Without Buddha I Could Not be a Christian

Without Buddha I Could Not be a Christian PDF

Author: Paul F. Knitter

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2013-01-01

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1780742487

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An honest, unflinching tale of re-finding one's faith, from one of the world's most famous theologians Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian narrates how esteemed theologian, Paul F. Knitter overcame a crisis of faith by looking to Buddhism for inspiration. From prayer to how Christianity views life after death, Knitter argues that a Buddhist standpoint can encourage a more person-centred conception of Christianity, where individual religious experience comes first, and liturgy and tradition second. Moving and revolutionary, this book will inspire Christians everywhere.

From Buddha to Jesus

From Buddha to Jesus PDF

Author: Steve Cioccolanti

Publisher:

Published: 2020-03-23

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 9781922273178

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A popular introduction to Buddhism, showing how Christians can understand and effectively dialogue with Buddhists. Buddhism is a rapidly rising religion in the West, but few Westerners know Buddhism from the inside. Having grown up with Buddhism and Christianity, Steve Cioccolanti highlights the similarities and builds bridges of understanding between the two major religions. His account is studded with stories, parables, and illuminating observations. This book is remarkably easy to read, and Steve is an engaging and original guide. Discover Buddhism the way it's actually lived, not the way it's been presented in textbooks or by Hollywood. Now you can learn the 2 most popular religions in 1 book! "A groundbreaking book... Steve has an unusual insight into the Buddhist mind. I would use it for our Bible College students." Dr. Wayne Cordeiro (Pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship, a 10,000+ member church in Hawaii.) "From Buddha to Jesus is a clear exposition of both Buddha's search for truth and the foundations of Buddhist culture. It then gives an account of how the Good News of Jesus can fulfill Buddhist law, and deliver people from the drive of endless perfectionism. A totally thought-provoking work!" Rod Plummer (Senior Pastor of Jesus Lifehouse Tokyo) "Steve's book 'From Buddha to Jesus' is the best tool that I have found to find a common platform with Buddhists. Although the book is primarily focused on Thai Buddhism, the principles in the book can be used with Buddhists in Japan and with Buddhists in other countries. I highly recommend it!" Rev. Daniel Kikawa (President of Aloha Ke Akua Ministries, Pastor of Hilo Missionary Church) "One of the books that I really read from cover to cover. I bought 10 copies and distributed them to my friends. I was once a Buddhist and this book really opened up my eyes. It is a must-read for all Buddhists, Eastern religion followers or even Christians who are looking for a way to reach out to these groups of people. Steve Cioccolanti was able to put things in the right manner and has written in a balanced and non-offensive way. This book rocks!" Daniel Hendrata (TV Host, Co-Founder of Anugrah Ministries) "I have been a missionary in Thailand for 40 years. I read your book and was very impressed. I wish I would have had it sooner." Dorothy H., Thailand "Your book is one of my treasured collection and I've been reading it again and again. I love it so much. It helps me to understand Buddha and Buddhism and draw bridges between the two faiths. Keep up the good work and God bless!." Mish N. "Steve's gentle way of sharing his insight suits the [Asian] audience very well... He has also broken some invalid preconceived ideas that Buddhists are closed to the Gospel." Ching Wah, Singapore "My husband and I have been reading it and although I am a second-generation missionary in Thailand (my dad arrived in 1946!) your book has brought new insight and clarified many things and is helping me/us immensely in relating to the Buddhists. So, Thank YOU and Thank GOD!" Marianna & Erik, Thailand "This book gave me confidence that I had a strategy! Because we can start from a place of commonality, instead of a place of 'I'm right, you're wrong'. This teaching releases people!" Tim P., Thailand "Anyone who comes in contact with Eastern religions should read Steve's book." Col Stringer, President of ICFM Australia "Truly enlightening and informative... A useful tool to reach not only Buddhists but many others confused by the plethora of religions." Tom Inglis, Founder of Psalmody "A well-written book with a clear and bold testimony." Canon James Wong (Anglican Churches Singapore

Living Buddha, Living Christ

Living Buddha, Living Christ PDF

Author: Thich Nhat Hanh

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2007-03-06

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9781594482397

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"[Thich Nhat Hanh] shows us the connection between personal, inner peace and peace on earth." --His Holiness The Dalai Lama Nominated by Martin Luther King, Jr. for a Nobel Peace Prize, Thich Nhat Hanh is one of today’s leading sources of wisdom, peace, compassion and comfort. The 20th anniversary edition of the classic text, updated, revised, and featuring a Mindful Living Journal. 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 two millennia. If they were to meet on the road today, what would each think of the other's spiritual views and practices? Thich Nhat Hanh has been part of a decades-long dialogue between two great contemplatice traditions, and brings to Christianity an appreciation of its beauty that could be conveyed only by an outsider. IN lucid, meditative prose, he explores the crossroads of compassion and holiness at which the two traditions meet, and he 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."

Buddhist and Christian?

Buddhist and Christian? PDF

Author: Rose Drew

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-07-03

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 113667327X

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"This is a detailed exploration of Buddhist Christian dual belonging, engaging - from both Buddhist and Christian perspectives - the questions that arise, and drawing on extensive interviews with well-known individuals in the vanguard of this important and growing phenomenon. The issue is pressing insofar the last century has witnessed a gradual but profound transformation of the West's religious landscape. In today's context of diversity, people are often influenced by more than one religion. Multireligious identities are consequently on the rise. At one end of the spectrum are those who identify themselves as fully belonging to more than one tradition. One of the most prevalent combinations is Christianity and Buddhism This book addresses central and fundamental questions. How is it possible to be authentically Buddhist and authentically Christian when, for example, God is central to Christianity yet absent from Buddhism; when Christians have faith in Jesus Christ while Buddhists take refuge in the Buddha; when Christians hope for heaven and Buddhists hope for nirvana; and when Buddhists and Christians engage in different practices? Are those who identify themselves as belonging to both traditions profoundly irrational, religiously schizophrenic, or perhaps just spiritually superficial? Or is it possible somehow to reconcile the thought and practice of Buddhism and Christianity in such a way that one can be deeply committed to both? And if it is possible, will the influence of Buddhist Christians on each of these traditions be something to be regretted or celebrated?"--

Compassion and Meditation

Compassion and Meditation PDF

Author: Jean-Yves Leloup

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2009-06-25

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 1620551101

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A profound reflection on how complementary themes in Buddhism and Christianity could serve as the basis for a truly ecumenical faith • Compares Zen meditation with the Greek Orthodox practice of Hesychasm (prayer of the heart) • Shows how Buddha and Jesus represent the distinct yet complementary values of meditation and compassion In Asian spiritual traditions the mountain traditionally symbolizes meditation while the ocean signifies compassion. Jean-Yves Leloup uses this metaphor to compare Buddhist and Christian approaches to meditation and compassion to reveal the similarities and divergences of these profound practices. Emphasizing their complementary nature, Leloup describes how Jesus and Buddha are necessary to one another and how together they form a complete system: Jesus as awakening through love, and Buddha as awakening through meditation. Where Buddha represents the forests, Jesus represents the trees. Buddha is brother to the universe, whereas Jesus is brother to humanity. Nevertheless, these two religious traditions have a profound common ground. Compassion is central to Buddhism, and meditation practices have been central to many Christian traditions. Both view murder, theft, and the destructive use of sexuality as great barriers to realizing our essential being, and both agree on the need to rise above them. Here, however, Leloup suggests that both faiths could benefit from the precepts of the other. The complementary aspects of Christianity and Buddhism offer the possibility for a truly profound ecumenical religion whose interfaith relations are based on deep understanding of the true meaning and practice of meditation and compassion and not merely shared goodwill.

Radical

Radical PDF

Author: David Platt

Publisher: Multnomah

Published: 2010-05-04

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1601422210

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New York Times bestseller What is Jesus worth to you? It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily... But who do you know who lives like that? Do you? In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment -- a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.

Mind in the Balance

Mind in the Balance PDF

Author: B. Alan Wallace

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2009-03-03

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 0231519702

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By establishing a dialogue in which the meditative practices of Buddhism and Christianity speak to the theories of modern philosophy and science, B. Alan Wallace reveals the theoretical similarities underlying these disparate disciplines and their unified approach to making sense of the objective world. Wallace begins by exploring the relationship between Christian and Buddhist meditative practices. He outlines a sequence of meditations the reader can undertake, showing that, though Buddhism and Christianity differ in their belief systems, their methods of cognitive inquiry provide similar insight into the nature and origins of consciousness. From this convergence Wallace then connects the approaches of contemporary cognitive science, quantum mechanics, and the philosophy of the mind. He links Buddhist and Christian views to the provocative philosophical theories of Hilary Putnam, Charles Taylor, and Bas van Fraassen, and he seamlessly incorporates the work of such physicists as Anton Zeilinger, John Wheeler, and Stephen Hawking. Combining a concrete analysis of conceptions of consciousness with a guide to cultivating mindfulness and profound contemplative practice, Wallace takes the scientific and intellectual mapping of the mind in exciting new directions.

Buddhist Christianity

Buddhist Christianity PDF

Author: Ross Thompson

Publisher: John Hunt Publishing

Published: 2010-08-27

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 1780990855

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It is possible to be a Christian Buddhist in the context of a universal belief that sits fairly lightly on both traditions. Ross Thompson takes especially seriously the aspects of each faith that seem incompatible with the other, no God and no soul in Buddhism, for example, and the need for grace and the historical atonement on the cross in Christianity. Buddhist Christianity can be no bland blend of the tamer aspects of both faiths, but must result from a wrestling of the seeming incompatibles, allowing each faith to shake the other to its very foundations. The author traces his personal journey through which his need for both faiths became painfully apparent. He explores the Buddha and Jesus through their teachings and the varied communities that flow from them, investigating their different understandings of suffering and wrong, self and liberation, meditation and prayer, cosmology and God or not? He concludes with a bold commitment to both faiths.

The Good Heart

The Good Heart PDF

Author: Dalai Lama

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2016-03-22

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1614293252

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This landmark of interfaith dialogue will inspire readers of all faiths. In The Good Heart, The Dalai Lama provides an extraordinary Buddhist perspective on the teachings of Jesus. His Holiness comments on well-known passages from the four Christian Gospels, including the Sermon on the Mount, the parable of the mustard seed, the Resurrection, and others. Drawing parallels between Jesus and the Buddha — and the rich traditions from which they hail — the Dalai Lama delivers a profound affirmation of the sacred in all religions. Readers will be uplifted by the exploration of each tradition’s endless merits and the common humanity they share.