Living Buddha, Living Christ
Thich Nhat Hanh - Author
ISBN 9781573220187 | 240 pages | 12 Sep 1995 | Riverhead | 4.72 x 8.34in | 18 - AND UP
Awards
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Body, Mind, and Spirit Award
International Prize Dialogue
Summary of Living Buddha, Living Christ
Summary of Living Buddha, Living Christ
Reviews for Living Buddha, Living Christ
An Excerpt from Living Buddha, Living Christ
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Buddha and Christ, perhaps the two most pivotal figures in the history of
humankind, each left behind a legacy of teachings and practices that have shaped the lives
of billions of people over the course of two millennia. If they were to meet on the road
today, what would each think of the other's spiritual views and practices?
Twenty years ago at a conference I attended of theologians and professors
of religion, an Indian Christian friend told the assembly, "We are going to hear about the
beauties of several traditions, but that does not mean that we are going to make a fruit
salad." When it came my turn to speak, I said, "Fruit salad can be delicious! I have shared
the Eucharist with Father Daniel Berrigan, and our worship became possible because of
the sufferings we Vietnamese and Americans shared over many years." Some of the
Buddhists present were shocked to hear I had participated in the Eucharist, and many
Christians seemed truly horrified. To me, religious life is life. I do not see any reason to
spend one's whole life tasting one kind of fruit. We human beings can be nourished by the
best values of many traditions.
Thich Nhat Hanh has been part of a decades-long dialogue between the two greatest living contemplative traditions, and brings to Christianity an appreciation of its beauty that could only be conveyed by an outsider. In a lucid, meditative prose, he explores the crossroads of compassion and holiness at which the two traditions meet, and reawakens our understanding of both. "On the altar in my hermitage," he says, "are images of Buddha and Jesus, and . . . I touch both of them as my spiritual ancestors." "[Thich Nhat Hanh] is a holy man, for he is humble and devout. . . . His ideas for peace . . . would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity." —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in nominating Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 Royalties from the sale of Living Buddha, Living Christ support Thich Nhat Hanh's work at Plum Village and in Vietnam, and the development of a residential retreat center in the United States. Just as a flower is made only of non-flower elements, Buddhism is made only of non-Buddhist elements, including Christian ones, and Christianity is made of non- Christian elements, including Buddhist ones. We have different roots, traditions, and ways of seeing, but we share the common qualities of love, understanding, and acceptance. For our dialogue to be open, we need to open our hearts, set aside our prejudices, listen deeply, and represent truthfully what we know and understand. To do this, we need a certain amount of faith. In Buddhism, faith means confidence in our and others' ability to wake up to our deepest capacity of loving and understanding. In Christianity, faith means trust in God, the One who represents love, understanding, dignity, and truth. When we are still, looking deeply, and touching the source of our true wisdom, we touch the living Buddha and the living Christ in ourselves and in each person we meet. In this small book, I shall try to share some of my experiences of and insights into two of the world's beautiful flowers, Buddhism and Christianity, so that we as a society can begin to dissolve our wrong perceptions, transcend our wrong views, and see one another in fresh, new ways. If we can enter the twenty-first century with this spirit of mutual understanding and acceptance, our children and their children will surely benefit. |
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