Serene Compassion A Christian Appreciation of Buddhist Holiness

In Serene Compassion, John and Denise Carmody provide an accessibleoverview and evaluation of Buddhist thought and practice from a Christian pointof view. The Carmodys focus on Buddhist ideas about holiness--comprising suchvirtues as purity, devotion, orderliness, compassion, and wholeheartedness--andhow they compare to similar values in traditional Christianity. They emphasizethe experiential kinship between seekers of holiness in both traditions, andoffer a nuanced and sympathetic portrait of meditative practices that bringattention and imagination into the service of spiritual life. At the same time,they are frank about matters of doctrinal disagreement, making it clear thatsome aspects of Buddhist thought are not compatible with a classicalworldview.

John Tully Carmody was Senior Research Fellow in Religion at Santa Clara University.