take place. It wasn't exactly a dialogue between equals (the more taciturn Aitken-roshi ends up making the deeper impression), but it produced a clutch of insights worth dwelling upon. For those looking to round out their Zen-Christian reading, I would heartily recommend this book, which also includes a fabulous list of references in the back.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a few insights for the non-christian, April 9, 2005

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Joseph A. Ostos "buddhuchile" (Seattle, Wa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ground We Share: Everyday Practice, Buddhist and Christian (Paperback)

The polite game of chess review, described the book very well, and I do agree I wish they had kept the original order. But I would also like to point out that I was intrigued by a few points Brother Steindl-Rast had on Christian theology. Since reading it I have been searching for other sources that would expand on the views he expressed. One that intrigued me is the idea that the crucifiction needs to be seen as more than just a legalistic transer (i.e. my blood for your sins). Many points he made I'd never before heard but they made sense (at least to me) but I was annoyed that he wasn't able to go more in depth. I was left wanting a book on theology by Brother David Steindl-Rast, I've read Listening Heart but he doesn't get into much theology, more philosophy. Of course he has other books, and other authors do exist, so hopefully, eventually I'll find what I'm looking for.