ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book represents an investigation of whether being both Buddhist and Christian makes sense in terms of both Buddhist and Christian belief. It also represents the contributions made to a live act of Buddhist-Christian dialogue centred on the question of dual belonging, which took place at a two-day symposium held at Bristol University in June 2014. The book argues that the doctrinal issues that tend to dominate interreligious dialogue and the discussion of dual belonging are only part of the issue. Missing from this discussion is the understanding, more common amongst ritual scholars and liturgical theologians, that religion is not primarily a worldview, but should rather be understood as symbolic practice revolving around strongly incarnated meanings. The confessional arguments are specific to Buddhist-Christian dual belonging: different arguments would have to be mustered against say Islamic-Jewish or Confucian-Hindu dual belonging.
