Readiness: Preparing for the path. (Christian responses to buddhist spiritual practice). From: Buddhist-Christian Studies | Date: January 1, 2001| Author: Muck, Terry C. | COPYRIGHT 2001 University of Hawaii Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

One important lesson I learned from studying the way early Buddhist monks practiced the spiritual life was the lesson of readiness. (1) Before a person can make any progress on the spiritual path of his or her choice, they must be ready to undertake the path. I have come to see readiness as the foundational step on any religion's spiritual path.

Let me tell you how I came to this understanding in the specific case of Theravada Buddhism, and then I will explain how I have...