FR. JAROSLAW DURAJ, S.J.

Jarosław Duraj is a Polish Jesuit working in China (Macau). He majored in philosophy and theology in Poland, and was ordained a priest in 2003. He obtained a postgraduate licentiate (STL) in missiology and interreligious dialogue in Rome, and in 2004 he came to the Chinese Province, where he pursued Chinese language studies, first in Taipei and later in Beijing. In 2008 he obtained an M.A. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Hong Kong, and carried out research on Chinese Buddhism at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, and in 2017 he received a Ph.D. in political philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University (PUG) in Rome, after defending his thesis on Erik Voegelin (1901-1985).

He has been involved in inter-religious dialogue, and especially dialogue with Buddhism, and for many years has been committed to research in the field of Buddhist studies, comparative religions, and intercultural philosophy. He has participated in numerous interreligious activities, Buddhist training sessions, and international conferences.

In 2007 he became a disciple of Fr. Kakichi Kadowaki SJ, a Zen Master in the tradition of the Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhist sect. He has also practiced meditation in the tradition of the Chinese Zen Master Shengyan, the founder of the Dharma Drum Mountain in Taiwan, as well as in the tradition of the Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, the founder of the Order of Interbeing.

He is currently based in Macau, where he serves as Vice-Director at the Macau Ricci Institute (MRI), and teaches political science and interreligious dialogue at the University of St. Joseph (USJ).