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Thinking of combining Christianity and Buddhism.
Thinking of combining Christianity and Buddhism.
Been debating if I should combine Christianity with Buddhism.
I think both Religions have interesting things to say.
Using meditation to understand the Christian part.
Maybe even back to my roots Judaism as well.
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Comments
The answer should be the foundation of how you decide to proceed.
Not the faith, but the understanding the core of them both.
The basics of them both.
And lots of people reckon Jesus was a Buddhist too (though I suspect that these people are Buddhists mostly).
Some reading I would recommend are the following:
This is a very humorous, irreverent, yet intelligent book on the subject:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gospel-Second-Coming-Timothy-Freke/dp/1401915523/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1320399262&sr=8-3-fkmr0
Elaine Pagels: A more educated look at Gnostic Christianity:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gnostic-Gospels-Elaine-Pagels/dp/0753821141/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320399319&sr=1-1
I think Buddhism and Christianity are compatible, but I think it helps to understand Gnostic Christianity to see the fit.
But when you get tired of it all, just find a practice and actually practice it with real courage and real determination and real patience. Experience trumps belief and your experience, if you honor it instead of toying with it, will take you home.
I also like Christianity for it's community.
And yes, earlier Christianity was about Mysticism and such. Same with Judaism.
I was born Ukrainian, Russian Jew!:) Now, I been following Buddhism. I have followed Christianity when I was younger, but was not aware of it. Also I studied Occult, Esoteric and the Quran. All are coming to the same conclusion. Thank you for this!
Thank You!
I should just shut the heck up and sit.
I guess I am being lazy, or just making excuses for the basic/simpler stuff?
Trying to dress it all up?
Ahh, what can I say... I am "young." Lol.
Thank you all!
The core components of Buddhism are compassion and wisdom (leading to liberation). The core components of modern-day Christianity seem to be surrender to the will of God and personal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (though Jesus' own teachings do have the element of compassion).
Maybe here: http://www.truthbeknown.com/origins.htm (Different point of view).
Maybe here as well: http://www.cogwriter.com/news/church-history/early-christian-beliefs/
http://buddhist-christian.org/articles/0905aw.html
http://www.spiritualwarriorstoday.com/Biography/biography-287_father-willigis-jager-roshi-1925
Of course the pope doesn't like it:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_17_38/ai_84092217/ (edit: this seems to have happened when Ratzinger was still a cardinal)
What are the basics to you, in your own words, that complement/agree with Buddhism? That's all I wanted to know, without following a buncha links or anything. Your perspective is what's important, and if you're serious about combining religions I assume the basics of old Christianity are easy enough to talk about (without links).
Thank you!
Ouch !
I'm a huge Elaine Pagels fan, but I've been reading about the Gnostics lately, and they were a lot wilder than she describes them. Some of the sects, anyway. Some had tantric elements. Some of them were celibate, but others were ... not. :rolleyes: Mysticism can lead to extremes. When you believe people have a direct line to the Divine, they can conjure up all kinds of Divinely revealed texts, or interpretations of Biblical passages to justify weird stuff.
But still, a very intriguing topic. A way to integrate with Buddhism the various aspects of your heritage. Why not? Just remember to keep meditating. That's a common thread in all those traditions.
@nobody in particular -- I do believe Jesus went East during the "lost years" of his youth, and possibly after surviving the Crucifixion, if he did survive it. It was common for people to go East with the trade caravans. Walker claims Gnostic Christians spread Gnosticism throughout the mid-East and into Central Asia in the centuries after the Crucifixion. Thomas ministered to Jews in India after the Crucifixion, and according to Pagels and others, he was a Gnostic.
Some say Jesus learned Gnostic-like teachings (the Essenes had some similar beliefs and practices to later Gnostics, and Jesus was an Essene) that filtered into Judaism from the Isis cult in Egypt. It might be interesting to check out the Essenes, Leon.
Enjoy your explorations. Cool stuff.
@Leon I just got turned onto a book by a Hindu Vedanta teacher who travelled to Kashmir and Tibet after spending 20+ years teaching in the US and Canada. He came across the "Jesus texts" at Hemis Monastery in Ladakh, and writes about the texts extensively in this book: Journey Into Kashmir and Tibet, by Swami Abhedananda. This was back in 1921 or so. And as you know (if you've been following my sporadic posts on this subject), Nicholas Roerich and his son, George, a Harvard scholar in Oriental languages, found the same texts, translated them, and reported on them in US newspapers.
I've always found the Russian Orthodox Church to have a mystical side, but maybe you're not to keen on the Orthodox Church. heh, probably not. I can't really get behind the divinity of Jesus, but the choral singing is inspiring in its own way. Certainly more so than the Tibetan monastic droning. So be eclectic. Whatever works. Whatever pushes your spirituality buttons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roza_Bal
I also find Orthodox Church interesting. And the chants are so captivating. Once when I was in Ukraine I visited a small church. People would come in and light small candles by the icons. There as chanting played softly in the background. Tears came into my eyes.
It seems a lot of people think Jesus was a Buddhist (probably mostly Buddhists mind! )
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gospel-Second-Coming-Timothy-Freke/dp/1401915523/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320778208&sr=8-1-spell
Interesting stuff!
This thread is really taking on a life of its own! Wonderful posts! See what you started, Leon?
The newspaper reports by the Nicholas Roerich family say Jesus spent his time ministering to low-caste people, because they were traditionally left out of teaching activities by holy men of the time. The Hemis Monastery texts don't say he was a Buddhist monk. I've not heard that before. They're only reported to have said that he studied the words of the Buddha in his youth. But clearly, if it's true he went East and studied Buddhism, he didn't buy the whole package. He adapted the teachings to his own Jewish beliefs in God.
If what's being discussed is Jesus' studies in the East during his "lost years", it's doubtful that by the age of 12, when he supposedly left on his journey, that he would have learned much that was highly mystical in nature, or if he did, he may have had an open mind to other teachings, incorporating select elements from Buddhism. At this point, it's speculation, we may never know for sure. But I'm enjoying the speculation.
Thanks for the video, by the way. I find it interesting that the BBC takes Notovich seriously. A lot of people have dismissed his claims as falsified, but corroborating reports come up (which people also dismiss), so as far as I'm concerned, anything's possible. I want to check out that book c_w mentioned, by the swami who said he found the Hemis manuscripts.
The Old Testament is full of God being jealous and vengeful, but with Jesus comes a newer, more fluffy type of God; loving, caring and compassionate. I've read (somewhere) that Jesus may have used skilful speech, not to try to change 'everything', but to move them in the right direction, using already held beliefs but giving them a different emphasis.
"The Kingdom of Heaven is within you", rather than receiving salvation from some external source.
This thread just keeps getting interestinger and interestinger. "Fluffy" gods, anyone? I wonder, is that where G.W.Bush got his idea for a "kinder and gentler" this and that? It could well be.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Buddha-Christ-Thich-Nhat/dp/0712672818/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320878146&sr=8-1
I've got the book, and it's okay; not one of my favourites, but it's worth a read for anyone who wishes to have a look at the similarities between Christianity and Buddhism.
I wonder if TNH wrote that book in part because Vietnam had been partially Christianized? That would be a good book for countries where both Buddhism and Christianity are practiced, like Taiwan, for ex.