Question:
I wonder if you could point me towards any resources that focus on intersections between Christian thought and Buddhist practice? My religion is Christianity and I’m just beginning to explore Buddhist ideas/practices as a philosophy or way of being. Have you anything in your archives that would be helpful?
Answer:
If you’re looking for a place to start studying Buddhism, I would recommend getting a good understanding of the underlying ideas of Buddhism. Here are the relevant Daily Buddhism posts for any beginner:
What is Buddhism? http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1149
Who Was Buddha? http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1150
Four Noble Truths: http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1151
Eightfold Path: http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1152
Five Precepts: http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1153
Moving specifically into comparing Christianity and Buddhism, there are many similarities between the two. Take a look at the Five Precepts of Buddhism; they’re essentially equivalent to several of the Ten Commandments. There are a great many similarities in the stories about Buddha and the stories about Jesus from the Bible. Much of the Christian concepts of this world being evil, that the meek shall inherit the Earth, and many other ideas are similar. The only major divergence between the two is that Christianity says to look to God for your salvation, while Buddhism says to look to yourself.
Here are five books that discuss the links between the two. I have read the first and last on the list, but all of them look promising:
Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh at Amazon (Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1573220183/?tag=askdrarca-20)
From Buddha to Jesus: An Insider’s View of Buddhism & Christianity by Steve Cioccolanti at Amazon (Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0980483905/?tag=askdrarca-20 )
The Noble Eightfold Path of Christ: Jesus Teaches the Dharma of Buddhism by Thomas Ragland at Amazon (Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1412000130/?tag=askdrarca-20 )
Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers by Thich Nhat Hanh at Amazon (Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1573228303/?tag=askdrarca-20)
Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings by Marcus Borg and Jack Kornfield at Amazon (Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1569754616/?tag=askdrarca-20)
Depending on the books you read or the teacher you learn from, Buddhism can be either very religious or purely philosophical. I think you’ll find that the more philosophical styles of Buddhism, Zen for example, can be practiced alongside Christianity with very little adjustment to your current beliefs.
The similarities between the two faiths is not something that has been discovered recently. Here’s an old story about a monk who lived in the 1300’s.
Koan: Not Far From Buddahood: http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/674
Even if you eventually decide that Buddhism is not for you, I would still absolutely recommend that you look into meditation as a practice. The benefits of meditation are medically and scientifically proven, and the clarity of thought that it will give you is easily worth the investment of time.