The Intra-Religious Dialogue Theory of Raimon Panikkar: Using Zhang Chunyi as an Illustration

The Intra-Religious Dialogue Theory of Raimon Panikkar: Using Zhang Chunyi as an Illustration

Yuen-tai SO

This paper introduces the intra-religious dialogue theory of Raimon Panikkar. Panikkar thinks that religious dialogue should be an intra-religious dialogue on all levels. An intra-religious dialogue is not a kind of dialectical dialogue, treating the other party as an it; instead, an intra-religious dialogue is a dialogical dialogue, treating the other party as a Thou. Panikkar argues that religious people should encounter each other not on the essential level but on the existential level. This means that the faith and belief of different religions should join together totally in the hearts of the participants. One of the important consequences of Panikkar's theory is that since the participants have to understand other religious persons on all possible dimensions, including reason, experience, feeling etc., there is a possibility that the participants may change their belief. As Panikkar said,”…to understand is to be converted to the truth one understands.”

The author finds that when Panikkar's theory is applied to the Chinese Buddhist-Christian dialogue scholar Zhang Chunyi, it appears to hold true. This paper also explores the religious biography of Zhang, showing that Zhang changed from a Christian to a Buddhist after more than ten years of intra-religious dialogues. This shows that Panikkar's theory is a useful interpretative framework for analyzing the thought of religious dialogue participants. Finally, the author emphasizes that although Panikkar's theory is valid for those holding a pluralistic position with regard to religion, it may not be equally valid for others, especially exclusivists. This means that Panikkar's theory has a qualified applicability.