WILLIAM JOHNSTON, who has died in Tokyo aged 85, was a Jesuit theologian who wrote extensively on Zen and Christian contemplation.
Domiciled in Japan for most of his adult life, he became actively involved in inter-religious dialogue, especially with Buddhists.
After 9/11 he wrote in the Tablet : “We used to say that dialogue between the religions is necessary for world peace. Now we can say that dialogue between the religions is necessary for world survival.”
Only prayerful dialogue between Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism could save the planet from destruction, he continued. “What a responsibility we have!”
He was born in Belfast in 1925. The youngest of four sons of William Johnston, a civil servant, and his wife Winnie (née Clearkin), he grew up on the Falls Road and attended the Dominican convent.
In 1932 the family moved to Holyhead, Wales, and later to Aigburth, Liverpool. There he attended an elementary school, “run by a tyrannical Irish nun”, and later joined his brothers at the St Francis Xavier school.
In 1940 he returned to Belfast where he attended St Malachy’s college. In 1943 he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Emo, Co Laois.
He studied classics at University College Dublin, gaining first-class honours. In 1948 he began studying philosophy at Tullabeg, Co Offaly, and in 1951 he was assigned to Japan, joining the Jesuit community at Taura. After two years learning Japanese he joined the staff of Sophia University, Tokyo, to teach English.
He then studied theology at Shakujii, and became interested in mysticism, Zen Buddhism and inter-religious understanding. On completing his studies he was ordained a priest in March 1957.
In 1958 he spent six months in Rome, which he later described as “nothing short of a revolution” in his life. In Brussels he studied at the Lumen Vitae catechetical institute. He immersed himself in the study of mysticism, encountering traditions such as TM (transcendental meditation).
Following a brief spell ministering in a New York parish, he returned in 1960 to Japan, and resumed teaching at Sophia University. His doctoral thesis was published as The Mysticism of the Cloud of Unknowing (1978), and is widely regarded as his best book.
His other works include The Still Point: Reflections on Zen and Christian Mysticism (1970), Silent Music: the Science of Meditation (1974), and The Inner Eye of Life: Mysticism and Religion (1978)
He translated Endo Shusaku’s novel Chinmoku , published in English as Silence (1969). Some colleagues were offended, as the novel’s central character was a Jesuit apostate. The translation was highly praised.
As his reputation grew, he was invited to preach and teach abroad.
His travels took him to the US, UK, Australia, China and the Philippines.
He made several visits to Ireland.
His autobiography, Mystical Journey (2006), clearly shows that while his commitment to the welfare of the Catholic Church was never in doubt, he passionately believed all religions should strive to work together in peace.
He suffered a stroke two years ago which left him bedridden and unable to speak.
This week Paul Andrews SJ said: “Fr Bill Johnston spent his Jesuit life on the frontiers, exploring the common ground between Christian and Buddhist mysticism, seeking words to express what is beyond language. Now he has slipped from the Cloud of Unknowing to the state where ‘he will know even as he is known’. May God be good to him.”
His brother Kevin, extended family members and Jesuit con-freres survive him.
SIC: IT/IE
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