Theravada Buddhism and Christianity seem fundamentally opposed in that Theravada Buddhism insists that only individual effort saves, while Christianity insists that only God's grace saves. Yet deeper reflection on Buddhist meditation and Christian conversion shows far more common ground. Each tradition comes to a core paradox：the effortless effort of Buddhist meditation and the graced effort that leads to Christian faith. I argue that both are wrestling with the same paradox：the human mystery of conditioned freedom with Theravada Buddhism emphasizing the dimension of active effort and Christianity the complementary dimension of sensitive receptivity. Mutual understanding is eminently possible.
