Welcoming Flowers is a pointed critique of the Buddhism chapter of Pope John Paul II’s 1994 best seller,
Crossing the Threshold of Hope,
written by the highly respected Buddhist teacher Thinley Norbu. In
responding to the false charges of Buddhists’ indifference to the world
and rejection of reality, Norbu clarifies the Buddhist doctrines of
detachment and enlightenment. In addition, he covers the topics of good
and evil, human nature, karma, cosmology, and dualistic mind, bringing
them into conversation with the Christian perspective as presented by
the Pope. Norbu’s approach is not to shoot back arrows in attack of
Catholicism but to spread “welcoming flowers”—that is, to present the
exalted teachings of the Buddha in all their loveliness. In this sense,
the book serves as a helpful introduction to the Buddhist worldview.
116 pages. Paperback.