Reddit mentions of Living Buddha, Living Christ

Have you heard of the book Living Buddha, Living Christ? It was written by a well-known monk (endorsed by major Christian leaders) and is about how the teachings of Buddha and teachings of Christ relate to each other. There are obviously major teachings of the Church that don't carry over into Buddhism, but ideas of holiness, loving your neighbor and mindfulness sure do.
Learning about the peaceful and loving nature of Buddhism has helped shape my faith. For example, reading Buddhist teachings helped me understand how to love my neighbor in new ways. But I'm careful to apply these concepts in the framework of my Catholic beliefs, rather than adopt Buddhism as a religion.

Well, I was a Catholic for the first 19 or so years of my life. Went through confirmation, and even was on my church's parish council for awhile as a youth advisor. My parents aren't very devout (my dad is agnostic) and my mom got fed up with the church after all the pedophilia problems -- so they didn't really care what I did, so converting to Buddhism wasn't that big of a deal.

But my best advice to you is be patient. Don't let them stop you from studying Buddhism if you're interested in it.

Also, how old are you? I'm assuming you're still living at home? I wouldn't even mention it unless they bring it up. Once you're out on your own you'll have a lot more opportunity to do whatever you want.

Another book that might help you would be Thich Naht Hanh's Living Buddha, Living Christ. It might help them find some common ground.

You could also talk to them about Thomas Merton:

>Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968) was a 20th century Anglo-American Catholic writer. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist and student of comparative religion. In 1949, he was ordained to the priesthood and given the name Father Louis.[1][2][3]

>Merton wrote more than 70 books, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews, including his best-selling autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), which sent scores of disillusioned World War II veterans, students, and even teen-agers flocking to monasteries across the US,[4][5] and was also featured in National Review's list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century.[6] Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding. He pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama, the Japanese writer D.T. Suzuki, and the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Merton has also been the subject of several biographies.

That being said, there definitely are some fundamental differences in what Buddhism presents and what Catholicism presents. When you get deeper into Buddhism, the Christian concepts of a creator god, eternal heaven/hell really just don't work in terms of practice and view.

My common argument for Christians who have a problem with the Buddhist path is that the whole point of the Buddhist path is to free every sentient being everywhere from all suffering. Would a compassionate God really not want me to try and do that?

If your family doesn't think the Buddhist path has the potential to make you a better person that Catholicism does, I think the best way to prove them wrong is to be quiet about Buddhism and let your actions and speech show them. Buddhist practice and study does have a transformative effect, so when they notice the changes in your they'll get curious as to why they're happening, and then it might be time for a real discussion.

You should check out Living Buddha Living Christ.

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Buddha-Christ-Thich-Nhat/dp/1573225681

Welcome to adulthood: that awkward moment where you realize that you actually know more about the world than your parents (instead of just thinking you do, like most teens).

I feel your pain. My mom, who has never been religious, announced recently that she wants to be a Buddhist. I guess she's reading this book. I'm doing my best to point out to her that the parts of both Christianity and Buddhism which are worth keeping, are universally true, and have nothing to do with the religions themselves.

I was born into a Buddhist (immediate) family. So, I was always supported in my practice. However, I have extended family who are very Fundamentalist, Conservative Christian. If they were my immediate family, my experience would've been much different. As well, I have many friends who "came out" as Buddhist to their family and had pretty terrible experiences, at first (both as young people living in their families' homes and adults no longer dependent on their parents).
Your parents do not need to know right now about your spiritual pursuits. If they ask you flat out, I'm not a fan of lying. But, there are also ways of wording things to make them less 'painful' for others. Such as, "I'm looking into other paths, just to see what's out there." As opposed to "Mom, Dad, I'm a Buddhist and that's what I want and none of your business!"
I don't think you can always gauge how people will react. I've heard of instances where people thought their parents were going to freak out and instead they were completely supportive, saying that they had done some spiritual searching when they were younger, as well. Then, I've had friends who thought their parents were going to be fine, and instead their parents completely flipped out, destroying Buddhist items (malas, books, etc). I've had extended family members who have disowned me due to my religious and political beliefs, even though I've been nothing but supportive of them. You never know how difficult a lack of control is to another person.
Which is why I suggest waiting until you're more independent (in college, etc) to begin a conversation. However, it's your choice. Just be prepared for any and every possible outcome.
Fortunately, Buddhism seems to do well for you. It seems like you're becoming the person you want to be--more compassionate, empathetic, etc. So, when the conversation does happen, you'll be able to discuss this aspect of it. How you feel it's helped you become a "better" person.
I agree that finding a community of believers would be helpful for your own personal pursuits. With technology these days, that could even be online! Check around your town. There are Buddhists everywhere. Sometimes you just have to look a little harder to find them. Try a yoga class or coffee shops around a university or college (I know, super stereotypical!).
There are tons of great books out there that bridge the gap between Buddhism and Christianity. For instance, Thich Nhat Hanh's 'Living Buddha, Living Christ'. I have friends who are Christian pastors and teach meditation to their congregation. Two churches in my city (and I live in the midwest) have 'Labyrinths' for walking meditation on their premises. But, I understand that that's definitely not the mainstream or Conservative Christian perspective.
Good luck. Remember that you have plenty of time! Feel free to PM me with any questions or if you want to chat further. We're all on this crazy journey together!

Buddhism and Christianity are actually fairly compatible, Thich Nhat Hanh wrote a comparative piece between Jesus and Buddha, I gave that to my mother to help her cope with me "coming out Buddhist".

Check out Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh.
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Buddha-Christ-Thich-Nhat/dp/1573225681

Feeling guilty is certainly not going to help your meditation!

I assume you're fairly young. You're going to become independent sooner or later, but this might not be the best time to break away from your parents' religion in any radical way.

Since you're in this subreddit, I assume you've come in contact with Buddhist teachings. That's great! But I would say that unless you become very deeply involved with Buddhism, it is not very important whether or not you have belief in God.

For many people, God works within meditation. You might not be aware that there is a huge tradition of Christian meditation — monks and nuns have been doing it for ages. There are even ordained Zen Buddhist priests who are also Catholic priests.

I've seen the book Living Buddha, Living Christ recommended here many times. It's written by a Vietnamese Zen master named Thich Nhat Hanh who is one of the most outstanding Buddhist masters of our time — he was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr.

There is also a huge wave of meditation as a completely secular activity, promoted for its many health benefits: stress reduction, deep relaxation, psychological well-being, and who knows what else.

You definitely should not have to feel guilty for wanting to meditate. It's a highly beneficial practice and a wonderful way to deepen and nourish your spiritual inclinations.

If it's at all agreeable to you — I'm not sure how you feel about Christianity — you might want to talk to your priest or somebody from your church about meditation. That might help you feel like meditation is an alright part of your life instead of something you have to hide.

You don't have to make meditation into a big thing. I meditate a lot and am very deeply interested in it — I talk about it sometimes with my closest friends, and my parents know I do it, but I don't go around announcing that I am a Buddhist, or wear funny clothes, or anything like that. It's just a healthy great thing that I love to do every morning and night.

Just curious, how'd you come in contact with meditation and Buddhism?

It's sad really that one cannot be open minded enough to other religions. I think a lot of it is her perception that she's not allowed, that you're not allowed to "cheat" on GOD. There was a book I saw once at Barnes and nobles, that compared Buddhism to many Christian traits, but I forget the name. But, maybe you can buy this book http://www.amazon.com/Living-Buddha-Christ-Thich-Nhat/dp/1573225681 and show her that you're not really trying to cheat on Christ but expand your spiritual being.

One of my ex's went with me to the temple, but never went inside because she was Catholic. Me on the other hand, would always go with her to church and do the whole sermon(I put up with sitting up sitting down constantly, when I goto the temple, I light an in scent and I'm done). I even went as far as got communion. (they said stand up and grab some wine and bread so I went with it lol). It was really hurtful for me too.

edit: ah duh someone already suggested the book above.

I highly recommend the book Living Buddha Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh

Very interesting exploration of the similarities between Jesus’s and Buddha’s teachings. Help others and alleviate suffering being central teachings of both.

>Besides, saying the majority is right simply because they're the majority is another logical fallacy, the argumentum ad populum.

you forgot the part where i said "with reason"

>Probably Westerners who are habituated to think well of Jesus but have never actually read the Gospels.

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Buddha-Christ-Thich-Nhat/dp/1573225681

Jesus had plenty of teachings that parralled with buddha. He hung out with the sinners and tax collectors and protected some of them from being stoned.

>Translation: Closed minded = Doesn't agree with me.

you dont have to agree with me, i learn plenty from others who have different views than me. But i dont want you to preach lies to others who may be uninformed and fill them with false truths or false perceptions on truth.

No, you are not destined to eternal suffering. All religions hold some parts of the Truth, some more than others. It is not an easy path to walk, but its a rewarding one. I've even heard of people talk of how Christ's sacrifice paid for our bad karma--not that I think that myself, but its out there.

Check out the Unitarian Universalist Association. They may be able to help you. Its the best place I can think of short of a university campus that will have people who know what they're talking about from many different outlooks.

This book might be of help as well:
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Buddha-Christ-Thich-Nhat/dp/1573225681

I know there's a UUA Church in Dublin, but I dont know about one of your side of the border. There are Unitarian/Universalist Christian Churches in NI, but no UUA ones I can think of. Maybe they can help you as well. Its gets confusing, but if you can find a UUA church I think it'll help you a lot. Mine has both Buddhist and Christian groups on Church grounds.