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Summary: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
Review: Mr. Hanh shows with resounding clarity, gained through personal experience, that living in mindfulness and dwelling in the Holy Spirit are strikingly similar. He covers many other topics in bringing closer together these two religions while giving fresh perspectives on each. He speaks truth. Truth that can nullify notions that breed hatred. Warning: beware of potential kneejerk reactions; they could blind you to truths that could benefit you. I am thankful for this important book.
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Summary: A "Christ-like" View of Christianity
Review: This is an excellent book for anyone whose mind is open and not mired in dogma. No book can convince anyone who insists on being stubbornly dogmatic. I am a Christian. I practice meditation. The objective of meditation, Christian or Buddhist, is not to empty your mind of everything. The objective is to learn to see.Hahn does view Christ as a living person and a historical figure. In fact, he very pointedly remarks that most Christians seem to be more interested in Christian dogma than in what Christ actually did-the example he lived for all of us. By the way, "Living Christ" is part of the title. "Traditional" Christianity has much in common with the Pharisees of Jesus' day. Now that Hanh is living and speaking in a Christ-like way, it's not surprising that he's encountering resistance, misunderstanding, and intolerance. "Traditional" Christianity is what it is, not because of being true to itself, but because of being true to Western Civilization's ethos of valuing material things, exploiting nature, and controlling the masses for political gain. Christianity and Science (the modern religion) both struggle with the problems that arise from the presumed existence of an objective world. "Traditional" Christianity diverged from the teachings of Christ within the very first century of the Church. Hanh exposes this quite convincingly, as long as you're not afraid to see it. Some reviewers have suggested that a Buddhist such as Hanh has no authority in defining what Christianity is or what it means to be a Christian. Who does? The very labels "Buddhist" vs. "Christian" cause a divisiveness that is as unfortunate as it is unnecessary. Each one of us is a human being on a spiritual journey. Ultimate Truth is self-evident and cannot be expressed in any system of thought, language, or symbols. Does the Universe conform to a Buddhist view or a Christian view? Is a photon a wave or a particle? Authority ultimately resides with the observer.
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Summary: If you are unsure whether Buddhism is for you read this book
Review: I was raised Baptist and felt ashamed when I started learning about Buddhism. I read this book and it made me realize that Buddhism is very similar to Christianity. I am now exploring other books by the same author and I feel "Living Buddha Living Christ" opened my eyes to a whole new world and a whole new me! I think everyone of any religion should read this book! It will help you become happier with yourself and your life!
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Summary: Great Attempt
Review: Thich Nhat Hanh makes a great attempt at starting a productive dialogue between Christians and Buddhists, by drawing upon Jesus' life as well as Sakyamuni's and finding parallells. This is a great way to start, and Hanh seems to have a fine instinct in his ability to go to the very heart of Christ's teachings, but he goes a little too far, I think, in some areas. Some of what he is saying borders on an eclectic sort of syncretism, which does justice to neither faith by seeking to make alike what is different. At one point he criticises Pope John Paul II for some of his words to the effect that Jesus is the only way to god and that all other paths are basically heresy (although JP uses more sugary words). However, Roman Catholics hold to the view of papal infallibility . . . and this sort of criticism is in effect a criticism of Christianity . . . not so much because the pope mentioned it as beacause it expresses the attitude of most Christians. To a Christian, there can be only one path . . . theirs. To a Buddhist, the Christian path may be marginally acceptable in some areas, but the reverse is not true. Hanh interprets the Bible in a Buddhist manner . . . personally I think that this is closer to what Jesus' meant on the first place than the way the Christians usually interpret his words, but doing so will not make one any more likely to be heard among the people who he is trying to reach. He mentions that one needs to be free of concepts, and not bound by any doctrine . . . I tend to agree, but at the same time, the whole of Christianity as it has been understood since its inception has regarded that doctrine, the ideas, as essential, and immutable. In other words, Hanh is requiring that Christianity be Buddhism for it to be acceptable. (Also, how one can be victim of a 'wrong view', without concepts, is something of a mystery to me). He regards Jesus as one of his spiritual ancestors, and indeed the Gnostic Gospels discovered lately in Egypt by Muhammad Ali seem to show Jesus and his disciples as closer to the Buddhist notion of teacher/students and Boddhisattva/Buddha-To-Be's than as the singular god-man that Christians make him out to be. Still, for one to take the Gnostic gospels seriously and to take into heart Hanh's notions, Christianity would have to be totally restructured. His ideas of Mindfulness and the Holy Spirit . . . that the seed of the Kingdom of God within one and one's Bhudda-nature are one in the same seem to open up a promising area of dialogue, but his notion that one needs to draw a firm distinction between the historical Christ and the Christ within will not get very far in a dogma-bound faith like Christianity, as in Christianity these two are seen as inseparable. The book tried admirably to get a productive dialogue started, but unless attitudes change on a massive scale, this simply will not happen . . . in other words, it will not happen except in isolated pockets of open minded people who do not need to be told the things that Hanh is trying to get across. To a Christian, the singleness of Christ and his position as the ONE saviour cannot be compromised unless Christianity becomes something else. this is in keeping with Bishop Spong's view, but it will never be adopted by many. Still, many of the sentiments that Hanh expresses seem so genuone and heartlfelt that it is very difficult to not be impressed with this man. Few people have had to put up with such persecution and pain as he did in Vietnam, and to see how he came through it all with an obvious sense of love for others and greatfulness towards life is really inspiring. If you are interested in early Chrsitianity, mysticism (Christian or Buddhist), Buddhism and Gnosticism, and interfaith dialogue, this may be a great book to read, but don't expect it to make much of a wave in the move towards tolerance.
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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."
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Summary: Very Useful Book with A Major Flaw
Review: Nhat Hanh has written a book that can be of much use to Christians and to a Buddhist-Christian dialog. He seems to be open to such a dialog and to the presence of truth in Christianity. He observes many parallels, similarities and even identical elements between the two faiths and describes those relationships with wisdom and insights from his own tradition that might profitably be adopted and put into practice by Christians. His search for common ground is far reaching, and he generously overlooks the many differences. But this strength is also a weakness. He sees a sameness where there is only a slight analogy and tends to identify realities that are not the same at all. Despite some similarities the Three Jewels are not the Trinity, mindfulness is not the Holy Spirit, nirvana is not God, and Nhat Hanh's description of Christianity in this book is not Christianity. In writing as he does about what a Buddhist understands on hearing certain Christian terms, he almost also seems to imply that once the West gets rid of its divisive, conceptual, and therefore useless, doctrines, it will probably be clear to all that Christianity is just Buddhism in disguise. True dialog demands that we honor the authentic tradition of the other and not seek to reduce it to our own. This goes for Nhat Hanh as well as the Vatican. Nevertheless there is much for the Christian to learn from this work, not least of which is the need to practice and not simply to profess one's faith.
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Summary: An insightful book
Review: Is an apple another word for orange? No, but it's another word for fruit, and more significantly it is another word for food, which is Hahn's message in this book. When we experience the depths and heart of both Christianity and Buddhism, we notice we are all eating exactly the same food. There is only One Spiritual Truth, and I believe Christians and Buddhists are very much in touch with It, only from a different perspective. This is an excellent book. Hahn is on the ball.
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Summary: What is this???
Review: I'm sure Thich Nhat Hanh had good intentions when writing this book. However, it's a disturbingly shallow book on a very important topic. What do I mean by shallow? For example, Nhat Hanh compares the Christian Holy Trinity with the Buddhist Triple Gem. Other than the number three I see no similarities there. "Nirvana is another word for God", says Nhat Hanh. Is an apple another word for an orange? The Buddha and Jesus did share simialar ideals but the foundations of their thought is vastly different. This book waters down both Buddhism and Chirstianity to present a mixture of anything and everything - which leaves you with nothing. For alternative reads, consider Carmody's Serene Compassion and and the Dalai Lama's The Good Heart.
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Summary: A wise and beautiful book about you and your neighbors
Review: I originally purchased the book because Elaine Pagels put her stamp of approval on it (she wrote the introduction). This is a wise and beautiful book. If you're caught up in dogma, tradition and need to be pampered and saved, this book might not be for you. If you wish to live, learn and love humanely, open your mind and look beyond the horizon, you'll enjoy this feast. I keep this book by my bedside table, close to my "YES Yoko Ono" art book, very different yet very similar books. I'm not interested in any one religion but I very much enjoy being human. Our culture and history weighs us with so much baggage. Life is full of illusion and delusion. There is a simplicity and honesty behind all that distracts and prejudices us as individuals and a culture. So much talk about "peace" and "love" yet we remain empty headed to the Truth behind our existence. This book brings what's of importance to the surface. A book to read in whole and in parts over and over again. A book of healing and awakening. No great revelations. Just you reading about you and your neighbors.
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Summary: Love is the major difference
Review: In his usual poetic prose Hanh seeks to identify a common ground between Buddhism and Christianity. Of course there is some common ground between the two, after all there were six centuries in which Buddhist traditions/beliefs could have made it to the middle east to be incorporated into Christian tradition. Indeed, several commentators have pointed out clear Buddhist teachings and sayings of Lao Tze within Christian writings. This is hardly common ground, we know it as common... But with regards to teachings themselves whilst Hanh says that Buddhists and Christians are tapping into the same thing, he is making a demonstrable fundamental error. The difference is love. Whereas the Buddhist is trying to lose themself in attempting to experience reality or "suchness" the Christian describes a feeling of love between themself and God. These are two different experiences. It is possible to induce feelings of love in oneself by visualization techniques or fantasy, this much has been known for a long time. Indeed within the martial philosophies this technique of stimulating the body's own opiates, endorphins, is often studied...There are many other differences which Hanh also glosses over or ignores. One wonders whether he could square Luke 14:26 in which Christ enjois his followers to hate their kith and kin, with the Buddhas teachings...Hanh then is really doing Christianity no favours in this text and I am somewhat perplexed by what he feels Buddhism to be. Any reader seeking to understand either Buddhism or Christianity would be well advised to look elsewhere.
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