Ann Gray is from Scotland and has served as a lay missionary in Sierra Leone and as a Missionary Sister of St. Columban in Hong Kong, where she studied Cantonese and co-established Action for REACH OUT, an organization providing services to female sex workers on the streets and nightclubs of Hong Kong. After a short time in China studying Mandarin, she was elected congregational leader. Since completing her term in leadership, she has been in Ireland working on the development of congregational spirituality.
“Will I or will I not? Should I or should I not? If I am doing anything wrong, forgive me, Lord.”
This was my prayer as I plunged in and joined the group in bowing and chanting the Buddhist sutras. I was in a very small Zen Buddhist temple, based in a tiny room in a high-rise block of apartments in one of the busiest and most overcrowded areas of Hong Kong, that tiny dot on the map that borders the vast expanse of China.
I was fulfilling a dream that had been with me for some time — entering into a journey of dialogue with a group of Buddhists. But these were very tentative steps I was taking, questioning all along the way: “How far can I go without compromising my own beliefs? Am I betraying my own faith and Christian tradition?”
I was aware of the treasured invitation being offered to me, a Catholic missionary sister, to learn from the ancient tradition of Buddhism and to share some of my own beliefs. At the same time, I was aware that in the course of this “venture,” I would face the risk of having to change — and to change at a profound level
As I continued to sit meditating with my Buddhist friends, I found myself in a place of intense silence and depth where words and explanations were not needed. I also listened to and was inspired by stories of the Buddha and the great bodhisattvas. I was able to share about Jesus Christ and our saints who model for us the Christian way of life.
My Buddhist friends, particularly those who had formerly been brought up as Catholics, were surprised to learn of the rich tradition and practice of meditation and contemplation that we Christians also have.
In my initial contact with Buddhists, I had believed that I, as a Christian, and they, as Buddhists, were on two different but parallel paths of life and belief that eventually led to the same end. The more time I spent with them, the more I sensed that we are actually on the same path leading to the same end — we just use different words and images to try to experience or explain the profound and inexplicable.
The result of those early steps I took in Hong Kong has meant that, today, Buddhism has been integrated into my personal Christian spirituality as I continue in my search for the Ultimate in my life.
Published by National Catholic Reporter
30th September 2024