Hospitality: Ideologies, characteristics and conditionality in Theravada Buddhism and Western philosophy

Hospitality is central to the social fabric of many societies, however, the term has contested meanings and is discussed and interpreted differently in different discourses. After exploring the concept of hospitality, this review analyses the meanings and ideologies of hospitality in Theravada Buddhism and Western philosophy. It acknowledges the dominant view of hospitality that is largely grounded in Western philosophical traditions, where key concepts include understandings of hospitality in relation to God, conditional and unconditional hospitality, and universal hospitality. However, in Buddhism, hospitality is seen as a part of dana - 'generous giving' - the first step in breaking attachment to desire, and a fundamental virtue of the spiritual life. This review of conceptualizations of hospitality in Western and Eastern contexts surrenders both similarities and differences, and although the concepts of host, guest and hospitality are similar, Theravada Buddhism provides new insights into the nature of reciprocity and conditionality, with consequent implications for Western understandings of hospitality.