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The Unexpected Way: On Converting from Buddhism to Catholicism

The Unexpected Way: On Converting from Buddhism to Catholicism

List Price: $23.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A knowledgeable scholar but not a good practitioner
Review: After reading the book, one would likely have the following impressions: Williams' dissatisfaction with Buddhism is its self-generated individualism; its failure to resolve the issue of something or nothing as lying behind belief where God is dispensable; the turning away from community its practice generates; its rampant subjectivism; reincarnation undermines the uniqueness of a person in one life; and the self-made experiences generated through meditation stand close to egoism.

But obviously, as any good Buddhist practitioner would definitely comment: none of the above is true in Buddhism! It is simply because 'individualims, egoism, subjectivism, etc.' are, on the contrary, what a good practitioner practises to let go. If egoism may arise by practising Buddhism, why would there imply a 'denial of a person's uniqueness'? 'Withdrawn from community' is only true for some individual monks but similarly, there are also Catholic monasteries or convents parallel to this aspect in Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism which is the prevalent form of Buddhism certainly does not turn away from the community! It is actually a well-known fact that excelling in Buddhism academically, does not necessarily make a good Buddhist practitioner. But how unfortunate this book would convey so many misunderstandings in Buddhism to the Catholics.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Profound, wise, funny, and it could truly change your life!
Review: Paul Williams has written a masterful account of his conversion to Catholicism. From a unique perspective of being a world authority on Mahayana Buddhism, he compares key aspects of the two religions and offers solid rationale for his choice. The book represents his journey of faith and records his thoughts and experiences as he (re)discovers the Church. The clarity of his thinking and his willingness to offer personal anecdotes and insights make this journey with Dr. Williams extremely rewarding. He includes much relevant philosophy and theology without his writing ever becoming dry or losing the reader's interest. For myself, as a former Buddhist using this book during RCIA, its greatest value is as a work of apologetics -- a coherent, rational, original, convincing, and not to mention quite beautiful argument for and defense of the Christian and Catholic faith, warmly and lovingly written. One need not start from a Buddhist perspective to benefit from Williams' well-reasoned arguments. Anyone who seeks Truth, considers "religious" questions or enjoys theological or philosophical writing should read this book. Hopefully, that doesn't leave anyone out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Discernable Truth
Review: The intellectual rigor of many Buddhists must be comparable to that of Catholics; that is to say, there are many supposed adherents, but few with the level of knowledge and understanding necessary to any real understanding of their faith. Mr. Williams is the rare bright light in both constellations. His writings on Buddhism are highly respected and continue to be widely read within his narrow discipline.

His conversion to Catholicism displays the curiosity and clarity of thought that he brought to his academic ventures in theology and Buddhism as a whole, and The Unexpected Way proceeds with a startling and defining logic. He describes the work as more of an intellectual exercise than an attempt to elucidate the core principles of Catholicism; that is, more an attempt to understand and clarify those principles for himself.

In the process he has written a fascinating and, for many, useful account of what had to appear to his friends and colleagues as something of a delusion, rather than merely an unexpected path. In his work, he outlines not only the tenets of the Catholic faith, but the rationale, the intellectual basis for believing in them. He concludes, as he must have known he would, by understanding that while the practice of faith cannot proceed from pure reason or logic alone, faith and reason can be complementary or even symbiotic -- logic and reason can assist one in discerning the truth, but in the end, the truth must be what someone believes. Mr. Williams' truths are ones in which he believes, consistent with his faculties of reason, deduction, inference and consistency. He is a Catholic who walks by both faith and conviction, and his lively and witty account of his unexpected journey to this destination is an example to anyone who attempts to answer life's fundamental question: why there is something, rather than nothing.


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