Living Buddha, Living Christ

Living Buddha, Living Christ

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11  ·  rating details  ·  5,221 ratings  ·  297 reviews

10th 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

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Paperback, 240 pages
Published September 1st 1997 by Riverhead Trade (first published 1995)
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Community Reviews

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Jenz
Mar 09, 2013 Jenz added it
Some reviewers seem to think Hanh doesn't understand Christianity. I think they're missing the point; this wasn't meant as an in depth dissection of that. So far, the book is just as I expected, a look at the similarities between faiths. And in that, I believe Hanh does an excellent job.

As the book title clearly states, it is not just about Christianity, so if you'd like to read primarily about that, go back and note the Buddha part of the title and take a clue from it. I suspect the Christians...more
Skylar Burris
May 25, 2008 Skylar Burris marked it as sampled-abandoned
I picked up this book because I thought it might give me some interesting insights into both Christianity and Buddhism (as did Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit), but I chose not to complete it after a ways into it, because I found its picture of Christianity to be insubstantial. G.K. Chesterton wasn't writing a review of this book, but he might as well have been when he said that people "are always insisting that Christianity and Buddhism are very much alike...This is generally believed, and I belie...more
Inspired8
I haven't read this book, but read many comments here...I once use to be buddist..and I know that there is a difference in the spirituality of being christian. Christ died for all, and rose again to the Father, and has granted all those who accept Him as Lord and savior to be apart of their lives, eternal life... Anything that doesnt lead people to the truth about Christ and His being sent to die for the sins of all, and that God's love is the only motive behind this and why He desire's we have...more
Cedric Hendrix
One of the biggest problems I have with organized religion is the amount of time it spends trying to foist its ideals on you while trying to convince you that anything you believed before you came to them is wrong. Rest assured, I have no intention of doing that here. I was raised a Baptist, and baptized a Catholic. Yet I tend to find the most comfort in books centered around Buddhism. This is not to say that I am a Buddhist. I am spiritual, if a label must be assigned. I can see the benefit of...more
Sonia Turtle
This book was incredibly relatable to me because although I was raised in a Christian family as a church-going Christian, I've had the personal opinion that religion shouldn't have to fit a cookie-mold, and that picking and choosing aspects that you believe in from different religions should be perfectly okay if it resonates with your personal beliefs. Thich Nhat Hanh describes many interesting parallels between Buddhism and Christianity, connecting food traditions to mealtimes in the Jewish fai...more
Fred Kohn
This was my first Thich Nhat Hanh read, and I am very much impressed. Lots of five star material here. I do have one warning if you decide to read this book. Do not read this book as a comparison of Christianity and Buddhism, but rather one man's spiritual journey. But I do believe the author is has an illusion about this journey. He describes himself as a man with two roots (Buddhism and Christianity) but he is really a man who has grafted Christianity onto his Buddhist root. How else could he...more
Wil Roese
I really would like to beleive that Buddah and Christ brought the same message. I am very ipressed with the Buddhist practice of mindfulness and have started practicing it in my own life, but the more I read of this book the more convinced I become that Hanh does not understand Christianity. For example on page 56 He says: "To him [a Protestant minister] love could only be symbolized by a person. That is why belief in the resurrection is so important to Christians." I have never heard a fellow C...more
Will Waller
It’s rare that in seminary we get assigned books that might find their way into an airport terminal bookstore or your local Barnes and Noble. This book was saved for last in a class investigating other religion’s portrayal of Christ. Having read little if any Buddhist works before, I didn’t know exactly how to charge into this book. Thich Nhat Hanh is an author who makes charging into anything a poorly planned exercise. Getting through half the book confused and unsure of his style, I reevaluate...more
Deborah Yates
I have read many reviews here on Living Buddha, Living Christ, and find that the general opinion is that Hanh is converging Christ and Buddha into one teaching. I did NOT find that to be so. Hanh is showing that the teachings of Buddha and Christ have the same message: love and acceptance, but that Christianity does not teach the love and acceptance that was the embodiment of Jesus' message. In several passages Hanh refers to the intolerance that Christianity has for other religions because of "...more
Jordan
He draws some interesting parallels, especially between the Holy Spirit and the inner Buddha, but I thought that several of his points were a bit of a stretch and fell apart under closer inspection of what the two doctrines actually say. Superficially there are many similarities, but there are also a lot of deep differences. It seems the kind of Christianity he draws his parallels to is almost an atheistic Christianity where God is simply a metaphor. While I guess this is a legitimate interpreta...more
Carolyn
This book changed my traditional thinking of Christ as the Only Begotten Son of God, to more of an example and teacher, which makes more sense to me. The book is written with such a passive sense that it doesn't trigger religious defenses like most other church-related literature. I loved everything about it.
Sonny Wyatt
If you're looking for a buddhist monk to support your belief that faith in jesus christ is the only way to salvation, this book is not for you. However if you're looking for a comparison of the similarities of the 2 dogmas this may just be the book for you.

Buddha never said that you must believe in him in order to be saved from the pains of this world. Nor do we know that Jesus said this. Only the Bible tells us this but it also tells us that we are to be pure of heart. Buddhism is not against...more
Veronique
There are many messages one can focus on when reading this book, but the ones that resonate with me were those of mindfulness, kindness and love. I like that he observes that when people get caught up in the appearances and dogma of their religion instead of actually living their faith, it is when intolerance and hypocrisy start (my interpretation). We are all interconnected and affect one another more than we know. This is not a discourse on the differences and similarities between Buddhism and...more
erica
"When we look into the heart of a flower, we see clouds, sunshine, minerals, time, the earth, and everything else in the cosmos in it. Without clouds, there could be no rain, and there would be no flower. Without time, the flower could not bloom. In fact, the flower is made entirely of non-flower elements; it has no independent, individual existence. It "inter-is" with everything else in the universe. Interbeing is a new term, but I believe it will be in the dictionary soon because it is such an...more
Walter
This is a thought-provoking and spirit-invoking book, an insightful synthesis and comparison of the Christian and Buddhist traditions. In particular, I appreciate that the author, Buddhist imminence Thich Nhat Hanh, treats each of these spiritual disciplines so respectfully in the attempt to bring about greater understanding of each of them individually and both of them collectively. Along the way, Thay (meaning "teacher," as the author is called reverently) manages to elucidate societal and spi...more
Phil
"In this book, Thich Nhat Hanh explains the similarities between the two faiths, and in a way, shows how Christianity can be a much more approachable religion than many are led to believe. If one is to approach Christianity from the viewpoint of a Buddhist – as I believe that Hahn encourages in his book – you learn to see that divinity comes from within, not from above; and that if we model our lives on the actual Jesus as a human being and not on the untouchable son-of-God ‘magic’ Jesus, we wil...more
Claire
May 17, 2012 Claire added it
For someone raised with very little religious education and who is still trying to establish some faith in something larger than life, this book was a godsend. I cannot grasp the religious concept of the almighty judgemental God of religion but I accept that there is an energy or something that can guide us when we reach bottom and give up on life. I don't believe in throwing the baby out with the bathwater, or I try very hard not to, so I take what I need and leave the rest. Too much Hans Chris...more
Erika
This book was extremely insightful and a super attempt at attempting to illustrate that faith is faith, regardless of what type. I did find it intriguing, the way that Thich Naht Hahn seems to struggle with the concept of Christianity, I think. It must be as foreign and abstract an idea to him as Buddhism can be to the Western Christian world. It was a good try on his part to identify common ground between faiths, but ultimately I think he failed to nail Christianity, which would have made his c...more
Christopher Sofolo
Fascinating audiobook*. Regardless of your perspective, the great Thich Nhat Hanh has so much wisdom to bring to our consciousness. He was nominated by Martin Luther King, Jr for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 and MLK also had this to say:

"Thich Nhat Hanh's ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity." --Martin Luther King, Jr.

He draws so many beautiful parallels between Buddhist and Christian practice. I will be blogging more about this soo...more
Margaret Tandy
Nov 23, 2010 Margaret Tandy added it Recommends it for: Everyone that has an interest in this subject
Recommended to Margaret by: My husband
I was interested in this book because I used to walk the path of Christianity. I wanted to see the comparisons. Could not put it down have read it twice now, my memory is awful so it will be read again and again. I think the author clearly shows that there is not really a lot of difference between Christianity and Buddhism depending on what your view is. If one takes a look at the qualities of Christ and the qualities of the Buddha there are no differences. The author takes an unbiased view and...more
Gary
Jan 03, 2011 Gary rated it 1 of 5 stars
Shelves: other
Takes similarities between Buddhism and Christianity and determines that therefore "When you are a truly happy Christian you are also a Buddhist. And vice versa." (page 197). The author also says that Jesus NEEDS Christians (page 73), which is very insulting to Christians.

There are aspects of Christianity that are internalized as Buddhism is, but the book ignores the fact that Christianity is entirely built on one true authoritative God. If salvation comes from INSIDE of you, then you're not re...more
Alissa
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
J.T. Oldfield
From my review:

But Thich Nhat Hanh is talking to everyone here. Everyone can reach enlightenment. You don’t have to be a monk. You don’t even have to be Buddhist. In fact, he encourages non-Buddhists to stick to the religion that they were raised in. Connecting to, and reverence of, ancestors, he says, helps to root us. But these are not just genetic ancestors. Thich Nhat Hanh considers Jesus to be a spiritual ancestor.

Read the rest of this review here: http://bibliofreakblog.com/nonfiction...
Emily
Apr 06, 2011 Emily rated it 2 of 5 stars
Recommended to Emily by: Rochester book club
This was a book club read and it actually created some great conversation. We didn't necessarily stay on the topics presented in the book but it opened doors for us to discuss the varying faiths in our book clubs and how they are understood in society. As a book I just don't think this is my cup of tea. I read it too quickly. I think it would be a useful tool for someone questioning faith. It certainly provides some starting places for examaning faith.
Read this if
you are interested in religion
yo...more
Megan
This book is on my bedside table. I have a true interest in comparative religion, and this book fits that category perfectly. Thich Nhat Hanh explores the similarities between Buddhist and Christian teachings. In a world where there is so much divide, I think that books like this one are so important. It helps me to see the similarities rather than the differences. I read this book often. In addition to the exploration of religion, it also serves as a handbook for patience, peace, and contentmen...more
D'face
I found this little book a pleasure to read, shedding new insights into familiar gospel stories through the author's Buddhist experience and practice. At times the text is repetitive - it appears to have been compiled from a series of shorter works - but even these reminders were not wasted.

Having been brought up in the evangelical Christian tradition many of the gospel texts were so well known to me that they had lost all power and meaning, this treatment from another faith tradition brought ne...more
Reed
Great book. Took a while for me to get into it, but I'm glad I stuck it out! I would definitely recommend this book to my Christian friends, as Hanh does an excellent job of drawing parallels between Christian and Buddhist practices.

A couple of my favorite quotes from the book (pg. 151):
"The Buddha was not against God. He was only against notions of God that are mere mental constructions that do not correspond to reality, notions that prevent us from developing ourselves and touching ultimate r...more
Kevin Groosalugg
Very enlightening book. Thich Nhat hanh compares the lives of Christ and Buddha and points out the similarities between them and their religions. It was a bit repetitive (especially when you consider how short the book was), but I take it to be simply his desire to drive his points in. Includes a few digs at the Christian religion, but overall is very fair. I enjoyed it, especially the first several chapters. It has opened my eyes a bit. I must learn to practice mindfulness and appreciate the pr...more
Samantha Newman
I always enjoy reading about Buddhism. It relaxes me, centers me, and I find a lot of wisdom, truth, guidance and calm in it. So of course I enjoyed this. So many insights here. Reading about Buddhist philosophy is often repetitive, but so far, I don't find it annoying b/c I have a horrible memory, one, and it reminds me of things I've already read, and two, it's like a meditation- reading the same things again. And different phrasing gives me different insights. Of course much of this, or any b...more
Stacey
Very nice book, even if I did sometimes find my mind wandering. I enjoyed reading Thich Nhat Hanh's opinion on the importance of sticking with your culture's traditional beliefs, rather than searching for something new. Although I find it difficult to be personally inclined to follow such advice whole heartedly, since reading books like this are what make me value Buddhist beliefs. There aren't many Christians I know who would encourage a Buddhist to remain a buddhist & rediscover the jewels...more
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Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in southwest France where he was in exile for many years.

Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen (Vietnamese: Thiền) monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhất Hạnh. Thích is an honorary...more
More about Thich Nhat Hanh...
Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation Being Peace The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames

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