Living Buddha, living Christ

Nhât Hanh

Book - 1995

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Subjects
Published
New York : Riverhead Books c1995.
Language
English
Main Author
Nhât Hanh (-)
Physical Description
xxvii, 208 p.
ISBN
9781573220187
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, author of more than 70 books, is truly a universal spiritual teacher whose mission is to translate Buddhist precepts into language everyone can understand and to explain the practice of mindfulness in terms of contemporary life. These efforts are in keeping with the Buddhist belief in open-mindedness and the acceptance of change, as is Nhat Hanh's recognition of Jesus as "one of his spiritual ancestors." As he carefully compares key aspects of Christianity with Buddhism, Nhat Hanh distinguishes between the historical and the living Jesus and Buddha, celebrates common ground shared by their teachings, and explicates important differences. His ability to see beyond dogma is in sharp contrast to the rigidity of certain Christian perspectives, a contrast Nhat Hanh discusses with respect and urgency. If there is to be understanding, compassion, and peace in the world, spiritual teachers must learn to honor the "jewels," or "best values," at the heart of diverse traditions, and to keep their own alive by interpreting them in light of the here and now. --Donna Seaman

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Naht Hanh is one of the most respected and revered religious figures in the modern world. During his lifetime he has engaged in a dialog with important Christian figures like Thomas Merton, Dan Berrigan, and Martin Luther King Jr. Here Thich teaches that, contrary to Pope John Paul's assertion of the narrowness of Christian salvation, the concept of mindfulness is the common ground that Buddhism and Christianity occupy. The Buddhist monk explores the ways that each religious community enacts its beliefs, faith, and practice through love, understanding, acceptance, and interbeing. The book is marked by the beauty and simplicity of Thich's mindful wisdom, his evocative prose, and his lucid insights. Highly recommended. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Twenty years ago at a conference I attended of theologians and professors of religion, an Indian Christian friend told the assembly, "We are going to hear about the beauties of several traditions, but that does not mean that we are going to make a fruit salad." When it came my turn to speak, I said, "Fruit salad can be delicious! I have shared the Eucharist with Father Daniel Berrigan, and our worship became possible because of the sufferings we Vietnamese and Americans shared over many years." Some of the Buddhists present were shocked to hear I had participated in the Eucharist, and many Christians seemed truly horrified. To me, religious life is life. I do not see any reason to spend one's whole life tasting one kind of fruit. We human beings can be nourished by the best values of many traditions. Just as a flower is made only of non-flower elements, Buddhism is made only of non-Buddhist elements, including Christian ones, and Christianity is made of non- Christian elements, including Buddhist ones. We have different roots, traditions, and ways of seeing, but we share the common qualities of love, understanding, and acceptance. For our dialogue to be open, we need to open our hearts, set aside our prejudices, listen deeply, and represent truthfully what we know and understand. To do this, we need a certain amount of faith. In Buddhism, faith means confidence in our and others' ability to wake up to our deepest capacity of loving and understanding. In Christianity, faith means trust in God, the One who represents love, understanding, dignity, and truth. When we are still, looking deeply, and touching the source of our true wisdom, we touch the living Buddha and the living Christ in ourselves and in each person we meet. In this small book, I shall try to share some of my experiences of and insights into two of the world's beautiful flowers, Buddhism and Christianity, so that we as a society can begin to dissolve our wrong perceptions, transcend our wrong views, and see one another in fresh, new ways. If we can enter the twenty-first century with this spirit of mutual understanding and acceptance, our children and their children will surely benefit. Excerpted from Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.