Kenneth S. Leong: Silence, Christianity and Zen (Episode 27)

How does silence impact spirituality at the level of interfaith or interreligious engagement? Our guest today, Kenneth Leong, wrote a seminal book on Christian-Buddhist interspirituality, and so we were eager to have him join the Encountering Silence conversation to reflect on how silence takes us to a place beyond the limitations or separations of doctrine, dogma, or religious culture.

Kenneth S. Leong is the author of The Zen Teachings of Jesus and a German-language book of Zen Stories, 100 Zen-Geschichten für das neue Jahrtausend: Anleitung zum Glücklichsein. After working over twenty years in finance, he pursued a Master's Degree in Teaching and devoted twelve years to teaching in a variety of education settings, primarily teaching mathematics but also finance, philosophy, and Zen.

Mr. Leong has been a speaker and lecturer on Buddhism and spirituality since the mid-1990s, having taught in Manhattan's Chinatown, the New York Open Center, and other continuing education and adult learning venues. He is active on social media, moderating or contributing to groups devoted to topics such as Buddhism, Alan Watts, and Zen Christians.

Silence, to me, means right concentration. — Kenneth S. Leong

Some of the resources and authors we mention in this episode:

Kenneth S. Leong, The Zen Teachings of Jesus

Alan Watts, The Way of Zen

Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer

Red Pine (tr.), The Heart Sutra

Red Pine (tr.), The Diamond Sutra

Red Pine (tr.), The Platform Sutra: The Zen Teaching of Hui-neng

Barbara A. Holmes, Joy Unspeakable: Contemplative Practices of the Black Church

Thomas Merton, The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton

The Desert Mothers and Fathers, Early Christian Wisdom Sayings

Evagrius Ponticus, The Praktikos & Chapters on Prayer

The Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness

Carl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections

Thich Nhat Hanh, You Are Here

Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught

William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

J. Krishnamurti, Think on These Things

Henri Nouwen, Peacework: Prayer, Resistance, Community

Bhikkhu Bodhi (ed.), In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon

Alan Watts, Tao: The Watercourse Way

Josef Pieper, Leisure: The Basis of Culture

St. Francis of Assisi, In His Own Words: The Essential Writings

Episode 27: Encountering Silence in Christianity and Zen: A Conversation with Kenneth S. Leong

Hosted by: Carl McColman

With: Kevin Johnson, Cassidy Hall

Guest: Kenneth S. Leong

Date Recorded: May 25, 2018