KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4

Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt

CHEONG Chong-Seong, Ph.D. Professor, New Testament Studies Baeksuk University, South Korea

I. Introduction II. Life and Work of Karl Ludvig Reichelt III. Missionary, Scholar, and Pilgrim IV. Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission V. Conclusion

Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 51 No. 4 (2019. 11), 137-160 DOI: 10.15757/kpjt.2019.51.4.007 138 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4

Abstract

This paper explores a hermeneutical possibility of whether the gospel of Jesus can be properly represented within the framework assumed by the Buddhist worldview, framework that does not require the religious other to assume a Western worldview. Karl Ludvig Reichelt (1877-1952), a Norwegian Lutheran missionary to China, established a Christian monastery Tao Fong Shan ( ) in Hong Kong which was 道風山 radically based on his Johannine hermeneutic, including architecture, outward and inward design, and daily life. It was modelled after Buddhist monasteries to make sense to Buddhists in appearance, worship ceremony, and terminology. His Johannine Approach gave special emphasis to the “Light” and “Logos” for developing Christ’s fulfillment through hidden disposition of teachings in Chinese religions, which was the key to elicit “all-embracing activity of Jesus Christ,” implicitly related to Jesus’ seven “I AM” sayings (egō eimi). Reichelt seriously considered not only the foundational depth of Buddhism as more than superficial and doctrinaire, but also how greater portions of Buddhist culture can be retained and the gospel of Jesus communicated in light of the Buddhist framework. He had a new attitude of courtesy and respect, accommodating to non-Christian religions, arguing that Christianity as the ultimate truth does not intend to destroy anything good or true of native faiths but instead to strengthen and fulfill them as preparation.

Keywords

Karl Reichelt, Hermeneutic, Johannine Approach, Buddhist Mission, Respect and Accommodation Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt DOI: 10.15757/kpjt.2019.51.4.007 139

I. INTRODUCTION*

How can the gospel of Jesus be presented within the framework assumed by the Buddhist worldview (i.e., the Tao, ancestors, Yin-Yang, and divination), framework that does not require the religious other to assume a Western worldview (i.e., monotheism, judgment-reward, history, and ethics)?1 No doubt, such essential and cultural ideas in their worldview serve as foundational prisms and filters through which other religionists understand reality. In general, evangelical missionaries approach their adherents with the mindset that they can persuade local people to merely replace doctrines one for another without recognizing that such central defining elements are not merely doctrinal. To be sure, it is necessary for the evangelical missionaries to move beyond their efforts at making the Buddhists see the world as they do. Then, what about the work of Karl Ludvig Reichelt, a Norwegian Lutheran? In 1919, an American observer described him very interestingly: “He had gone out to change the East and was returning, himself a changed man... The conversion of the missionary by the Far East results in his being not only a missionary but also an internationalist, an intermediary between the two great civilizations that inherit the earth.”2 Described as such a paradoxical figure, Karl Ludvig Reichelt (1877-1952) was one of the increasing numbers of Western missionaries in China. With a burning passion, those missionaries came to China for preaching the Christian gospel to them, but in the process of evangelizing and living they found out that “the East had spoken its message to them.”3 Their

* This paper was presented in SEANET XX Forum at Chiang Mai, Thailand on January 7-11, 2019 and supported by 2019 Baeksuk University Research Fund. 1 John W. Morehead, “Muck Lecture: Karl Ludvig Reichelt and the Johannine Ap- proach to Religious Studies,” Morehead’s Musings (April 20, 2007); http://johnwmore- head.blogspot.com/2007/04/muck-lecture-karl-ludvig-reichelt-and.html, accessed Dec. 17, 2018. 2 Notto R. Thelle, “‘The Conversion of the Missionary’: Changes in Buddhist- Christian Relations in Early Twentieth-Century China,” Christian Study Centre on Chinese Religion and Culture. Ching Feng, n.s., 4-2 (2003), 131-56, at 131, quoted from Earl H. Cressy, “Converting the Missionary,” Asia: Journal of the American Asiatic Association 19, no. 6 (June 1919), 553, 556. 3 Ibid., 131. 140 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4 burning passion to represent a universal religion to the East and change the society to which they committed their works was gradually replaced by strong felt-needs for changed attitudes and new breadth of visions, accompanied by deeper appreciation and respect for the greatness and worth of the Eastern civilizations. Reichelt broke the Western pattern of wholesale condemnation of other faiths at that time, seriously considering not only the foundational depth of the worldview base of Buddhism as more than superficial and doctrinaire, but also consistently considered how greater portions of the Buddhist culture can be retained and the gospel of Jesus communicated in light of the Buddhist framework. What were his missional principles behind such ventures, and what kind of hermeneutical assumptions and implications lay behind his attempt to create unique Christian monasteries and liturgies so heavily loaded with Buddhist thinking and language?

II. LIFE AND WORK OF KARL LUDVIG REICHELT

Raised in a conservative pietistic church community, Karl Reichelt had begun his mission work at Changsa and Ningxian of Hunan Province in China since 1903 as an ordinary evangelical missionary, doing an open air preaching and distribution of evangelistic tracts in Chinese for 8 years, and later as a professor of the New Testament at the Lutheran Seminary until 1920. While he did see some success in winning a few converts in this period, nevertheless he must have thought that this was an effort with no appreciable success, so that probably the time was set for him to move beyond. A significant momentum took place while he stayed in the famous Weishan monastery in Hunan province in 1905, which was obviously the most fascinating experience to the Buddhist rituals, the beauty of the temple halls with their multitude of statues, both with sympathy and frustration.4 Moreover, he was struck by the

4 That moment seemed to be an epochal “mental awakening” as for Reichelt, almost like Paul’s conversion experience on the road to Damascus. Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt 141 teaching of grace in Buddhism, as he described Guanyin as the goddess of mercy.5 On this visit, he mentioned, “I got a glimpse of a peculiar and exclusive world, a world of full of tragedy and heart-rending, but also marvellous rich in points of contact and sacred religious material.”6 Hence, in 1922, he himself became a student of Buddhism and earnestly studied how the Chinese religion and culture understood not only its own religious expression, but also how its foundational and cultural prism and filter interpreted reality. Reichelt was always eager to learn from Buddhists and Taoists, studying their practices, participating in their rituals and meditations. Karl Reichelt had a different attitude of courtesy and respect toward the Asian religions and felt a great need for a new apologetic for the educated classes in the East, whose enlarging nationalism considered Christianity as Western religion. He gradually recognized that Asian religions could be a Christian ally against modern secularism and materialism, and that their good teachings also could be a preparation for fuller revelation in Christ.7 In particular, he had performed his unique mission work among Chinese Buddhists who held enthusiastic and devout faith until his death.8 He established a Buddhist-style Christian center on a hill in Shatin valley, Hong Kong, called Tao Fong Shan ( 道

Monastery for Buddhist Monks. Part I: Karl Ludvig Reichelt’s Sacred Mountains,” Christian Study Centre on Chinese Religion and Culture, Ching Feng, n.s., 6.1 (2005), 1-35, at 5-6. 5 Notto R. Thelle, “Conversion of the Missionary,” 135. 6 Håkan Eilert, Boundlessness: Studies in Karl Ludvig Reichelt’s Missionary Thinking with Special Regard to the Buddhist-Christian Encounter (Århus, Denmark: Forlaget Aros, 1974), 21. 7 For example, he recognized that Buddhist moral teachings like the Four Noble Truth ( ) and the Eightfold Path ( ) was already for them a good channel 四聖諦 八正道 leading to the absolute peace of mind. Choi Jin-bong, “Bog-eum-ui Seolgyoleul Wihan Hanguggyohoeui Haeseoghagjeog Seon-Ihaee daehan Seongchalgwa Gwaje-Bulgyo- Yugyoui Gyeongjeonsin-ang Jeontong-eul Jungsim-eulo” [A Critical Reflection and Challenge of the Korean Church’s Hermeneutical Pre-understandings for Preaching the Gospel: On the Basis of the Buddhist and Confucian Faith Tradition of Scripture], Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology 50-5 (2018), 176-77. 8 Thor Strandenæs, “Contextualising the Commiments and Concerns of Dr. Karl Ludvig Reichelt in the 21st Century,” Swedish Missiological Themes 97 (2009. 2), 127-40, at 128. 142 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4

), a pilgrim’s study facility that Reichelt himself named it as “the 風山 mountain from which the Logos wind, the Christ-spirit, blows.”9 It was established using Buddhist forms and conventions as a meeting ground where Buddhist monks and Taoists could encounter Christians in a familiar and congenial, refined and religious atmosphere indigenous to the soul of China, which was consolidated by his own emotional and aesthetic predilection favoring evocative rituals and pious mood. He always thought that Christianity had to be indigenized, attuned to, and adapt itself to Chinese traditions and conventions.10

III. MISSIONARY, SCHOLAR, AND PILGRIM

Reichelt’s mission may remain one of the classic studies in an incarnational mission or contextualization and one with great lessons for those working among the Asian religions. Many observers and writers do not hesitate in describing Karl Ludvig Reichelt as a missionary, scholar, and pilgrim.11 Indeed, he may be characterized as a missionary pilgrim or a pilgrim missionary, with equal emphasis on both.12 As a missionary, he was sure that his calling was to engage in mission work among Chinese Buddhists, so that he tried deliberately to share his faith from their perspectives. As a pilgrim, he was always on a journey as a religious truth seeker, so much so that he challenged himself not only to be a student of Buddhism and other religious traditions, but also to redefine his own Christian faith.13 He was continuously invited in

9 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, “Buddhism in China at the Present Time and the New Challenge to the Christian Church,” International Review of Missions 26 (Apr. 1937), 153-66, at 162. 10 Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Sacred Mountains,” 27. 11 Thor Strandenæs, “Contextualising Commitments,” 127-40. 12 Eric J. Sharpe, Karl Ludvig Reichelt-Missionary, Scholar and Pilgrim (Hong Kong: Tao Fong Shan Ecumenical Centre, 1984); Notto R. Thelle, “A Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Sacred Mountains,” 1; Strandenæs, “Contextualising the Commitments and Concerns of Dr. Karl Ludvig Reichelt in the 21st Century,” 127-28. 13 Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Reichelt’s Sacred Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt 143 temples and religious associations as the Christian “Master” and also met as a brother.14 Obviously, he had felt a strong attraction to the piety of Chinese Buddhism, the intense atmosphere of devotion, and, moreover, the solemn beauty of the sanctuaries. He was so much impressed by their hospitality and friendship that gave him “opportunities not only for participation, observances, and study, but also for preaching his own message and engaging in dialogue with the monks.”15 As for Karl Reichelt, however, Christianity was presented as a fuller and perfect religion, which did not come to destroy anything good or true in the native faiths but rather to stimulate, strengthen, and fulfill them.16 His missional thinking had a similarity with theology of fulfillment by Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) in China who boldly adopted and accommodated to Confucius’s symbols and rhetorics to translate Stoic philosophy of the Medieval Catholicism for communicating the gospel of Jesus, in which Ricci considered such a traditional faith as a “bridge” or a “stepping stone” to the gospel communication rather than condemn them.17 Reicheltian mission also can be identified with mo­ dern categories of Paul F. Knitter and John P. Keenan’s “inclusivism,”18 in which missional concerns are combined with appreciation of values of the other religions and willingness to integrate their insights and

Mountains,” 1. 14 Notto R. Thelle, “The Legacy of Karl Ludvig Reichelt,” International Bulletinof Missionary Research vol.5 (1981), 65-70, at 67. 15 Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Reichelt’s Sacred Mountains,” 5; See also a brief documentary film by Tao Fong Shan Centre in https:// youtu.be/t1WsOMl-nlI. 16 Oak Sung Deuk, “Edinburgh 1910, Fulfillment Theory, and Missionaries in China and Korea,” in https://koreanchristianity.cdh.ucla.edu/.../fulfillment_theory_JAAT.pdf, 1-15, at 1; Eilert, Boundlessness, 7. 17 Matteo Ricci had thought that Buddhism resembled Christianity in masses, pious images, chants, almsgiving, celibacy, paradise, and hell. Ralph Covell, “Buddhism and the Gospel Among the Peoples of China,” International Journal of Frontier Missions. vol 10-3 (1993), 129-38, at 130. 18 Paul F. Knitter, Introducing Theologies of Religion (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2002); idem, No Other Name? A Critical Survey of Christian Attitudes towards Other Religions (London: SCM, 1985); John P. Keenan, The Meaning of Christ: A Mahayana Theology (Maryknoll: Obris, 1989); John P. Keenan and Linda K. Keenan, I AM / NO SELF: A CHRISTIAN COMMENTARY ON THE HEART SUTRA. Leuven-Paris-Walpole: Peeters; Grand Rapids/Cambridge: Eeerdmans, 2011. 144 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4 experiences into his own faith. Hence, he strongly expressed respect for the venerable cultural heritage of China, which should be met with tolerance, not iconoclasm, or Buddhism plus Christ, not Buddhism or Christ. Surely, his attitude was of a pilgrim and scholar, consistently pursuing the truth. To a great extent, however, his paradoxical combination of missional zeal and dialogical sympathy to the Buddhist piety was often repudiated as self-contradictory, syncretic, and unacceptable to many,19 although he was solemnly “driven by an intense missionary calling and consistently tried to convert Buddhist monks to Christianity.”20 Consequently, he was excommunicated by Norwegian Mission Society (NMS) in 1925 because NMS could not understand his work that he found out connections of the light of the Spirit with the Buddhist scriptures, writings, rituals, and thought systems, and eventually judged that he was excessively liberal toward the Buddhist monks.21

IV. HERMENEUTICAL PRINCIPLES TO BUDDHIST MISSION

Paul Hiebert remarked and asked, “When missionaries arrive in a new region, they do not enter a religious and cultural vacuum. They find societies with well-developed cultures that provide for essential needs and make human life possible. They also find religious and philosophical beliefs that provide the people with answers to many of their deepest questions. How, then, should they relate to the existing cultural beliefs and practices?”22 Perhaps, hermeneutical principles

19 E.g., Eric J. Sharpe, “The ‘Johannine Approach’ to the Question of Religious Plurality,” Ching Feng 23 (1980), 117-27, esp. 123; Hendrik Kraemer, The Christian Message in a Non-Christian World (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1938). 20 Notto R. Thelle, “Conversion of the Missionary,” 132. 21 Today, his missional zeal toward the Buddhists (called Areopagos Foundation) is still inherited by the Christian Mission to Buddhists (CMB). 22 Paul G. Hiebert, Anthropological Insights for Missionaries (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1985), 171. Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt 145 to Reicheltian mission could be somehow broadly delineated by Paul Hiebert, which had persuasively answered for such crucial questions and dilemma that missionaries constantly face in their work. Most protestant missionaries in the “Era of Noncontextualization” roughly from 1850 to 1950 had contemptuously rejected “pagan” beliefs and practices of people that they served, particularly dealing with old ways, i.e., old beliefs, rituals, stories, songs, customs, art, music, etc.23 However, Reichelt was open-minded respectfully in that local people may create new symbols and rituals to communicate Christian beliefs in forms that are indigenous to their culture.24 In addition, he was of attitude that people themselves can make the decision, for they must be sure of the outcome before they will change. In fact, his Johannine approach is based on the conviction that the people know the deeper, hidden meanings of their old customs and their significance in the culture. His Johannine hermeneutic is practically to help local people to evoke their unique faith in Jesus through their own cultures.

1. Broadmindedness

Reichelt was convinced that Buddhist principles have certain moral standards for monks, although he surely noticed their corruptions within.25 In other words, he did not want the Buddhist monks to give up their belief completely, but instead to respect and follow Jesus.26

23 Paul G. Hiebert, Anthropological Reflections on Missiological Issues (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), 76. 24 Paul G. Hiebert, Anthropological Insights for Missionaries, 189; Darrell L. White- man, “Contextualization: The Theory, the Gap, the Challenge,” International Bulletin of Missionary Research 21 (1997. 1), 2-7, at 3; Lamin Sanneh, Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact as Culture (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1989). 25 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, Truth and Tradition in Chinese Buddhism: A Study of Chi- nese Mahayana Buddhism (Kathrina Van Wagenen Bugge Trans.; Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1934), 233-38. 26 (Lee Chi Ho), “ 李智浩 淸末民初基督新敎來華傳敎士對中國佛敎的詮釋-李提摩太· 蘇 ”(An Interpretation of Chinese Buddhism by the Protestant Mis- 慧廉和艾香德個案硏究 sionaries from late Ching Dynasty to The Republic of China –The Studies of Timothy Richard, William Edward Soothill and Karl Ludvig Reichelt). Thesis of Ph.D. 香港中門 , 2007, 198; Cheong Chong-Seong, “A Contextual Interpretation of Luke 16:19-31: 大學 146 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4

Especially those visiting group of sincere seekers for truth, called he “friends of humanity,” even remarking that “[i]t is only when men of religion truly find each other that the world generally can melt into a great brotherhood.”27 Surely, he had a broad mind to “look beyond the curtains of various religious manifestations,” discovering the deeper currents of thought.28 He was fully aware that Christian thinking no longer could neglect spiritual and cultural creativities of non-Christians,29 and that they were better able to receive Christianity for having Buddhism and all its highest teachings. He was sure that Buddhism put a spiritual content into the Chinese character, and that spiritual needs and aspiration were already known when Christianity entered China. His understanding was based on revelatio generalis, a universal cosmic consciousness of all-embracing Savior Jesus Christ.30 Reichelt wanted to see the real world that their essential thoughts are deeply interlocked already within traditional Shamanism and Confucianism, consistently focusing on five unchangeable elements of all beings: Tien ( ), Ti ( ), Chun ( ), Fo ( ), and Si-Wei ( ).31 天 地 帝 府 師 He had clearly seen in them that those common beliefs are not silent against or irrelevant to the Christian faith on the Creator and sovereign deity, but rather providently helpful to it, but not always. Reichelt tried to help the Buddhists to understand and accept the gospel in their own soils. Indeed, his entire thinking of mission is characterized by understanding “from within,” a sympathetic and reverent approach that needs to be illuminated by love and desire to participate and to share. His attitude of understanding from within had constantly led him to suspect traditional religious dichotomy between seer and the seen,

Creating a Missional Strategy toward the Thai Buddhists,” Korean New Testament Studies 24-1 (2017), 37-78, at 50-53. 27 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, Meditation and Piety in the Far East, 14. 28 Håkan Eilert, Boundlessness, 18. 29 Ibid., 18. Once St. Augustine said: “In all religions some truths are to be found. And these truths in all religions are really Christian truths, although the name Christianity had not yet appeared.” 30 Choi Jin-bong, “A Critical Reflection and Challenge,” 176-77. 31 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, Religion in Chinese Garment (Trans by Joseph Tetile; Cam- bridge: James Clarke & Co, 1951), 67. Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt 147 between subject and object, so to speak “non-duality,” and whereby he seemed to experience a sort of “breaking through,” attaining “cosmic consciousness.”32 According to him, Christianity must not to be delivered as a “sword” that may sever people from their past, but as fulfillment of them.

2. Courtesy and Respect to Buddhism

The structures and strategies of Reichelt’s Tao Fong Shan, includ­ ing architecture, outward and inward design, and daily life, reveal that this institution was consistently modelled after Buddhist monasteries, which would make sense to Buddhists.33 In appearance, worship cer­ emony, and terminology, strong Buddhist elements are incorporated, so that visiting monks could have congenial feelings, reducing their sense of strangeness and resistance to Christianity.34 The Christ Chapel sheng( dian, ), octagonal temple of “the most 聖殿 prominent building” as he mentioned, is the main worship hall “with its roof curved in noble lines, blue and glittering, giving a wonderful setting for meditation and worship.”35 Its interesting name, Jingzun baodian ( , literally the “Treasure Hall of the Luminous Honoured 景尊寶殿 One”) which was named by Reichelt, is the mixture of Buddhist and Christian expression. In Chinese Buddhism, Daxiong baodian ( 大雄寶 , the “Treasure Hall of the Great Hero”) was a common name for the 殿 main halls of Buddha.36 Jingzun ( , the Luminous One), borrowed 景尊

32 Håkan Eilert, Boundlessness, 57, 59. 33 Notto R. Thelle, “A Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks. Part II: Buddhist Rhetoric in Karl Ludvig Reichelt’s Christian Liturgies.” Ching Feng, n.s., 6.2 (2005), 131- 77, at 131. 34 “ 在外觀，崇拜儀式和用語上都融入了濃厚的佛教元素，務求讓到訪僧侶有一份親切的 ”(Lee, “Interpretation of Chinese Buddhism 感覺，同時減低他們對基督教的陌生感和抗拒感 by the Protestant Missionaries, 157). 35 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, “Buddhism in China at the Present Time,” 162. 36 Sometimes, Karl Ludvig Reichelt called Christ as the “Hero from Golgotha,” a Buddhist terminology for Christ, albeit commonplace in Norwegian missionary rhetoric (Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Karl Ludvig Reichelt’s Sacred Mountains,” 16). 148 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4 from the Nestorian Church in Tang China (618-907 AD), was in turn applied to the Chinese name for Christ and God.37 It representatively well reflected a favorite style of Chinese temples. This establishment strongly represented his consistent vision and attitude in mission, adopting a Johannine model, particularly “Logos”( ) and “Spirit”( ). 道 風 Consequently, as he remarked, “during those first pioneer years from 1922 to 1927, more than five thousand Buddhist and Taoist monks and lay devotees from all over China visited our home.”38 Reichelt could evangelize about 270 Buddhist monks and many Taoists. Indeed, his attitude of courtesy and respect in a deep sympathy with Buddhist monks might be said to have aimed at making Tao Fong Shan a common platform to meet together and share their experiences as “Tao-yu”( : “friends of the Logos”), regardless of their religious 道友 differences. In doing so, Reicheltian mission had a wide ecumenical orientation to other religions,39 particularly in spirituality and dialogue. The Tao-yu ( ) as friends in religion that all different people had 道友 freely gathered, tells that despite all differences there existed “a strong and precious platform, on which all enlightened and sincere people can meet and communicate.”40 It was possible as such, solely due to his attitude of friendship and mutual respect to the other religions.41 The outgrowth of Reicheltian attitude of ecumenism is symbolically represented by the emblem of Tao Fong Shan, ie., the “Lotus Cross.”42

37 The Nestorian Church also used the Buddhist terminologies,Shizun ( , 世尊 the “World-honoured One” that was already applied to Buddha), Tianzun ( , the 天尊 “Heaven-honoured One”), for Christ (Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks. Karl Ludvig Reichelt’s Sacred Mountains,” 16). 38 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, “Buddhism in China at the Present Time,” 162; idem, Meditation and Piety in the Far East, 13. 39 Thor Strandenæs, “Contextualising the Commitments and Concerns of Dr Karl Ludvig Reichelt in the 21th century,” 131. 40 D.T. Suzuki, The Eastern Buddhist 4, no.2 (1927), 196; Quoted from Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Reichelt’s Sacred Mountains,” 35. 41 Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Reichelt’s Sacred Mountains,” 32-33. In all those missional rhetorics adopted by Reichelt, nevertheless there was no concealment of intention behind such project, nor was the agenda for evangelism a hidden one. 42 The Lotus Cross was originally used by Nestorians, which does not necessarily give triumphalistic implications over Buddhism as some have criticized, but rather to Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt 149

Reichelt was convinced that the lotus, the Buddhist symbol of human search for truth and purity, is “the well-prepared ground” on which Christianity, symbolized by the cross, flowers as “the ultimate answer to the spiritual longing in Buddhism.”43 To be sure, the Lotus Cross was designated for a new openness among Christian colleagues to the riches of Asian Religions. Reichelt’s hermeneutical principles were all based on his respect for and accommodation to such Asian religions, as if Jesus took in his incarnation.

3. Accommodation to Buddhist Rhetorics

Reichelt’s wider strategies and hermeneutical principles accom­ modating to Buddhist rhetoric and concepts are found most impor­ tantly in his two articles: “Indigenous Religious Phrases That May Be Used to Interpret the Christian Message”(1927) and “Extracts from the Buddhist Ritual”(1928), both of which systematically show how to creatively accommodate to Buddhist liturgies.44 For consistently attracting Buddhist monks, Reichelt strenuously tried to create a language that could convey Christian ideas in forms that could be relevant and convinced to them, language such as not the differing views but the unifying symbols and expressions. In such accommodation, there is his bold conviction that bearing testimony of Christ does not have to be “a reproduction of Christian teaching as it had been conceived of in Western theology.”45 Even he must have thought that the ultimate meaning of the Gospel the mission workers and interpreters pursued was already there in the local community, albeit in different language.46 facilitate friendship toward Buddhist monks (Covell, “Buddhism and the Gospel Among the Peoples of China,” 129-30). 43 Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Reichelt’s Sacred Mountains,” 3. 44 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, “Indigenous Religious Phrases That May Be Used to Interpret the Christian Message,” Chinese Recorder 58-2 (1927), 123-26; idem, “Extracts from the Buddhist Ritual,” Chinese Recorder 59-3 (1928), 160-70. 45 Håkan Eilert, Boundlessness, 47. 46 Michael Kearns, Rhetorical Narratology (Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska, 1999), 10. 150 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4

In worship services, Reichelt deliberately used sacred materials in Buddhism as candles, incense, and meditation, recognizing helpfulness to invoking their religious piety, albeit generally following Lutheran traditions in liturgy. Through his own spiritual experience, he was sure that devotional piety is a common ground for Christians and Bud- dhists. For it, he was always preoccupied with establishing sanctuar- ies for worship throughout his mission. Significantly, he did not use the word “libai”( ) for his various types of worship that had been 禮拜 normally adopted by his contemporary missionaries. Instead, he chose Buddhist terms as daily morning and evening worships, chendian ( 晨 ) and wandian ( ), literally morning and evening “hall” or “sanc- 殿 晩殿 tuary,” obviously referring to the Buddhist chapel hall, baodian ( ).47 寶殿 In the book of liturgy, Christ is worshiped as “the Great Tao ( ) 大道 without beginning and end”(the eternal Word of God), and “the original face of all sentient beings”(the idea of imago Dei).48 Jesus Christ is the enlightened, and realized the Pure Land on earth, “constantly turning the great wheel of the Dharma”; and “saving all the people straying in the six paths of existence.”49 He regarded the Buddhist terminology and rhetorics as an effective way to introduce Christian ideas. Such accom- modation to Buddhist rhetoric was always performed by combining “Christ-centered faith and radical openness to other faith.”50 However, his liberal and bold use of Buddhist rhetorics sometimes caused ten- sions, confusions, bizarreness, and even violent opposition, supposedly mocked as Buddhistification or sinification of Christianity. Most significantly, Reichelt developed a parallel liturgy of “Three Christian Refuges in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” with the Buddhist chanting, “Three Refuges”( , san quiyi) in Buddha, the 三歸依 Dharma (teaching), and the Sangha (monastic community), threefold dedication that is used in the Pure Land Sutras about those who take refuge in Amitābha’s vow.51 They are culturally couched in Chinese

47 Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Buddhist Rhetoric,” 143. 48 Notto R. Thelle, “The Legacy of Karl Ludvig Reichelt,” 67. 49 Ibid., 67. 50 Ibid., 67. 51 Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Buddhist Rhetoric,” Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt 151 poetic style:

: 起立同誦 歸命文 , , , ! 至心歸命 無上主宰 創造諸有 萬德慈父 , , , ! 至心歸命 贖罪基督 復我性明 圓滿妙道 , , , ! 至心歸命 充滿宇宙 髓機應感 淸靜聖靈

With a sincere mind I take refuge in the highest Lord, the creator of all things, the merciful Father of all virtues. With a sincere mind I take refuge in Christ the expiator (of sins), who restores our pure nature, the perfect mysterious Dao. With a sincere mind I take refuge in (the one who) fills the universe, who responds to all according to their capacities, the pure Holy Spirit.

By chanting the thrice formular zhi xin quiming ( ), Reichelt 至心歸命 deliberately adopted the most Buddhist dedicatory symbol, guiming ( 歸 ), which is Chinese translation of the Sanskrit, namas, and the Pali, 命 namo ( ), the classical term used in Buddhism for “taking refuge.” It 南無 is commensurate with the Christian confession, “I believe in the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Interestingly, the second stanza, describing Christ as the one who “restores my true nature,” alludes to the Taoist notion of “the original purity of mind”( , benjingxin) and to the 本靜心 Buddhist notion of “the original Buddha nature”( , zhenxing; or the 眞性 awakening of mind), which referred surely to “the classical Christian belief that humankind was created in the original image of God, which is to be restored.”52 Without any reservations or scruples, Reichelt even could describe Jesus Christ as the “Tathāgata from the West” and Buddhist Pure Land as equivalent to the Christian Kingdom of God. Such work on liturgies and hymnals surely represent Reichelt’s deep commitment to accommodation and friendly co-existence.

146; Covell, “Buddhism and the Gospel Among the Peoples of China,” 130, 135. 52 Ibid., 148. 152 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4

4. Johannine Approach

Reicheltian Biblical hermeneutic for developing his mission stra­ tegy is clearly based on his unique interpretation of the Gospel of John: “I am convinced that a new understanding and a wise application of the missionary thoughts emphasized by the Gospel of St. John also in our times would inaugurate a new and successful epoch, especially in the old culture lands of Asia.”53 It has been known as “Johannine Approach,” which gave special emphasis to “the Light” that lights every person was coming into the world (John 1:9) and particularly to “the Logos” who was in the world and was both resisted and received by different people (1:10-13). He thought that John’s use of Logos in the prologue would be the best source for a contexualized message and development of an ethnictheology within the religious context of China. By doing so, Reichelt looked for the Christ’s fulfillment through the hidden disposition of teachings in Chinese religions. This hermeneutical vision became a key for all his works: “all-embracing activity of Jesus Christ, as well before as after his incarnation found in the Gospel of John, is of the greatest importance with regard to world mission work.”54 As for the hermeneutical principles in the gospel of John, having brought in a remarkable change over Chinese Buddhists according to him, Reichelt identified four ways: (1) “They were searchers for the truth and through the religious experiences in their former religion more or less prepared for the great day,” and the Johannine word, ‘Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice’(18:37; cf. 3:21) gave them the solution;55 (2) their special difficulty accepting “one, personal God” was eased by the Johannine Prologue, v.18, ‘The only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him,’ and God created the world through His Son, the eternal Logos; (3) With regard

53 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, “The Johannine Approach,” in The Authority of the Faith (International Missionary Council Meeting at Tambaram, Madras, 1938; New York: International Missionary Council, 1939), 83-93, at 93. 54 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, “Johannine Approach,” 93. 55 On the upper wall of the chaplain’s office in Tao Fong Shan is still displayed a shining plate, Woling Youyang ( ; “There are other sheep of mine scattered around 我另有羊 to gather,” John 10:16). Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt 153 to the Trinity they were also greatly helped by the Johannine idea that “Christ will not leave us as orphans, He is coming again as the Holy Spirit, the all-embracing paraclete”56; and (4) The Johannine “new birth” which conditions the entrance into the kingdom of God gives also “a wondrous thrill to the Buddhist pilgrims,” who through years of meditation in lonely cells and strenuous pilgrimages to mountains and great masters have been “searching in vain to get the unspeakable experience of ‘breaking through’ for which they are dreaming and longing.”57 What Reichelt had deeply recognized and adapted most creatively to the hidden disposition of teachings in Chinese religions applying for a fulfillment of Christ, was obviously expressed in that Christ was identified with the Tao ( ). Such expression is represented by 道 inscriptions on the inner entrance to the Christ Chapel (the Octagonal hall), Biblical quotations which were borrowed from the Pure Land tradition: “ ”(daocheng roushen, “The Tao Became Flesh,” John 道成肉身 1:14), and along the sides of the door, “ ”(daoyu shangdi 道與上帝同在 tongzai, “The Tao Was with God,” 1:2), and “ ”(fengsui yisi 風隨意思而吹 erchui, “The Wind Blows Where It Wills,” 3:8).58 Indeed, Reicheltian “Johannine Approach” had a wide impact on every corner at Tao Fong

56 Probably, Karl Ludvig Reichelt was thinking of Taoist thought of Trinity (San Tsing); Ying ( ) and Yang ( ) that all things contain, and Chi ( ) through which these 陰 陽 氣 two unite harmoniously as “life force,” alluding Christian Trinity (Karl Ludvig Reichelt, Religion in Chinese Garment, 80, 88). 57 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, “Johannine Approach,” 92-93. However, Eric Sharpe raised serious objections against Reichelt’s Johannine interpretation and his methodology, argu­ ing that there exists an “insurmountable gulf” between the two very different worldviews of reality (Sharpe, “‘Johannine Approach’ to the Question of Religious Plurality,” 123). 58 Previously, another two vertical tablets were also found displayed on both sides of the altar: On the right side, “ ”(lingguang puyao, “the light of the Spirit shines 靈光普耀 universally”), which was similar to the common inscriptions in Buddhist temples, “ 彿光 ”(foguang puyao, literally “the light of the Buddha shines universally”); on the left 普耀 side, “ ”(dayuan cihang, “the Great Vow compassionately ferries [people] over [to 大願慈航 the other shore]),” which would immediately evoke the image of the compassionate “ 觀 ” (Guanyin pusa, Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara) who has vowed to carry all sentient 音菩薩 beings over to the other shore by his ship of salvation. See Cheong Chong Seong, “The Lord’s Prayer and Heart Sūtra,” Korean Journal of Christian Studies 109 (2018. 7), 21- 44, at 29; Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Reichelt’s Sacred Mountains,” 20-21. 154 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4

Shan, mainly through liberal uses of “Tao” in contexts of both Taoism and Buddhism. More probably, Johannine approach might be initiated and pre­ cipitated by his deep understanding of Taoism (formally organized as a religious society in 200 AD, but originated from 510 BC by Laotze), “the supreme representative,” as he called, of the Chinese racial spirit that had desired for “deeper religious thought and the urge toward a holy mysticism.”59 Obviously, he was deeply touched by Tao-Teh-Ching ( ), compilation of Laotze’s teachings on Tao and Virtue, teaching 道德經 that “[t]hrough Tao all things are given life and form; Invisible, and yet real; undiscoverable to the senses, and yet permeating all things.” He was marvelled it as having “mystical, lofty religious mood.”60 Most remarkable insights from Tao-Teh-Ching was probably Laotze’s conception on the relationship of Tao (sometimes “the cosmic mother” or “root” in a figurative language) to God Shang-ti( or Tien), characterizing Tao as “eternal existence”, “the source of heaven and earth without name”, “preceding God Himself.”61 As the nameless, Tao is the “pre-terrestrial originating principles and fountain source of the universes,” according to Reichelt.62 Probably, such Taoist insights might ignite him to formulate his unique Johannine Approach. More significantly, the Johannine Jesus as the “eternal Logos” uniquely revealed his divine identity to disciples, particularly in terms of “I AM”(egō eimi) in seven different episodes.63 No doubt, Jesus’ “I

59 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, Religion in Chinese Garment, 72. Its founder Laotze (family name, Li, denoting “plum tree” as in John 1:48) is much freer than Confucius and did not have “any faith in the business of law-making,” according to Reichelt (81). 60 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, Religion in Chinese Garment, 76-77; It is also fully explained by him in ch.3, “Meditation in Original Taoism,” in Meditation and Piety in the Far East, 79-102. 61 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, Religion in Chinese Garment, 79. 62 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, Meditation and Piety in the Far East, 80. 63 “I am the Bread of life,” John 6:35,48; “Light of the world”(8:12, 9:5); “Door of sheep”(10:7); “Good shepherd”(10:11); “True vine”(15:1); “Resurrection and Life”(11:25); “Way and Truth and Life”(14:6). In addition, Jesus also used this formulae (egō eimi) in those occasions where his identity was focalized as 4:26 (“I who speak to you am he”), 6:20 (“It is I; don't be afraid”), 18:5,6 (“I am he,” Jesus said; “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground). They were told in the contexts of Jesus’ arguments against Jewish leaders, including other occasions as 8:24,28,58. Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt 155

AM”(egō eimi) adumbrates the divine name of YHWH (’ehyeh ’ăšer ’ehyeh; “I AM WHO I AM,” Exodus 3:14), which identified God Himself as the “Incomprehensible,” the “Unutterable,” the “One that has no reference to” or who is undiscoverable to natural senses. With such a mysterious combination of unutterable divinity and utterable humanity, i.e, egō eimi with seven utterable natural names, Jesus the pre-terrestrial Tao (Logos) furnishes the principle of world development, and also without name the Johannine Jesus is the source of heaven and earth. Jesus’ paradoxical state that the cosmic and unfathomable preexist­ ing Creator has seven or infinitely utterable names would mysteriously denote his “nature of true suchness”( , ) through self- 眞如 圓成實性 emptying ( ) without name, and his “interdependent nature”( 空 依他 ) with physical and unreal names at the same time, which was 起性 probably overshadowed by both the Lord’s Prayer and the Heart Sūtra.64 Without name as self-emptying for both entrance and exit to the Father, Jesus became one with the Father (10:30), so universal and all-embracing that he could be perfectly compassionate and sacrificing for the sake of others.65 Thoroughly captured by mysterious picture of the Johannine Jesus, Reichelt might have dreamed salvation of all sentient beings by the eternal Logos, who had long been anonymously glimmered in people’s faith in Bodhisattvas as Avalokiteshvara ( ) 觀音 who is merciful and Ksitigarbha ( ) who vowed not to become a 地藏 buddha until everyone is released from hell.

64 Cheong Chong-Seong, “Partaking of Jesus’ Mystical Experience: Reading the Lord’s Prayer in Jewish Wisdom Tradition,” Korean Evangelical New Testament Studies 16.4 (2017), 40-74, at 58-66; idem, “The Lord’s Prayer and Heart Sūtra,” 23-28. The two natures are delineated in The Awakening of Faith in Mahayana ( ) by Asvaghosa 大乘起信論 ( ), which had already been studied by Reichelt through Timothy Richard’s (1845- 馬鳴 1919) English translation The New Testament of Higher Buddhism (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1910). Richard, who understood Mahayana as a preparation for Christian faith or a sort of hidden Christianity, laid significant premises for Reichelt’s involvement with Buddhism (Notto R. Thelle, “Conversion of the Missionary,” 142). 65 See Keenan, I AM / NO SELF, 65-83. 156 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4

V. CONCLUSION

Eastern societies has never experienced a unique period of Chris­ tendom as the Western churches. Hence, as Lamin Sanneh persuasively comments, Christianity demands to be “translated” from one cultural context to another.66 The gospel of Jesus should be expressed and interpreted in indigenous forms. Reichelt tried to communicate the gospel “from within,” that is, Buddhist faith and Tao, and “attributed anything that is true and good in all nations to Christ as the source.” Of course, Christ is for them the “full realization and incarnation of the wonderfully rich Tao-idea.”67 He was Christ-centered and therefore Christ-open.68 Any blame for amputated gospel, intolerable syncretism, and “Buddhistification of Christianity” labelled against him,69 cannot be appropriate, since his hermeneutic was to “combine positive evaluation of Buddhism with rough comparative expositions aiming at demonstrating the strengthens of Christianity over against the weakness of Buddhism.”70 His task was not to enlarge upon its negative aspects. His hermeneutical base toward Asian religions was on “contact points” through revelatio generalis, collaborating the cosmic consciousness in the gospel of Jesus. All the results of his mission, seemingly restructuring the gospel, was not a new form of Christianity, “something half and half, but the old

66 Cited from Whiteman, “Contextualization,” 5. 67 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, “Johannine Approach,” 91. In fact, there can exist an ambiguous tension between fulfillment and replacement in his use of Buddhist rhetorics (See Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Buddhist Rhetoric,” 171). Such tensions were, however, an inevitable aspect of cross-cultural communication that similarly had happened in the early church when Christianity was transferred from Jewish contexts to Greek ones, making Christianity transformed with entirely new concepts and philosophies. 68 Lee Chi-Ho, “Interpretation of Chinese Buddhism by the Protestant Missionar- ies, 197; Notto R. Telle, “The Legacy of Karl Ludvig Reichelt,” at 69. 69 Lai Pan-chiu and So Yuen-tai, “Mahāyāna Interpretation of Christianity: A Case Study of Zhang Chunyi (1871-1955),” Buddhist-Christian Studies 27 (2007), 67-87, at 68-71. 70 Notto R. Thelle, “Christian Monastery for Buddhist Monks: Buddhist Rhetoric,” 176. Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt 157 unimpaired Christianity, still inspired with the unspeakable fragrance and beauty of the Asiatic religious genius.”71 Becoming one with the Father (10:30) as the unfathomable pre­ existent Logos and cosmic Being, the Johannine Jesus was so universal and all-embracing, to the extent that he could be perfectly self-emptying and compassionate for all.72 That’s why the cosmic Jesus could see and hear his other sheep scattered around to gather, according to Reichelt. Emptying himself as a Christ-centered servant, Reichelt could be Christ-open at the same time, continuously willing to displace himself by any other. How much do we think our Christian languages in the church are practically transformed with the flesh and blood of our societies? If we are to make Christian truths intelligible and relevant, we must necessarily draw upon the rich reservoir of religious concepts which are already familiar to non-Christians. Jesus’ incarnation as a transformational hermeneutic, which is surely a healthy sign of his identity as revelatio specialis, has no limit in our world, to an extent that modern societies in madness, blood, and storm have desperately challenged our churches to move out to. Reichelt’s liberal use of Buddhist rhetoric not only functions as “skilful means” to Buddhists, but also conversely enriches and deepens our understanding of Christian theology, and perhaps even contributes to fertilizing our Christian faith itself. As skilful means even to Christians, his hermeneutic does teach us to appreciate more truly what we possess in our own. Karl Ludvig Reichelt was a great-heart with boundless affection for all people; a man of inspiring personality, broadmindedness, and adaptability, in addition to spiritual and scholastic eminence, which we should be equipped with.

71 Karl Ludvig Reichelt, “Special Work Among Chinese Buddhists,” Chinese Re- corder 51 (1920. 7), 491-97, at 491. 72 See Keenan, I AM / NO SELF, 65-83. 158 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 51 No. 4

Bibliography

Cheong, Chong-Seong. “The Lord’s Prayer and Heart Sūtra,” Korean Journal of Christian Studies 109 (July 2018), 21-44. . “Partaking of Jesus’ Mystical Experience: Reading the Lord’s Prayer in Jewish Wisdom Tradition,” Korean Evangelical New Testament Studies 16 (Decem- ber 2017), 40-74. . “A Contextual Interpretation of Luke 16:19-31: Creating a Missional Strategy toward the Thai Buddhists,”Korean New Testament Studies 24 (March 2017), 37-78. Choi, Jin-bong 최진봉. “Bog-eum-ui Seolgyoleul Wihan Hanguggyohoeui Haeseoghagjeog Seon-Ihaee daehan Seongchalgwa Gwaje-Bulgyo-Yugyoui Gyeongjeonsin-ang Jeon- tong-eul Jungsim-eulo” 복음의 설교를 위한 한국교회의 해석학적 선이해에 대한 성찰과 과 제–불교-유교의 경전신앙 전통을 중심으로 [A Critical Reflection and Challenge of the Korean Church’s Hermeneutical Pre-understandings for Preaching the Gospel: On the Basis of the Buddhist and Confucian Faith Tradition of Scripture]. Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology 50-5, (2018). Covell, Ralph. “Buddhism and the Gospel Among the Peoples of China” International Jour- nal of Frontier Missions 10 (September 1993), 129-38. Eilert, Håkan. Boundlessness: Studies in Karl Ludvig Reichelt’s Missionary Thinking with Spe- cial Regard to the Buddhist-Christian Encounter. Århus, Denmark: Forlaget Aros, 1974. Hiebert, Paul. Anthropological Reflections on Missiological Issues. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994. . Anthropological Insights for Missionaries. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1985. Keenan, John P. The Meaning of Christ: A Mahayana Theology. Maryknoll: Obris, 1989. Keenan, John P. and Linda K. Keenan. I AM / NO SELF: A CHRISTIAN COMMENTARY ON THE HEART SUTRA. Leuven-Paris-Walpole: Peeters, 2011. Kearns, Michael. Rhetorical Narratology. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska, 1999. Knitter, Paul F. Introducing Theologies of Religion. Maryknoll: Orbis, 2002. . No Other Name? A Critical Survey of Christian Attitudes towards Other Re- ligions. London: SCM, 1985. Kraemer, Hendrik. The Christian Message in a Non-Christian World. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1938. Lai, Pan-chiu and So Yuen-tai. “Mahāyāna Interpretation of Christianity: A Case Study of Zhang Chunyi (1871-1955)” Buddhist-Christian Studies 27 (2007), 67-87. Morehead, John W. “Muck Lecture: Karl Ludvig Reichelt and the Johannine Approach to Religious Studies,” Morehead’s Musings. April 20, 2007. Accessed December 17, 2018. Oak, Sung Deuk, “Edinburgh 1910, Fulfillment Theory, and Missionaries in China and Ko- Hermeneutical Principles to Buddhist Mission by Karl Ludvig Reichelt 159

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한글 초록

불교권 선교를 위한 칼 라이헬트의 해석학적 원리

정종성 백석대, 신약학

본 논문은 서구적 세계관을 반드시 전제하지 않는 타종교의 세계관들, 예컨대 불교 와 같은 세계관을 가진 사람들에게, 예수 그리스도의 복음이 어떻게 효과적으로 전달 될 수 있는지의 해석학적 가능성을 탐구하기 위하여, 중국으로 파송되었던 노르웨이 선 교사 칼 루드비히 라이헬트(1877-1952)를 연구사례로 삼고 있다. 요한복음 해석과 그 를 바탕으로 구축된 다소간 급진적 수용방식에 근거하여 홍콩에 설립된 도풍산(道風山) 교회는, 중국 불교인들과 도교인들이 쉽게 접근할 수 있도록 건축양식이나 안팎의 디자 인과 상징물 그리고 일상생활은 물론 예배의식과 용어선택에 이르기까지, 서구적 양식 을 배제하고 중국 불교와 도교식으로 설립되었다. 그의 요한방식 해석학은 요한복음의 “빛”과 “로고스”(道)에 대한 연구를 바탕으로, 중국 도교(道德經)와 불교(특히 大乘佛敎) 의 깊고 오랜 가르침에 스며있는 진리가 예수 그리스도로 어떻게 꽃피우고 있는지 그들 의 개념과 사고방식으로 풀어내려는 토착화의 한 방식이다. 특히 7번의 사례를 통해 언 급되고 있는 예수의 신적 정체성(“에고 에이미”)과 자기 비움(空)이, 예수 그리스도의 선 재성과 우주적 지혜, 그리고 보편적 사랑과 희생 등과 관련하여, 아시아 종교가 “도”(道) 나 “보살도”(菩薩道)와 같이 궁극적 진리에 이르기 전 이미 상당한 영적 수준으로 준비 되어 있음을 보여주는 가르침으로 활용되었음을 충분히 짐작케 한다. 아시아 종교와 신 앙을 무가치한 것으로 매도하였던 당시 서구 선교사들의 입장과 달리, 라이헬트는 이들 종교의 깊이와 가치를 피상적으로 혹은 허황된 것으로 치부하지 않았을 뿐만 아니라, 오히려 그들 가운데에 많은 부분들이 그들의 관점에서 어떻게 예수의 복음과 소통하도 록 활용될 수 있는지를 지속적으로 연구하였다. 그는 타종교들에 대한 예의와 존경심을 바탕으로 그들의 가치를 최대한 수용하면서, 궁극적 진리인 기독교가 그들 신앙에 내 재하고 있는 선한 것과 참된 것을 파괴하는 것이 아니라 오히려 준비단계로서 그것들을 격려하고 강화하며 심지어 자신들을 성취하기 위해 왔다고 말하고 있다.

주제어

칼 라이헬트, 해석학, 요한방식의 접근, 불교권 선교, 존경과 적응

Date submitted: September 14, 2019; date evaluated: October 9, 2019; date confirmed: October 10, 2019.