𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞.
Last month, February 26, theology students from the Saint Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute (SATMI) flocked to the Polian Temple in Quirino Avenue, Davao City for a morning of encounter with some of the city’s lay Buddhists. The initiative, arranged by the students’ professor Dr. Crescencia Gabijan, was an opportunity to listen to Buddhist practitioners recount their stories of faith, life, and spirituality.
The visit, a class activity on Dialogue and Other Religions, consisted of a tour of the temple and a group conversation with the temple’s custodians. This talk, which took the entire morning, covered several engaging topics, namely: the history of the Polian temple, key Buddhist teachings and prayer, the reality of Buddhist beliefs intersecting and comingling with the Christian faith, and a short introduction on Taoism. The visit ended with a hearty vegetarian lunch courtesy of the temple staff.
The visiting class was composed of brothers from the Brothers of the Holy Family, Order of Friars Minor (OFM), and the Redemptorists.
