This essay is a try to present the Trikāya doctrine in Māhāyāna Buddhism as a model for a transcending theology that can help those who are living with a “dual Buddhist-Christian religious identity” to overcome conflicts between Buddhism and Christianity. By the Trikāya doctrine we can reach a deeper understanding of the mystical awakening to “Buddha beyond Buddha” (or “God beyond God” as some of the mystics tried to explain); i.e. the transpersonal Dharma and the transpersonal Logos beyond the limited individuals of Gautama and Jesus who both fully realized God as spiritual qualities in body, speech, actions and mind. The point is that we do not need to choose between the Buddha or Christ; instead we can look at them both as living examples of the realization of what Paul Tillich called the “Ultimate Concern” and “Being”.  And probably we can use this model for most religions.

Text in German / This study explores the religious responsiveness of the rural Khmer in the location of Snoul, Kratie in Cambodia. After setting a methodological framework, both missiologically and empirically, a historical overview and religious developments are presented. With the methods of qualitative social research, the religiosity of the rural Khmer is elicited, by using the religious dimensions of rituals, experience, knowledge, meaning of life and ethics as described by Glock. The empirical results demonstrate that religious experience is central to the religiosity of the Khmer, through which they hope to achieve joy, peace and success. The religious experience is, however, twofold. One is focused on the present life; the other is future-oriented. Reflecting the empirical findings missiologically, it will be argued, that the missional encounter to the religious context requires a holistic approach: a narrative theology, spiritual encounter with evil powers, and an incarnational ministry as good news to the poor. / Diese Arbeit untersucht die religiöse Ansprechbarkeit der ruralen Khmer in der Lokation Snoul, Kratie in Kambodscha. Nachdem die methodologischen Voraussetzungen, missiologisch als auch empirisch erörtert sind, werden ein historischer Überblick und die religiösen Entwicklungen dargelegt. Mit den Methoden der qualitativen Sozialforschung und anhand der Dimensionen von Glock wird die Religiösität der ruralen Khmer eruiert, die das Ritual, Erfahrung, Wissen, Sinn im Leben (Ideologie) und das ethische Verhalten betreffen. Die empirischen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass religiöse Erfahrungen zentral für die Religiösität der Khmer sind, in der nach Freude, Glück und Gelingen (FGG) gestrebt wird. Die religiöse Erfahrung ist aber zweigeteilt: Die eine auf die Gegenwart fokussiert, während die andere zukunftorientiert ist. In der missionstheologischen Reflektion wird festgestellt, dass eine missionale Begegnung mit dem religiösen Kontext, einen ganzheitlichen Zugang verlangt, welche sowohl eine narrative Theologie, eine geistliche Begegnung mit den bösen Mächten und ein inkarnatorischen Dienst als das Evangelium für die Armen, beinhaltet. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

The argument advanced is this thesis is that the entities that make up the environment are those that do not owe their origin to any willful creative activity but have evolved through accidental natural processes. This fact of not being willfully created makes the environment ontologically independent and confers on it intrinsic value as opposed to instrumental value. This intrinsic value is one that all the entities that make up the environment share. It is further argued that this intrinsic value is aesthetic rather than moral. Only beings that are specially endowed with certain capacities, like reflection and understanding, could be said, in the context of this work, to have intrinsic moral value in the sense of being moral agents. But as moral agents, we need to give moral considerability to all the natural entities in the environment since they share the same natural right with us, based on our common origin. So, even though the nonhuman, natural entities in the environment do not have moral rights, they have natural rights. It is further argued that this natural right could be best safeguarded in a legal framework.

The argument advanced is this thesis is that the entities that make up the environment are those that do not owe their origin to any willful creative activity but have evolved through accidental natural processes. This fact of not being willfully created makes the environment ontologically independent and confers on it intrinsic value as opposed to instrumental value. This intrinsic value is one that all the entities that make up the environment share. It is further argued that this intrinsic value is aesthetic rather than moral. Only beings that are specially endowed with certain capacities, like reflection and understanding, could be said, in the context of this work, to have intrinsic moral value in the sense of being moral agents. But as moral agents, we need to give moral considerability to all the natural entities in the environment since they share the same natural right with us, based on our common origin. So, even though the nonhuman, natural entities in the environment do not have moral rights, they have natural rights. It is further argued that this natural right could be best safeguarded in a legal framework.

Text in German / This study explores the religious responsiveness of the rural Khmer in the location of Snoul, Kratie in Cambodia. After setting a methodological framework, both missiologically and empirically, a historical overview and religious developments are presented. With the methods of qualitative social research, the religiosity of the rural Khmer is elicited, by using the religious dimensions of rituals, experience, knowledge, meaning of life and ethics as described by Glock. The empirical results demonstrate that religious experience is central to the religiosity of the Khmer, through which they hope to achieve joy, peace and success. The religious experience is, however, twofold. One is focused on the present life; the other is future-oriented. Reflecting the empirical findings missiologically, it will be argued, that the missional encounter to the religious context requires a holistic approach: a narrative theology, spiritual encounter with evil powers, and an incarnational ministry as good news to the poor. / Diese Arbeit untersucht die religiöse Ansprechbarkeit der ruralen Khmer in der Lokation Snoul, Kratie in Kambodscha. Nachdem die methodologischen Voraussetzungen, missiologisch als auch empirisch erörtert sind, werden ein historischer Überblick und die religiösen Entwicklungen dargelegt. Mit den Methoden der qualitativen Sozialforschung und anhand der Dimensionen von Glock wird die Religiösität der ruralen Khmer eruiert, die das Ritual, Erfahrung, Wissen, Sinn im Leben (Ideologie) und das ethische Verhalten betreffen. Die empirischen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass religiöse Erfahrungen zentral für die Religiösität der Khmer sind, in der nach Freude, Glück und Gelingen (FGG) gestrebt wird. Die religiöse Erfahrung ist aber zweigeteilt: Die eine auf die Gegenwart fokussiert, während die andere zukunftorientiert ist. In der missionstheologischen Reflektion wird festgestellt, dass eine missionale Begegnung mit dem religiösen Kontext, einen ganzheitlichen Zugang verlangt, welche sowohl eine narrative Theologie, eine geistliche Begegnung mit den bösen Mächten und ein inkarnatorischen Dienst als das Evangelium für die Armen, beinhaltet. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)