Abstract
The debates concerning religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue have proceeded for the most part within a Christian context, with little interest shown from the Buddhist side. The reason for this may be that Buddhism does not emphasize the problem of alterity (or "the other") or of other religions. On the other hand, Buddhist philosophy is rich in ideas and suggestions that can provide a unique perspective to these issues. In this essay I will first discuss two representative pluralist positions, those of John Hick and John B. Cobb, and examine them from the perspective of the Buddhist idea of twofold truth (satya-dvaya : paramartha-satya, or truth transcending dichotomy, and samvrti-satya, or truth based on dichotomy). Second, I will present the ideas of "the store of learning" (sruta-vasana) and the "distinction of lineages" (gotra-prabheda) with regard to the problem of alterity in Yogacara Buddhism. I will attempt to construct a theory of religious dialogue based on Buddhist philosophy. I conclude that the discourse of religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue does not provide a true pluralism, but inevitably ends up in either inclusivism or relativism.
