Living Buddha, Living Christ

Rating:
Summary: Reflections of Inner Peace and of Beauty
Review: "Living Buddha, Living Christ" is a very simple insight into our lives. Don't expect complex discussions on theology or doctrine, because you won't find it in this work. The reading is very simple, but valuable to those needing improvement in their everyday lives. Most importantly, it breeds religious tolerance. It urges us to participate in interfaith dialogue, transcend dogma, and live in the teachings and life of the Buddha and Christ. Reading this book did not inspire me to go become a Buddhist or a Christian, but rather just to become a better person everyday. I extol Thich Nhat Hanh on what he has had to say here.

A personal note of my own: Chapter 3 is called 'the First Supper.' He tells us that, "mindful eating is an important practice... we eat our meals in silence to make it easier to give our full attention to the food and to the other members of the community." I encourage you to read his work mindfully. I read it in solitude with ambient music as my background. There is no material too complex for any readers. Thich Nhat Hanh gives us something simple but wholesome to offer.

(pp. 58)"To breathe and know you are alive is wonderful."

Rating:
Summary: Christ discussed through Eastern eyes
Review: I love Thich Naht Hanh 's books. His works get to the heart of Buddhist practice and are written in a simple beatiful tone. Let me preface this review by saying that I am a Buddhist and have practiced Zen Buddhism for years now. However, I came from a Christian tradition, even attending Catholic school in my childhood and teenage years.
That being said let me say that this book, although wonderful reading, misses the mark. Living Christ's teachings, as a Buddhist would live the Dharma, is not the same thing as being a Christian. Christian's don't merely belive that Christ's teachings were wonderful, they belive that Christ is the Truth. The son of God, who died for the sins of all humanity, but lives as part of the Holy Trinity. Following the teachings are not enough. A person has to belive in the divininty of Christ to be saved. Faith is what matters most in the Christian tradition.
This is dramatically different than the Dharma (the Buddhist path). Buddhism is something that is done, not something faith based. Equatiting Christ's teachings to that of the Buddha's is something that can be done and done well, but may be an inapproprate in looking at what Christianity is supposed to be: a Faith and not merely a practice.
That being said this is a beatiful book, just one that shows a misunderstanding of the Christian faith. A famous Buddhist saying discribing the Dharma is that the Raft is not the shore. In the Christian faith it is the Raft itself that matters most.

Rating:
Summary: Pearls of wisdom
Review: All religions have as their common thread the Golden Rule expressed in Buddhism as: "Hurt not others with that which pains yourself" and in Christianity as: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". Almost certainly, if Jesus and Buddha were to meet today they would embrace each other and tell us that we have misinterpreted their teachings by permitting or perhaps even advocating religious intolerance, religious rivalry, religious hatred, religious fanaticism and religious war. It was therefore like a breath of fresh air to discover a Buddhist monk from Vietnam who thinks, speaks and acts the Golden Rule - a man about whom Martin Luther King wrote: "I Know Thich Nhat Hanh and am privileged to call him my friend. He is a holy man, for he is humble and devout. He is a scholar of immense intellectual capacity. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity". In 1947 in Egypt early Christian documents were discovered, believed to have been hidden after orders to destroy them as heretical were given by the archbishop of Alexandria. The Gospel of Thomas resonates with the Buddhist tradition. These long-hidden sources show that the early Christian movement contained much more diversity of viewpoint and practice than later Christians acknowledged or even imagined. Because these teachings were smothered, many Christians today are adamant that the only path to God is via Christianity. Shortly after Buddha died there were two schools of Buddhism; after 400 years there were 20 schools; and today there are many more. Each is an attempt to keep the Buddhist teachings alive under new circumstances. Likewise Christianity has splintered into many groups. It is only by respecting the differences within our own church and seeing how these differences enrich one another, that we can be open to appreciating the richness and diversity of other traditions.

Thich Nhat Hanh is not a monk who lives in a hermitage and runs away from the world. For more than 30 years he has been active in combating poverty, ignorance and disease; rescuing boat people; evacuating the wounded from combat zones; resettling refugees; helping the hungry and orphans; opposing wars; training peace and social workers; and rebuilding villages destroyed by bombs. But he has only been able to do this because of the practice of meditation - stopping, calming and looking deeply. It is only through the practice of deep looking and deep listening, that we become free, able to see the beauty and values in our own and others' tradition and that we know what we should be doing in the world.

This book is about interfaith dialogue. "In a true dialogue, both sides are willing to change. We have to appreciate that truth can be received from outside of - not only within - our own group. If we do not believe that, entering into dialogue would be a waste of time. If we think we monopolize the truth and we still organize a dialogue, it is not authentic. We have to believe that by engaging in dialogue with the other person, we have the possibility of making a change within ourselves, that we can become deeper. Dialogue is not a means for assimilation in the sense that one side expands and incorporates the other into its 'self.' Dialogue must be practiced on the basis of 'non-self.' We have to allow what is good, beautiful, and meaningful in the other's tradition to transform us. But the most basic principle of interfaith dialogue is that the dialogue must begin, first of all, within oneself. Our capacity to make peace with another person and with the world depends very much on our capacity to make peace with ourselves."

This book is about seeking peace. "Until there is peace between religions, there can be no peace in the world. People kill and are killed because they cling too tightly to their own beliefs and ideologies. When we believe that ours is the only faith that contains the truth, violence and suffering will surely be the result." And "When there are wars within us, it will not be long before we are at war with others, even those we love. The violence, hatred, discrimination, and fear in society water the seeds of the violence, hatred, discrimination, and fear in us."

This book is about mindfulness: "In Buddhism, our effort is to practice mindfulness in each moment - to know what is going on within and all around us. When the Buddha was asked, 'Sir, what do your monks practice?' he replied, 'We sit, we walk, we eat.' The questioner continued, 'But sir, everyone sits and walks, and eats.' And the Buddha told him, 'When we sit, we know we are sitting. When we walk, we know we are walking. When we eat, we know we are eating.' Most of the time, we are lost in the past or carried away by future projects and concerns."

This book is about being there for others: "The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When our mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers." This book is about meditation. This book is about the common ground between Christianity and Buddhism - for the author there is no conflict in having images of both Jesus and Buddha on his hermitage altar. He worships them both; he touches them both as his spiritual ancestors. This book is wisdom. There are pearls of wisdom on every page of this book for seekers of the truth.

Rating:
Summary: Pearls of wisdom
Review: All religions have as their common thread the Golden Rule expressed in Buddhism as: "Hurt not others with that which pains yourself" and in Christianity as: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". Almost certainly, if Jesus and Buddha were to meet today they would embrace each other and tell us that we have misinterpreted their teachings by permitting or perhaps even advocating religious intolerance, religious rivalry, religious hatred, religious fanaticism and religious war. It was therefore like a breath of fresh air to discover a Buddhist monk from Vietnam who thinks, speaks and acts the Golden Rule - a man about whom Martin Luther King wrote: "I Know Thich Nhat Hanh and am privileged to call him my friend. He is a holy man, for he is humble and devout. He is a scholar of immense intellectual capacity. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity". In 1947 in Egypt early Christian documents were discovered, believed to have been hidden after orders to destroy them as heretical were given by the archbishop of Alexandria. The Gospel of Thomas resonates with the Buddhist tradition. These long-hidden sources show that the early Christian movement contained much more diversity of viewpoint and practice than later Christians acknowledged or even imagined. Because these teachings were smothered, many Christians today are adamant that the only path to God is via Christianity. Shortly after Buddha died there were two schools of Buddhism; after 400 years there were 20 schools; and today there are many more. Each is an attempt to keep the Buddhist teachings alive under new circumstances. Likewise Christianity has splintered into many groups. It is only by respecting the differences within our own church and seeing how these differences enrich one another, that we can be open to appreciating the richness and diversity of other traditions.

Thich Nhat Hanh is not a monk who lives in a hermitage and runs away from the world. For more than 30 years he has been active in combating poverty, ignorance and disease; rescuing boat people; evacuating the wounded from combat zones; resettling refugees; helping the hungry and orphans; opposing wars; training peace and social workers; and rebuilding villages destroyed by bombs. But he has only been able to do this because of the practice of meditation - stopping, calming and looking deeply. It is only through the practice of deep looking and deep listening, that we become free, able to see the beauty and values in our own and others' tradition and that we know what we should be doing in the world.

This book is about interfaith dialogue. "In a true dialogue, both sides are willing to change. We have to appreciate that truth can be received from outside of - not only within - our own group. If we do not believe that, entering into dialogue would be a waste of time. If we think we monopolize the truth and we still organize a dialogue, it is not authentic. We have to believe that by engaging in dialogue with the other person, we have the possibility of making a change within ourselves, that we can become deeper. Dialogue is not a means for assimilation in the sense that one side expands and incorporates the other into its 'self.' Dialogue must be practiced on the basis of 'non-self.' We have to allow what is good, beautiful, and meaningful in the other's tradition to transform us. But the most basic principle of interfaith dialogue is that the dialogue must begin, first of all, within oneself. Our capacity to make peace with another person and with the world depends very much on our capacity to make peace with ourselves."

This book is about seeking peace. "Until there is peace between religions, there can be no peace in the world. People kill and are killed because they cling too tightly to their own beliefs and ideologies. When we believe that ours is the only faith that contains the truth, violence and suffering will surely be the result." And "When there are wars within us, it will not be long before we are at war with others, even those we love. The violence, hatred, discrimination, and fear in society water the seeds of the violence, hatred, discrimination, and fear in us."

This book is about mindfulness: "In Buddhism, our effort is to practice mindfulness in each moment - to know what is going on within and all around us. When the Buddha was asked, 'Sir, what do your monks practice?' he replied, 'We sit, we walk, we eat.' The questioner continued, 'But sir, everyone sits and walks, and eats.' And the Buddha told him, 'When we sit, we know we are sitting. When we walk, we know we are walking. When we eat, we know we are eating.' Most of the time, we are lost in the past or carried away by future projects and concerns."

This book is about being there for others: "The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When our mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers." This book is about meditation. This book is about the common ground between Christianity and Buddhism - for the author there is no conflict in having images of both Jesus and Buddha on his hermitage altar. He worships them both; he touches them both as his spiritual ancestors. This book is wisdom. There are pearls of wisdom on every page of this book for seekers of the truth.

Rating:
Summary: Buddhism and Christianity complement each other...
Review: Oil and water meet in this book. This is a stimulating and provocative book written by a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who attempts, in good will and world peace, to bring Buddhism and Christianity into a harmonious relation.

Thich Nhat Hanh hopes that, if people would look at what these faiths have in common, there could be tolerance and acceptance of each other.

To bring harmony to these two religious belief systems is no small task, and only someone with a large amount of both faith and love would attempt this. Christianity and Buddhism are diametrically opposed: Faith in God. Faith in Self. So acknowledges Hanh when he says, "In Christianity faith means trust in God, in Buddhism faith means confidence in our ability to wake up our deepest capacity."

But then, Hanh has a large amount of both faith and love, and he is no ordinary Vietnamese Buddhist monk. He has been engaged in peace works for almost 40 years. In 1966 he came to the United States and met with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to protest the war in Vietnam. Pushing forward in his belief in peace, he went on to develop The Fellowship of Reconciliation, an interfaith peace organization, with members like Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Merton and Father Daniel Berrigan. Through his life, and with the contact of many strong Christians, he converted to dualism of beliefs.

"On the altar in my hermitage in France are images of Buddha and Jesus and I touch them both," Hanh says. He believes that ignorance brings bondage and disparity, but understanding of another brings liberation and "unlocks the door to the prison of suffering."

He acknowledges as a Buddhist monk that Buddhism does not hold to the belief of God and he recognizes that Christianity is not a religion of believers in God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And in his own, very unique way, he believes too. Especially important to him is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Hanh describes his understanding of Jesus Christ as "one through whom the divine was manifested" but not the only expression of the divine, "it is said that there are 84,000 Dharma doors, doors of teaching . . . it would not be very Buddhist to say that yours is the only door."

In addition to highlighting concepts of Buddhism, Hanh offers Christians a new prism, a new angle from which to look at Jesus, the Holy Spirit, their Christian faith and those of other faiths. He says, "If you satisfy yourself only with praising the name of Jesus, it is not practicing the life of Jesus. We must practice living deeply, lovingly and acting with charity if we wish to truly honor Jesus."

Living Buddha. Living Christ is not a primer on either Buddhism or Christianity but rather a compilation of the two by a Buddhist monk who understands where these two great religions can touch and sometimes even dance. Though Hanh never gets the oil-and-water to mix, he does get them to complement each other. This in itself is a great achievement. An index would have greatly assisted in making this a good reference book as well. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Review: In Living Buddha, Living Christ, Thich Nhat Hanh explains the similarities between all earthly religions, giving particular emphasis on his own background in Buddhism and his view of Christianity as it has been formed by direct interactions both hostile (missionaries in Vietnam) and serene (monks, nuns, and priests met during travels). As somebody that can an outside-in view to both traditions, I heartily concur with Hanh.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book
Review: Thich Nhat Hanh in this work shows everyone just what Zen practice is all about. It is NOT a path where we convert everyone to Zen practitioners, rather, it is a path of acceptance of others as they are. This even includes ourselves. He's not out to make fruit salad here, but rather to reflect upon the benefits of the orange and apple. They are wonderful creations, both providing nourishment if chewed well.

This book is very important for modern times, in an age full of so much religious conflict. If we would like to help others, we must first start from the point of understanding. Without true understanding, we only understand out concept. In this area, we can begin to judge perhaps Christians, or Judaism, even Muslims. Yet true understanding is not about choosing a side, since as we find in Zen, everything just as it is and appears is ALREADY truth. We have no need to make anything, for it's all there. In a nutshell, when someone approaches a religion with a lot of ideas they will find only lie after lie. We must approach these instead with no idea; here they are all the truth.

Sure, sometimes Thay repeats himself here; he reiterates previous points with more light, that would be a more accurate way of putting it. Some Buddhists are put off by this book because it involves Jesus, and some Christians are turned off because it involves the Buddha. So I will offer these people a quote from the late Jesuit priest Anthony de Mello, "Truth only calls for an open mind."

Enjoy the book:)

Rating:
Summary: A very beautiful book with a very beautiful message
Review: In LIVING BUDDHA, LIVING CHRIST author Thich Nhat Hanh, who was nominated by Martin Luther King Jr for a Nobel Prize, opens the reader's eyes to the fact that the underlying core message of both Buddhism and Christianity is basically the same: Love thy neighbor as oneself. Hanh presents this view in a beautiful and lucid style. While it is true that there are Christians who do not agree that Buddhism is an acceptable path, I don't see any place in this book where Hanh denies this - in fact, he quotes the Pope as saying Christianity is the only true religion. Thich Nhat Hanh is not naive; he is visionary and idealist. If you share his ideals then you will find LIVING BUDDHA, LIVING CHRIST to be deeply moving.

Andrew Parodi

Rating:
Summary: Before you cast the first stone
Review: Christians who claim superiority by quoting Jesus' "I am the Truth, The LIfe and The Way" might be abashed to read the "Expedient Means" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which would put an entirely different slant on that statement and give those who take for granted the superiority (and exclusivity) of Christianity something to reconsider.

Unfortunately, Zen Buddhism places more emphasis on the BUddha's earlier sutras, whereas Nichiren Buddhists base their faith primarily on the Lotus Sutra, the last and most important of all the sutras. Readers should be aware that Zen Buddhism is neither the only nor the ultimate representation of this faith, and that there are other sects of Buddhism that have a different slant on Shakamuni's teachings altogether.

If you are really interested in Buddhist teachings, even just as a base of comparison, I recommend more study before you make a judgement, keeping in mind the importance that the Buddha himself placed on his later teachings over his earlier ones.

From an ex-Christian happily converted to Nichiren Buddhism.

Rating:
Summary: Very good, but repetitive and a bit narrow
Review: Thich Nhat Hanh is a living Buddha. Let's get that straight.

However, he tends to repeat his message (often verbatim) from one book to the next. If you know his work, you'll recognize a lot of it here.


On the other hand, if you haven't read him before, then this is a good place to start. It is an admirable attempt at ecumenicalism.

Another caveat: the Christianity that he discusses is not the sort much practiced. That's his point, in part: it should be more practiced. Fair enough, he's right about that. But he tends to cite the Christian mystics with whom he feels most affinity (Thomas Merton, especially) and ignore how most people view Christianity.

In short, if you are a Christian, you should read this book to get another take on your religion. If you are a Buddhist familiar with Thay Hanh's writings, however, you won't find out much about Christianity as it is practiced, and you'll already be familiar with much of what he says about Buddhism.