SOURCE: "Endo and Johnston Talk of Buddhism and Christianity," in America, Vol. 171, No. 16, November 19, 1994, pp. 18-20.

[In the following interview Endo and Johnston discuss the relationship between Buddhism and Christianity.]

[Shusaku Endo:] Are you still interested in Buddhism, Father?

[William Johnston, S.J.:] Yes, of course. I don't think I'll ever lose my interest in Buddhism.

What aspect of Buddhism interests you most?

The meeting of Buddhism and Christianity. The dialogue. Aren't you interested in that?

I certainly am. In Europe and America scholarly studies of Japanese Buddhism keep appearing….

Dialogue is the great discovery of the 20th century. Dialogue between nations, dialogue between capital and labor, dialogue between husband and wife—and dialogue between Buddhism and Christianity.

Little by little the dialogue is getting under way. A while ago in Sophia University I heard Buddhist monks chanting the sutras during Mass instead of Gregorian chant. If that...