ABSTRACT
Thich Nhat Hanh has been described by Richard Baker-roshi, an American Zen Buddhist leader, as "a cross between a cloud, a snail, and a piece of heavy machinery—a true religious presence". After later developing friendships with devout Christians, however, Nhat Hanh came to appreciate the Christian tradition and developed his inclusivistic stance. Nhat Hanh employs famous Buddhist parables to convey experientialism. Nhat Hanh's experientialism definitely moves in the direction of common core theory, which shapes his style of inclusivism. Nhat Hanh explains the core with only the vaguest terms, a notorious problem of common core theorists. The subject, Masao Abe, recognizes differences better than Nhat Hanh does, and thus finds his method of handling plurality far superior to Nhat Hanh's. Although he occasionally exhibits some of the single-end thinking the author saw with Nhat Hanh, more often he acknowledges significant differences and ranks religions hierarchically.
