Can I follow both Christianity and Buddhism?

[benj005]

My Christian/Catholic upbringing doesn't allow me to pray to Buddha.

Can I follow Christianity and use the workings of Buddha for my time on earth? A lot of people tell me that Jesus and Buddha were alike. I like what the Buddhist religion has to offer. Could I follow the teachings of Buddha but maintain my Christian upbringing?

Thanks.

[happydude303]

It does not hurt to learn about other faiths, but hay remember what Jesus said about false prophets and worshiping idols of gold and men ps I'm a Christians to but I do respect the teachings of Buddha I can't find anything bad in it and some of his teachings are very close to what the big man said,shame they never met as I think Buddha would have found enlightenment

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Edited August 4, 2014 by happydude303

[rockyysdt]

My Christian/Catholic upbringing doesn't allow me to pray to Buddha.

Can I follow Christianity and use the workings of Buddha for my time on earth? A lot of people tell me that Jesus and Buddha were alike. I like what the Buddhist religion has to offer. Could I follow the teachings of Buddha but maintain my Christian upbringing?

Thanks.

My understanding is that those who pray to Buddha don't understand his teaching.

One should not worship him but respect him for his Dharma.

The power of the Buddha lies in the regular practice of his teaching.

[RandomSand]

I think it doesn't matter who you pray to, only your intent & feeling is relevant, and prayer is very worthwhile.

[jpinx]

Both guys said they didn't want people to "pray" to them. Prayer is the same as meditation in that you focus your mind. Prayer "for" something goes against both religions, since "wanting" something is selfish.

[rockyysdt]

Both guys said they didn't want people to "pray" to them. Prayer is the same as meditation in that you focus your mind. Prayer "for" something goes against both religions, since "wanting" something is selfish.

.

An issue is that if you pray to Buddha (as many do) as if he is a God living in Nirvava (a place) & believe he can grant you wishes then this may impact on how you live your life. A life governed by false belief.

Edited August 5, 2014 by rockyysdt

[billd766]

As a 70 year old non religeous person it is your life to do with as YOU wish.

You say "My Christian/Catholic upbringing doesn't allow me to pray to Buddha."

My question is why ever not? Who says you cannot and what will happen to you if you do?

From my vague memories as a Christian you can commit all the sins in the world and if on your deathbed you repent you will go to heaven.

Who knows where you go when you die?

My personal feeling is that there IS something out there and if you want to label that something God then do so.

What turned me away from organised religeon was that each brand, Christianity, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhism, Jewish etc ALL say that theirs is the one true religeon and all other Gods are false and eveninside any religeon there are sects that say the same thing and the saddest part is that they believe it.

How does anyone KNOW that theirs is the best if they have not experienced any other? Because their leaders say so?

My advice to you is to open your heart and mind to Buddhism if you wish and ingore what you have been taught. You may be right or wrong but you will never know unless you take the steps to find out.

[rockyysdt]

As a 70 year old non religeous person it is your life to do with as YOU wish.

You say "My Christian/Catholic upbringing doesn't allow me to pray to Buddha."

My question is why ever not? Who says you cannot and what will happen to you if you do?

In terms of personal rights, there is absolutely no objection to praying to the Buddha.

There needs to be a distinction made between "a persons freedom as an individual" vs "purpose of action".

The real question is, "Why would you pray to the Buddha?"

Edited August 5, 2014 by rockyysdt

[robertthebruce]

Your life do what YOU want.

If you are happy , then do,it... If it feels good .... Do it.....

[fabianfred]

Praying to the Buddha, even if he were sat next to you, is pointless. Only by following his teaching can you attain the goal of Nibbana. You must do the hard work, not simply ask for a free ticket.

I would say that if you truly believed in Christianity, especially catholic, then you would only be pretending to follow Buddhism...the two are quite opposite in their philosophies.

Catholic... One life, upon which you are judged and then consigned to either heaven or hell for eternity. You can sin but get them wiped away by a priest and confession.

Buddhist... countless lives.... nobody judges you... the universal law of karma (cause and effect) is perfectly fair and cannot be bargained with or bribed... so your own actions lead you into your next rebirth...on and on until you make the effort to practice what the buddha taught and reach the goal. Good deeds do not cancel out bad deeds, they are seperate and bear fruit when the time is right....

A Christian priest came to practice vipassana meditation at Wat Amphawan with LP.Jaran. He practiced very well and attained to the first stage of Ariya, but also gained the knowledge of his imminent death... it was not compatible with his status to continue as a Christian.

LP.Jaran said...anyone can practice vipassana meditation... if you are christian it will make you a better christian...if a moslem.. a better moslem... but that only goes for early stages. if you attain Ariya states then you would abandon false beliefs as you know then from personal experiential knowledge the real truth.

[fabianfred]

Your life do what YOU want.

If you are happy , then do,it... If it feels good .... Do it.....

Do as thy wilt is the law of satanists..

Do as you would be done by... is more like the Buddhist teaching..

[Gonsalviz]

I am pretty sure Thai people don't 'pray' to Buddha. They chant. Thai people are very aware that Buddha is not a god but a man that had teachings of how to conduct your life. That is why there is no rejection of other faiths.

I am expecting the truth from those in the know.

[fabianfred]

Rejection of other faiths is perhaps the wrong expression. A Buddhist would allow others to follow what they believe, but also feel compassion for them since their karma has brought them to this state.

I do not attack people of other beliefs ... but I do not like missionaries who go about trying to force their beliefs upon others, and cause much suffering in the process.

Buddhism does not prosletyse ..

[Thaiberius]

In my opinion all religion is superstitious rubbish but if it it gives solace, peace of mind and a sense of well-being who am I to argue.

[IMA_FARANG]

Buddhism is not (at least to many Buddhists) a religion as it is based on the teachings of a man, no "son of God" stuff there.

Therefore, technically, Buddhists do not "pray" to Buddha as he is not a God, but simply a person who gained some understandings on how to live.

We simply pay honor to him for revealing his understanding to us and honor him that way.

Now I know that many people don't understand this, especially in Thailand, and do ask him for "favors" for them.

But, for me , that is not to be done.

But to your question about Christianity and Buddhism, since Buddhism is not a religion, there is no conflict in following both.

In fact, one of the early westerners who promoted Buddhism was a Catholic Jesuit Monk who lived in Asia and studied Buddhism there.

I believe his name (although I may be wrong) was Father Thomas Merton, a Jesuit monk.

[canuckamuck]

It depends on who you ask, A Buddhist will tell you yes, a Christian will tell you no.

Christianity is quite clear on the concept of the narrow path, (One way)

Buddhism believes in many paths (suggests the middle)

Christianity is worship and faith in God.

Buddhism has no God, but has a complicated array of spiritual entities which may or may not be relevant.

In Christianity your salvation is granted by faith, in this lifetime.

In Buddhism you are responsible for your own salvation. It may take millions of deaths and rebirths.

The desired final result of Christianity is eternal joy with your soul intact. You remain you and your awareness is increased.

The desired end result of Buddhism is annihilation of the soul and consciousness. You are absorbed into the universe and cease to be.

[RandomSand]

The real question is, "Why would you pray to the Buddha?"

Maybe you can guess my perspective on prayer by the way I pose the following...

Question:

The value of prayer resides inside ?

a. Your wishes being fulfilled.

b. Not having expectations.

c. Supplication in non-romantic divine relationship which exists due to egoistic separation or dualism .

Gaurāṅga!

Edited August 6, 2014 by RandomSand

[dutchguest]

I agree with Buddhadasa that the deeper you go into different religions the more they become the same.

So according to at least one prominent Thai Buddhist teacher there is no problem as long as you don't cling to the outer forms or the literal words of the religion:

Belief in "no religion"

From the earliest period of his religious studies, Buddhadasa utilized a comparative approach and sought to be able to explain "Buddhist's teachings through other doctrines such as Tao, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Natural Science."[7] Through such a methodology he came to adopt a religious world-view that rejected exclusionary religious identification. In his No Religion (1993) Buddhadasa famously remarked, "in advanced perspectives there is no religious identification whatsoever."[8]

...those who have penetrated to the highest understanding will feel that the thing called 'religion' doesn't exist after all. There is no Buddhism; there is no Christianity; there is no Islam. How can they be the same or in conflict when they don't even exist?

[9]

Religious scholar D.K. Swearer has compared Buddhadasa to the early Indian philosopher

Nagarjuna

.

[10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhadasa

Those who have penetrated to the essential nature of religion
will regard all religions as being the same. Although they may say
there is Buddhism, Judaism, Taoism, Islam, or whatever, they will also
say that all religions are inwardly the same. However, those who have
penetrated to the highest understanding of Dhamma will feel that the
thing called "religion" doesn't exist after all. There is no
Buddhism; there is no Christianity; there is no Islam. How can they
be the same or in conflict when they don't even exist? It just
isn't possible. Thus, the phrase "No religion!" is actually
Dhamma language of the highest level. Whether it will be understood
or not is something else, depending upon the listener, and has
nothing to do with the truth or with religion.

http://www.abuddhistlibrary.com/Buddhism/B%20-%20Theravada/Teachers/Buddhadasa/No%20Religion/NORELIG.HTM

[Brucenkhamen]

It's not appropriate to pray to the Buddha, he was a man and died 2500 years ago.

Most westerners who are interested in Buddhism are primarily interested in Buddhist meditation techniques and the equanimity, objectivity, and clarity they bring.

I think a liberal Christian should have no problem with this, I know many who do practice Buddhist meditation, I've met and know of Christian ministers and priests that do and I don't think there is any need to abandon one's Christian faith, just leave the philosophical differences aside. For an evangelical Christian though it's a big no-no, anything perceived to be coming from a "rival religion" is considered very suspect at best.

I'm not sure if Christianity has anything to offer a practicing Buddhist in a way that mixing the two would be desirable though.

"In a nutshell, the point of the teaching of the Buddha is to transform one's view." - Ajahn Chah

[billd766]

It's not appropriate to pray to the Buddha, he was a man and died 2500 years ago.

Most westerners who are interested in Buddhism are primarily interested in Buddhist meditation techniques and the equanimity, objectivity, and clarity they bring.

I think a liberal Christian should have no problem with this, I know many who do practice Buddhist meditation, I've met and know of Christian ministers and priests that do and I don't think there is any need to abandon one's Christian faith, just leave the philosophical differences aside. For an evangelical Christian though it's a big no-no, anything perceived to be coming from a "rival religion" is considered very suspect at best.

I'm not sure if Christianity has anything to offer a practicing Buddhist in a way that mixing the two would be desirable though.

"In a nutshell, the point of the teaching of the Buddha is to transform one's view." - Ajahn Chah

You say it is not appropriate to pray to Buddha because he was a man but Christians pray to a "God" who may never have exisited at all. His "son", Jesus was written about in a book that you call the bible but it is just a collection of stories about people who may or may not have existed at all many years after the events portrayed.

[Brucenkhamen]

You say it is not appropriate to pray to Buddha because he was a man but Christians pray to a "God" who may never have exisited at all. His "son", Jesus was written about in a book that you call the bible but it is just a collection of stories about people who may or may not have existed at all many years after the events portrayed.

So you point is? If Christians do it then Buddhists should be able to do it also?

i call the bible? What do other people call it?

[rockyysdt]

But to your question about Christianity and Buddhism, since Buddhism is not a religion, there is no conflict in following both.

In fact, one of the early westerners who promoted Buddhism was a Catholic Jesuit Monk who lived in Asia and studied Buddhism there.

Hi IMA.

If one practices Buddhism (as Bruce indicated in his post), due to interest in Buddhist meditation techniques and the equanimity, objectivity, and clarity they bring or

If you believe that the Buddha spoke in metaphor to the people of his time, blending existing religions into his examples, as a way of reaching them, but was really only teaching a way of waking up and seeing things as they really are, through ethical living, mindfulness & meditation,

• then you can say Buddhism is a philosophy.

but

If you study Theravadin, Mahayanin or other Buddhist teachings, which include a Citta (higher self, which when completely pure, realizes its characteristics: deathless, unborn, timeless, unconditioned & permanent, with unimaginable levels of awareness encompassing the entire universe, and so incredible, it remains beyond description or comprehension by those limited by the relative,

• then you can say Buddhism is a religion (as a major commonality between most Religions, is promise of existence beyond death).

All religions claim there's is the truth.

Naturally, those who have first hand experience, or high levels of intuitive power, know the "truth".

Once one knows the truth, to them it's no longer a religion, if that makes sense.

Edited August 12, 2014 by rockyysdt

[rockyysdt]

If one practices Buddhism (as Bruce indicated in his post), due to interest in Buddhist meditation techniques and the equanimity, objectivity, and clarity they bring or

If you believe that the Buddha spoke in metaphor to the people of his time, blending existing religions into his examples, as a way of reaching them, but was really only teaching a way of waking up and seeing things as they really are, through ethical living, mindfulness & meditation,

• then you can say Buddhism is a philosophy.

but

If you study Theravadin, Mahayanin or other Buddhist teachings, which include a Citta (higher self, which when completely pure, realizes its characteristics: deathless, unborn, timeless, unconditioned & permanent, with unimaginable levels of awareness encompassing the entire universe, and so incredible, it remains beyond description or comprehension by those limited by the relative,

• then you can say Buddhism is a religion (as a major commonality between most Religions, is promise of existence beyond death).

All religions claim there's is the truth.

Therefore if Theravadin Buddhism, is a religion (state of timeless awakening without belief in Jesus), then Buddhism & Catholicism (as stipulated by the church) are incompatible.

The believe the church makes it quite clear what is required to be accepted into Heaven.

[duanebigsby]

You can do absolutely both!

You can pray to a long dead philosopher and you can pray to a Flying Spaghetti Monster all you like.

That's freedom of religion.

[Rorri]

happydude303, on 05 Aug 2014 - 02:43, said:

It does not hurt to learn about other faiths, but hay remember what Jesus said about false prophets and worshiping idols of gold and men ps I'm a Christians to but I do respect the teachings of Buddha I can't find anything bad in it and some of his teachings are very close to what the big man said,shame they never met as I think Buddha would have found enlightenment

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Buddhism is not really a religion, it is simply a way to live your life, Buddha himself said he didn't want any idols/icons or for people to pray to him... so my answer is a resounding "YES", you can be both Buddhist and Christian at the same time.

[Docno]

Both guys said they didn't want people to "pray" to them. Prayer is the same as meditation in that you focus your mind. Prayer "for" something goes against both religions, since "wanting" something is selfish.

"Both guys said they didn't want people to "pray" to them."

Is that really true in the case of Jesus? He did say, for example, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

In what part of the Bible does Jesus explicitly say not to pray to him?

[Note: I no longer consider myself a Christian]

[slipperylobster]

Nobody on this earth can answer your question for sure. Non believers will scoff and joke with their cynical take on religion. True believers of one, or the other, will mostly doubt your sincerity. The only person that matters is yourself...and asking profound statements on whether there is a Universal Right to pick your faith, or mix and match religions only suggests that you are uneasy with your choices. There is nobody better than yourself, in this regard, to decide how to practice your faith(s). Why stop at two choices? Why not practice 3 or 4...? Better yet...try them all. Something might ring true..or perhaps you will find a brand new path.

[Docno]

You may want to read "Living Buddha, Living Christ" by the renowned Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhay Hanh. There are also a number of good 'Buddhism for atheists' books that distil out the non-religious aspects of Buddhist thought.

[Krataiboy]

Isn't enslavement to one mythical deity enough for you?

[Alwyn]

You say you would like to explore what the Buddhist religion has to offer. You need to understand that Buddhism is not a religion. Period. Nobody will get petulant because you don't get down on bended knee and worship some mysterious/fictitious being in the sky (personally I've never understood how this all knowing, all understanding entity would get the hump if you didn't get down on bended knee, but that's another thing altogether) There are plenty of religious Buddhists - people that follow Catholicism etc, particularly in America. They believe in their God but also believe in the teachings and life set of Buddha and why not? If you're offending your local priest or whatever by studying Buddhism and following it's teachings then you really need to find a more enlightened Church my friend! Thais offer prayers up to Monks usually wanting some kind of good luck in return and some do it for respect but it's not part of the religion as it's not a religion.. Go where your heart takes you.