La vulnerabilidad como revelación compasiva: la respuesta emocional de Jesús en Jn 11,33-38 en diálogo con el budismo tailandés

Abstract

This article investigates Jesus’ emotional response to the death of Lazarus in John 11:33-38 as a privileged hermeneutical locus for interreligious dialogue and Christian initiation of catechumens of Buddhist origin in Lampang, Thailand. Through an exegetical analysis of the Johannine pericope, the study argues that Jesus’ agitation and tears are not merely affective expressions but theologically charged manifestations of an embodied compassion that integrates Christological, anthropological, and soteriological dimensions. This biblical configuration of compassion is contrasted with the Theravada Buddhist notions of dukkha and karuṇā, which emphasize detachment and equanimity, as well as with the Mahāyāna reinterpretation of compassion through the bodhisattva ideal, understood as an altruistic commitment to assume the suffering of others to facilitate their liberation. The comparative analysis reveals ethical convergences and ontological divergences pertinent to inculturation processes and to the development of contextually grounded catechumenal frameworks. On this basis, the article proposes a theological–pastoral model for Christian initiation in Buddhist contexts rooted in dialogical hermeneutics, critical inculturation, and integrative practices of interiority. The study concludes that Jesus’ compassionate humanity constitutes a robust theological category for pedagogical and mystagogical mediation in intercultural settings shaped by Theravada and Mahāyāna Buddhist traditions.