Living Buddha, Living Christ

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful book
Review: This is such an enlightening book, and as a Christian, I find it so refreshing to learn that when we open our scope and delve into other perspectives and beliefs, not only can we rationally see how they fit in with our own perspective, but we can greatly deepen and illuminate our own faith while remaining deeply rooted within it.

Hanh expresses the importance for all religious traditions to discover a true dialogue and to strive for a deeper path of understanding and compassion within religious faith. He points out that while retaining our cultural roots, we can share the jewels of other religions while fully appreciating the broader scope and common ground that lies within the heart of all religions. The author rightly points out that arguing, bickering and intolerance between people of faith reveal signs of insecurity and a lack of inner peace.

Here are some typical quotes which convey the author's basic message...

"When we touch the ultimate dimension of Reality, we get the deepest kind of relief. Each of us has the capacity to touch Nirvana. Christian contemplation includes the practice of resting in God which I believe is the equivalent of touching Nirvana. .... The Kingdom of God is available here and now. The energy of the Holy Spirit is the energy that helps us touch the Kingdom of God. ...I do not think there is that much difference between Christians and Buddhists. ... A truly happy Christian is really a Buddhist. And vice-versa".

Complementing what Hanh says here, Jesus says in Luke 17.21, "The Kingdom of God does not come visibly. No one will say 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!'; because the Kingdom of God is WITHIN you" ... "The Kingdom of God is at hand." (Mark 1.15) ... Jesus then says in his sermon on the mount that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are humble and who seek the light. (Matthew 5.3-10).

Hahn goes on to say, "Real dialogue makes us more open minded, tolerant and understanding. In a true dialogue, we allow the good, the beautiful and the meaningful in the other's tradition to transform us. ... When we have peace within, real dialogue with others is possible. ... The career of the practitioner is the career of enlightenment. Enlightenment here means 'Touching the Ultimate'."

It is true that people often try to place God in a little box, claiming that God can only exist one way or the other. For instance, while a theist might say that God exists exclusively "up there and out there", a Buddhist, such as Hahn, might describe God exclusively as "the Ground of Being". According to Christian doctrine, both cases are true and neither one is wrong. (Acts 17.28; Ephesians 4.6; Romans 11.36; John 4.24; Wis. 12.1)

The concept of a 'distant' or exclusively external God, (such as the old, bearded man sitting on a cloud), has arisen, I believe, due to poetic imagery from the Old Testament being approached as literal statements. Core Buddhism is agnostic in principle, and when Eastern wisdom is merged with Western wisdom, we find the Full Picture of Ultimate Reality.

Where there are inconsistencies within philosophies, a Christian will obviously interpret it from their Christian perspective. In light of science's discovery that life and human consciousness had a beginning, and that there was a time when we did not exist, I feel that belief in a Creator God and an Mindful Source makes greater sense of Reality. (This is obviously my Christian perspective). I certainly believe that all religions are essentially in touch with "the real Light - the light that comes into the world and shines on everyone" (John 1.9), only from a different perspective and cultural context.

I found that this book, more than any other (somewhat ironically) confirmed my belief that Christ IS the only Way to God.

Rating:
Summary: A Moving Call to Deeper Understanding
Review: In the spirit of full disclosure, I want to start by saying that I am a Buddhist and admirer of Thich Nhat Hanh. With that said, this is my heartfelt take on this book: Many have said that "Living Buddha, Living Christ" misrepresents and distorts Christianity in favor of Buddhism, but I feel they are incorrect. What Nhat Hanh argues for in this book is the dropping of our concepts of Christ and of Buddha. If we are caught in our own concepts, then we believe we have nothing to learn. If we stop learning and realizing, then we will not continue our voyage of spiritual discovery. Culturally, the East and West have been caught in dogma instead of direct spiritual experience, and Thich Nhat Hanh asks us to let go of our concepts and realize that the Truth is indeed beyond our petty attempts to capture it in our narrow, sectarian views. Many observations he makes may not be "orthodox", but that is the point: religions must be open to examination and honest inquiry if we are to grow beyond our current limited understanding. This applies to both Buddhism and Christianity. He is not afraid of reinterpreting his own tradition or others, because the faith expressed in this book is one of personal experience, not mystical conjecture. Nhat Hanh insists that a belief must be open to examination and reinterpretation or else it is frozen and "dead". His quoting of Gnostic gospels is, in my opinion, very fitting, precisely because it is not status quo. It shows that alternate views are historically and culturally relevant. If it had not been for the politics of the early Christian church, some form of Gnostic view would very likely be the orthodox view today. (Note: "Gnostic" is a very broad term which actually comprises several different views which were grouped together as one "heresy" by their detractors. These views were very popular among many early Christians.) Nhat Hanh's use of Gnostic references is a valid attempt to show that just because something is orthodox does not mean it is the only (or best) answer. It must not be overlooked that Nhat Hanh is not tryng to set up new dogma, but rather trying to show us how to transcend our narrow views. It is a verifiable fact that all experience is subjective, and he makes an excellent case for humility and wisdom when dealing with others' perceptions of reality. Perhaps if we all could let go of our desire to have THE answers and THE inside track, we could see beyond the established views we have been fed and experience the world around us with clarity and compassion, which are core teachings of both Christianity and Buddhism. This beautifully written, poetic prose points us to a place beyond comfortable "because-I-said-so" theology, and helps put us face to face "the All", of which we are a part.

Rating:
Summary: difference matters too
Review: I read the rebuttle that michael notz wrote to an earlier review and can't believe that he can't see the flaws in his logic. There certainly is a differnce between saying buddhism and christianity have common ground and equating buddism with christianity and vice versa. This is what thich nhat han does in this book. Common ground is great, but real tolerance is tolerating differece and diversity, not pretending it doesn't exist. I can disagree with someone and still respect there point of view without embracing it. I respect thich nhat han, but that doesn't mean I have to like every thing he has to say. There is a world of difference between tolerating and respecting other points of view and pretending that they are the same. Every one can tolerate sameness, real tolerance is admiting difference and still showing respect. Even a buddha can't ride a peanut and shell a camel. I can't recommend this book very strongly, but this are a few good things about it.

Rating:
Summary: Christ and Buddha are the same, especially Buddha.
Review: I give Thich four stars not because I think he knows much aboutJesus, nor because I think he has tried very hard to understand, butbecause he gives a winning explanation of Buddhism. (Especially in the philosophical and moral form Westerners are most likely to find attractive.) Many of his insights are of value to anyone, including Christians, particularly in regard to mindfulness. There is a great deal of psychological truth to be found here, though I sometimes doubt the author's commitment to ultimate truth about reality.

Such doubts pull at me from the text of this book. "For a Buddhist to be attached to any doctrine, even a Buddhist one, is to betray the Buddha." Yet Thich never seems to question own "non-doctrinal" doctrines, including this one. Thich defines his beliefs as "insights" as opposed to "doctrines," and seems to embrace them all the more tightly. Perhaps that is the advantage of calling them "insights." If I say "I believe x," one can argue with that, but if I say, "I see x," no further argument is possible.

Thich also habitually interprets Christian Scripture in a way that radically changes its meaning. "Be still and know that I am God," comes to mean, not awareness of the Creator who made us, as to the Psalmist, but the opposite, an erasing of boundaries between Creator and created. When Jesus said "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life," Thich similarly takes the bite out of his words: "The I in his statement is life itself." In fact, of course, when Jesus said "I," he meant himself, as do we all. But Thich is not willing to face Jesus on his own terms, so there is a continuous undercurrent of spin-doctoring whenever Thich opens the Gospels. He even has the gall to rebuke the Pope for misunderstanding Christianity in saying that Jesus is "unique" and "the one mediator between God and man." Actually, of course, it is Thich who misunderstand Jesus' words on the subject, with cold premeditation. Thich is attached to his doctrine of non-attachment, so he cannot take Christianity as is, but reduces it to one of Buddha's 80,000 paths to nirvana. That is a perenial temptations of monism. But the Dalai Lama, who seems more willing to allow the other to be other, seems more truly openminded to me.

I agree with Thich that no mortal has a "monopoly on the truth." I think it is simplistic however to say that people "kill and are killed because they cling too tightly to their own beliefs." People murder for all kinds of reasons, sometimes because they have no faith, sometimes because they have faith in the wrong thing, sometimes because they have the wrong kind of faith in the right thing. Let us not squelch our desire for truth with such sweeping and simplistic generalizations. I think Thich understands the words of Buddha, from a particular point of view, fairly well. But if we are really going to gain from one another's viewpoints, I think we need to listen to the words of Christ more forthrightly than Thich shows to have done here. In the end, Thich's version of Jesus is no more honest to the Gospels than the outlandish stories of Jesus going to the Himilayas to learn magic. G.K.Chesterton once remarked on Buddhists making the two teachings equal, "especially Buddhism." He noted, by contrast: "An open mind, like an open mouth,is meant to be closed on something solid." I don't fault Thich for being closed-minded, but I do fault him for not realizing it, and for closing his mind without really considering Jesus' claim to be the solid Truth whose acts in history are the goal of human seeking. I would also dispute his assumption that Christianity has no "roots" in Asian culture. In fact, (and I know this will sound absurd to most people) I argue that its roots go much deeper into many Asian cultures than Buddhism.

Author, Jesus and the Religions of Man (July 2000)

Rating:
Summary: Mixing blue and yellow to get green
Review: I am a Christian who has lived in a Buddhist country and therefore understand both religions well. I agree that there are many similarities between the two faiths and that Christians and Buddhists should be more cooperative. However, sometimes in the effort to merge two religions, you end up destroying the unique aspects of each and the final result is a new religion. The author of this book isn't really supportive of what C.S. Lewis would call "mere Christianity" nor is he even supportive of traditional Buddhism. Instead of reconciling both faiths, he is really only advocating that Christians and Buddhists adopt Zen Buddhism. There is some good wisdom in this book but it doesn't really support living Christ or living Buddha. It should be called, "Living as a Zen Buddhist"

Rating:
Summary: A Book for the Few of Us
Review: Catholicism has been my faith for all of my life and I don't foresee anything disrupting that faith. However, being a Philosophy minor in college, I have come to realize the deep value of Buddhist thought. Thich Nhat Han successfully bridges the gulf between the two traditions in a way that no one else could. Too many people focus on the differences, but the aspects that they share in common are perfectly emulated in this book. An increasingly popular term in the media for just this way of thinking is "Zen Catholic," and what better way of finding out exactly what a Zen Catholic is, than by reading "Living Buddha, Living Christ."

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening!
Review: Being raised a Catholic for 30 years, spending the last 6 in the study of Buddhism I always felt the two were more alike then not. The ven., Thich Nhat Hanh has both simply and eloquently described how thses two philosophies are of the same notion. In fact, I learned more about True Christianity from reading this text then living as a Catholic for all those years. Wonderful book that those wishing to truly understand the word of God A must read.

Rating:
Summary: The Mindfulness of Christ, the Saving Grace of Buddha
Review: Having raced through the book the first time, absolutely engrossed in the loving kindness of Thich Nhat Hanh himself, I am now enjoying Living Buddha, Living Christ in small morsels everyday. Every chapter, every page contains an insight that broadens and deepens by Christian faith, opens my eyes to more of the best of my faith, and teaches me how to look at the world through Buddhist eyes as well. More than that, it's a tremendously inspiriational guide to being alive and in the moment. I treasure this little book today and refer to it every day in mediation; it's part of my routine. Nothing bad can come of this book -- everything that comes from its pages enhances and teaches loving kindness, compassion, tolerance, awe in the majesty of God, grace, acceptance and joy in the Holy Spirit, simple and honest meditation practice, and love of salvation through Christ Jesus. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? It's only the beginning.

Rating:
Summary: A good attempt to show commonality
Review: Thich Nhat Hanh's attempt to portray the commonality between Christianity and Buddhism is sometimes awkward and utilizes Gnostic Gospel text that may not be accepted by more conservative or fundamentalist Christians. (I would highly recommend Elaine Pagels' "The Gnostic Gospels" as a quick introduction to the Gnostic Christians) However, it does make a number of excellent observations of the parallels of the teachings of Jesus and Buddha and begs the question of what the meeting of these to men would be like if they were able to meet in person. Thây's plea to release ourselves from our notions and concepts and to look open mindedly at all faiths is much needed in our fragmented world. This book helps one to see through much of the dogma and doctrine that perpetuates the mythology of terminal uniqueness and guides us gently to a better understanding of both Buddhist and Christian traditions. I would also recommend highly Thich Nhat Hanh's "Going Home, Jesus and Buddha as Brothers".

Rating:
Summary: The best book about buddhism and christianity
Review: This book was the best book on Buddhism I have ever read. It is an easy read but a book that brings enlightenment to your life. I was brought up as a Lutheran. after reading this book it has answered more of my own questions about religion than any book or minister have ever given me. I had many unanswered questions and felt I was a misfit in my own religion until I read this book. I know more now than I ever learned in church and feel my own religion is changing to Buddhism. Thanks for a book that is very easy to read and understand. The author writes this book in a language for everyone to understand and enjoy.