Abstract

The worlds of religious naturalism and Zen Buddhism are wide-ranging geographies, offering diverse journeys to wisdom and insight. The chance of a traveler from one world meeting a traveler from the other world is certainly within the realm of possibility, and they might find they share certain understandings in common. Or, depending on the history and origin of their journeys, they might be complete strangers to each other. The Zen student would not speak of a relationship with God; the religious naturalist might not be acquainted with nonduality. The degree to which science informs their understanding might be vastly different, and yet both may have experienced a profound sense of awe and appreciation for the mysterious complexity and creativity of the natural world.