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Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers
"[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.
Exiled from Vietnam over thirty years ago, Thich Nhat Hanh has become known as a healer of the heart, a monk who shows us how the everyday world can both enrich and endanger our spiritual lives.
In this book, Jesus and Buddha share a conversation about prayer and ritual and renewal, and about where such concepts as resurrection and the practice of mindfulness converge. In this unique way, Thich Nhat Hanh shows the brotherhood between Jesus and Buddha-- and in the process shows how we can take their wisdom into the world with us, to "practice in such a way that Buddha is born every moment of our daily life, that Jesus Christ is born every moment of our daily life."
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.
Exiled from Vietnam over thirty years ago, Thich Nhat Hanh has become known as a healer of the heart, a monk who shows us how the everyday world can both enrich and endanger our spiritual lives.
In this book, Jesus and Buddha share a conversation about prayer and ritual and renewal, and about where such concepts as resurrection and the practice of mindfulness converge. In this unique way, Thich Nhat Hanh shows the brotherhood between Jesus and Buddha-- and in the process shows how we can take their wisdom into the world with us, to "practice in such a way that Buddha is born every moment of our daily life, that Jesus Christ is born every moment of our daily life."
224 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2000
About the author
Thich Nhat Hanh
937 books11.7k followersThích Nhất Hạnh was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who then lived 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 family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan. He was often considered the most influential living figure in the lineage of Lâm Tế (Vietnamese Rinzai) Thiền, and perhaps also in Zen Buddhism as a whole.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
April 12, 2011
"You love the apple; yes, you are authorized to love the apple, but no one prevents you from also loving the mango."
This is a metaphor. The 'apple' represents your religion or the religion you were born into. For me the apple is Christianity. This shouldn't prevent me from trying new fruits like 'mango' or Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, or Taoism. We should only eat fruit that is healthy for us, and that will increase our compassion, meaning, and joy in this life. It will be different for everybody but 'different' does not mean wrong or inferior.
This is a metaphor. The 'apple' represents your religion or the religion you were born into. For me the apple is Christianity. This shouldn't prevent me from trying new fruits like 'mango' or Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, or Taoism. We should only eat fruit that is healthy for us, and that will increase our compassion, meaning, and joy in this life. It will be different for everybody but 'different' does not mean wrong or inferior.
March 23, 2008
Normally I hate people who scribble in books, but while I was reading this I found myself picking up a pen and underlining parts of the text, because they struck me so deeply.
Here's some of what I underlined:
"If you cannot love man, animals, and plants, I doubt that you can love God. The capacity for loving God depends on your capacity for loving humankind and other species."
"All the adjectives and nouns that we use to describe waves cannot be used to describe God. We can say that this wave is high or low, big or small, beautiful or ugly, has a beginning and an end. But all these notions cannot be applied to water. God is neither small nor big. God has no beginning or end. God is not more or less beautiful. All the ideas we use to describe the phenomenal world cannot be applied to God. So it's very wise not to say anything about God. To me the wisest theologian is the one who never speaks about God."
"You have never been born and you are not going to die, because to die means from someone you suddenly become no one."
"The moment you realize that your so-called enemy suffers and you want him to stop suffering, he ceases to be your enemy."
"...enlightenment and happiness and insight are only possible on the basis of suffering and confusion. The Buddha said it is because of the mud that the lotus can bloom."
"When you begin to understand, when you have been able to free yourself from a notion, that is enlightenment."
Read for: Buddhist Faith and Practice
Here's some of what I underlined:
"If you cannot love man, animals, and plants, I doubt that you can love God. The capacity for loving God depends on your capacity for loving humankind and other species."
"All the adjectives and nouns that we use to describe waves cannot be used to describe God. We can say that this wave is high or low, big or small, beautiful or ugly, has a beginning and an end. But all these notions cannot be applied to water. God is neither small nor big. God has no beginning or end. God is not more or less beautiful. All the ideas we use to describe the phenomenal world cannot be applied to God. So it's very wise not to say anything about God. To me the wisest theologian is the one who never speaks about God."
"You have never been born and you are not going to die, because to die means from someone you suddenly become no one."
"The moment you realize that your so-called enemy suffers and you want him to stop suffering, he ceases to be your enemy."
"...enlightenment and happiness and insight are only possible on the basis of suffering and confusion. The Buddha said it is because of the mud that the lotus can bloom."
"When you begin to understand, when you have been able to free yourself from a notion, that is enlightenment."
Read for: Buddhist Faith and Practice
August 6, 2019
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. This book is culled from talks he gave at retreats. He asks the reader to consider a conversation between Jesus and Buddha, where they discuss aspects of each religion, and how they often converge.
3 Stars = I'm glad I read it.
3 Stars = I'm glad I read it.
November 29, 2009
I am not a very religous person but if I were to back one particular religion it would be Buddism. Thich Nhat Hanh looks at all religions and describes well how they all essential blend together. The bottom line is that religion comes down to faith and without faith one has little to guide and push them to do well for themselves and others.
January 15, 2014
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I read Thich Nhat Hanh's(TNH) other books on Christianity & Buddhism and had found them at first to be a bit simplistic. I now realize that it is a very specific audience that TNH is addressing. He is addressing Western Buddhists who grew up Christian or those who are trying to understand Christianity & Buddhism in terms of practice. He emphasizes that people who grew up Christian and became Buddhists, or attracted to Buddhism, should give Christianity a chance.
After meeting many Westerners who have given up their own culture, religion, and even family to become Buddhists, TNH knows that they have to not give up their roots, but go back and transform them.
When I have met people in this situation in person and online, I ask them to be very patient. My tendency is to encourage them that a person without roots cannot be a happy person. You need to go back to your roots. You need to go back to your family. You need to go back to your culture. You might even need to go back to your church or a church. However, that is exactly what many people don't want to do, and often become angry when we try to tell them so.
Of course he still gives them the chance to learn about Buddhism, but hopes that they will get in touch with their past. Such a wandering soul can easily hate the faith that he or she grew up in and will need to deal with those issues at some point.
TNH's book is great for people who want to understand how Christianity can come back into their spiritual practice. He helps them take features of both religions and compare them and see how they might speak to the same truth. He doesn't worry about somehow proving that Christianity & Buddhism are the same. He is not writing for scholars. He is writing for individuals with their individual judgement.
Throughout the book TNH uses the metaphor of waves and water. He shows how a wave thinks it is an individual that is separate from the water that is its source. The water becomes synonymous with the "ground of being" which William Johnston refers to, and nirvana( or emptiness), or God. TNH moves freely from using the term, God, Holy Spirit, and Jesus(and Christ). He uses each correctly, but also shows the way in which the trinity is really all one thing. At times he does differentiate from Jesus the teacher and Christ.
He first talks about God being somewhat synonymous with nirvana. He points out that thinking we need to love God is only useful if we understand that loving God is actually loving your neighbor. He says that to touch the true ground of our existence is to touch God or nirvana. He speaks of the Buddhist ideas of mindfulness, as "touching God." He also speaks of the ineffableness of God and nirvana. Later on in the first section he also compares God to Buddha. He doesn't see Buddha as a god but emphasizes that God and Buddha are both part of us. Here he proposes that God is like our buddha-nature. He also addresses the difficulty in speaking about Buddhism in general or Christianity in general. This point helps one understand that the way he or she is a Christian or a Buddhist is his or her own choice.
In section two, of "Going Home," TNH expresses how Christians find their home in Jesus, and Buddhists find their home in Buddha. These two figures are their teachers. Jesus or Buddha is a familiar figure for a person that he or she is comfortable with and reminds him or her to connect with the environment/the earth/nature. He emphasizes that we make our home by identifying with the teachings of our faith and seeing the presence of the sacred everywhere. He also compares God being in everything to the "Dharma-body" of the teachings of the Buddha which show how everything in the world is your teacher. He also points out that our understanding of God or Buddhism changes over time. Our understanding and faith is constantly developing which shows that you cannot hold onto your current view as the best one. This goes for your understanding of Christianity & Buddhism.
In the third section TNH he talks about love as he does throughout the book. He also goes into faith and how true faith rises out of experience. He points out how our practices give us a kind of security in life. They give us a place of peace to come back to. He also shows how necessary suffering is in order to have happiness. The "child to be born" in us is our true nature. It is the buddha-nature or the Christ within us.
In the fourth section he talks about "taking refuge" in your religion. He compares it to baptism and that it is not only committing yourself to a religion, but also committing your life to helping others. He shows how the refuge vows at Plum Village have been changed to emphasize the service aspect of being a Buddhist. This fits in well with his support of social action and is comparable to the Bodhisattva Vow. He shows how the vows for refuge are useful even for non-Buddhists. You can take refuge in the best potential within yourself or in the God within. You take refuge in the teachings you follow(as in the teachings of Jesus, or the "Dharma-body" of Christ). You take refuge in the community you join or create around you. He also examines the Apostle's Creed and he Nicene Creed. Then he goes into the Five Mindfulness Trainings, which are his version of the Five Lay Precepts which consist of No killing, No stealing, No sexual misconduct, No Lying, and No intoxicants. He makes these much more broad and increases the necessity of being conscious of our actions and their consequences. He expounds a very inconvenient way to be that eventually makes your life freer, by removing some of the difficulties in your life. He advocates a great deal of responsibility for an individual in order to help society as well as him or herself.
In the fifth section on love, he expresses the two truths of absolute and relative as the ultimate dimension and the historical dimension. Here he uses the wave metaphor to show that waves are the sons and daughters of water, just as we are the sons and daughters of God. But God as the Father is not the same as our own fathers. He equates God the Father to nirvana here in that this kind of father is ineffable. He says you can touch this ineffableness, this noumenal dimension, but that touching is difficult and unexplainable.� That is we usually can�t truly touch it even though we touch it every day.� He notes that paradise comes about when we love all beings and creation.� When we appreciate the beauty of life, paradise happens.� Living completely present is heaven.
� In the last section he starts out by discussing how we can mindfully listen to church or temple bells and see how they express the teachings.� These bells bring us back to our roots.� Certain aspects of church like the building, parts of the service, or the songs still have meaning for us even if we no longer think of ourselves as a Christian.� Much of what I mention in the first part of this report is from the last section.� TNH sees that we all have spiritual ancestors that we must honor even if we no longer enjoy that religion.� We have to come to terms with our ancestral religion.� He imagines that if Jesus and Buddha met today they would ask each other how to best renew their religions in the hearts of people today.� He says that both Jesus and Buddha should be helped.� Each of the religions has its own validity that stands on its own.� If they are not revived mankind will suffer.� He propounds that the meeting of Jesus and Buddha in individuals will help both grow.� And will help understanding grow around the world, between peoples.� In the last two pages he states that the divisions and animosities between religions have a negative effect.� He thinks people of different religions should be free to intermarry and should honor both religions in their relationship and their children.� He believes this kind of attitude will promote understandings between religions.� He ends with the statement:
"You love the apple; yes, you are authorized to love the apple, but no one prevents you from also loving the mango."
I agreed with much of the content of this book.� It was interesting that he didn't mention the option of being a follower of both religions.� He clearly advocates adopting some of the practices of another faith into your own.� He comes back again and again to the idea that one has to put down clear roots into a faith in order to validly participate in it.� I believe I have put clear roots into Christianity in my life.� Those roots have in fact gotten deeper since my study of Christianity has been revived thanks to my interest in Buddhism.� I now feel that I am am putting down roots into both, which is really the same tree or could be said to be the one tree of my own faith.
�As with Living Buddha, Living Christ, I am further empowered by TNH to find my own path within these two faiths.� He emphasizes that it is what YOU think is right that is important.� If you have worked out a way to practice both for yourself, than that is valid for you and may or may not be valid for another person.
After meeting many Westerners who have given up their own culture, religion, and even family to become Buddhists, TNH knows that they have to not give up their roots, but go back and transform them.
When I have met people in this situation in person and online, I ask them to be very patient. My tendency is to encourage them that a person without roots cannot be a happy person. You need to go back to your roots. You need to go back to your family. You need to go back to your culture. You might even need to go back to your church or a church. However, that is exactly what many people don't want to do, and often become angry when we try to tell them so.
Of course he still gives them the chance to learn about Buddhism, but hopes that they will get in touch with their past. Such a wandering soul can easily hate the faith that he or she grew up in and will need to deal with those issues at some point.
TNH's book is great for people who want to understand how Christianity can come back into their spiritual practice. He helps them take features of both religions and compare them and see how they might speak to the same truth. He doesn't worry about somehow proving that Christianity & Buddhism are the same. He is not writing for scholars. He is writing for individuals with their individual judgement.
Throughout the book TNH uses the metaphor of waves and water. He shows how a wave thinks it is an individual that is separate from the water that is its source. The water becomes synonymous with the "ground of being" which William Johnston refers to, and nirvana( or emptiness), or God. TNH moves freely from using the term, God, Holy Spirit, and Jesus(and Christ). He uses each correctly, but also shows the way in which the trinity is really all one thing. At times he does differentiate from Jesus the teacher and Christ.
He first talks about God being somewhat synonymous with nirvana. He points out that thinking we need to love God is only useful if we understand that loving God is actually loving your neighbor. He says that to touch the true ground of our existence is to touch God or nirvana. He speaks of the Buddhist ideas of mindfulness, as "touching God." He also speaks of the ineffableness of God and nirvana. Later on in the first section he also compares God to Buddha. He doesn't see Buddha as a god but emphasizes that God and Buddha are both part of us. Here he proposes that God is like our buddha-nature. He also addresses the difficulty in speaking about Buddhism in general or Christianity in general. This point helps one understand that the way he or she is a Christian or a Buddhist is his or her own choice.
In section two, of "Going Home," TNH expresses how Christians find their home in Jesus, and Buddhists find their home in Buddha. These two figures are their teachers. Jesus or Buddha is a familiar figure for a person that he or she is comfortable with and reminds him or her to connect with the environment/the earth/nature. He emphasizes that we make our home by identifying with the teachings of our faith and seeing the presence of the sacred everywhere. He also compares God being in everything to the "Dharma-body" of the teachings of the Buddha which show how everything in the world is your teacher. He also points out that our understanding of God or Buddhism changes over time. Our understanding and faith is constantly developing which shows that you cannot hold onto your current view as the best one. This goes for your understanding of Christianity & Buddhism.
In the third section TNH he talks about love as he does throughout the book. He also goes into faith and how true faith rises out of experience. He points out how our practices give us a kind of security in life. They give us a place of peace to come back to. He also shows how necessary suffering is in order to have happiness. The "child to be born" in us is our true nature. It is the buddha-nature or the Christ within us.
In the fourth section he talks about "taking refuge" in your religion. He compares it to baptism and that it is not only committing yourself to a religion, but also committing your life to helping others. He shows how the refuge vows at Plum Village have been changed to emphasize the service aspect of being a Buddhist. This fits in well with his support of social action and is comparable to the Bodhisattva Vow. He shows how the vows for refuge are useful even for non-Buddhists. You can take refuge in the best potential within yourself or in the God within. You take refuge in the teachings you follow(as in the teachings of Jesus, or the "Dharma-body" of Christ). You take refuge in the community you join or create around you. He also examines the Apostle's Creed and he Nicene Creed. Then he goes into the Five Mindfulness Trainings, which are his version of the Five Lay Precepts which consist of No killing, No stealing, No sexual misconduct, No Lying, and No intoxicants. He makes these much more broad and increases the necessity of being conscious of our actions and their consequences. He expounds a very inconvenient way to be that eventually makes your life freer, by removing some of the difficulties in your life. He advocates a great deal of responsibility for an individual in order to help society as well as him or herself.
In the fifth section on love, he expresses the two truths of absolute and relative as the ultimate dimension and the historical dimension. Here he uses the wave metaphor to show that waves are the sons and daughters of water, just as we are the sons and daughters of God. But God as the Father is not the same as our own fathers. He equates God the Father to nirvana here in that this kind of father is ineffable. He says you can touch this ineffableness, this noumenal dimension, but that touching is difficult and unexplainable.� That is we usually can�t truly touch it even though we touch it every day.� He notes that paradise comes about when we love all beings and creation.� When we appreciate the beauty of life, paradise happens.� Living completely present is heaven.
� In the last section he starts out by discussing how we can mindfully listen to church or temple bells and see how they express the teachings.� These bells bring us back to our roots.� Certain aspects of church like the building, parts of the service, or the songs still have meaning for us even if we no longer think of ourselves as a Christian.� Much of what I mention in the first part of this report is from the last section.� TNH sees that we all have spiritual ancestors that we must honor even if we no longer enjoy that religion.� We have to come to terms with our ancestral religion.� He imagines that if Jesus and Buddha met today they would ask each other how to best renew their religions in the hearts of people today.� He says that both Jesus and Buddha should be helped.� Each of the religions has its own validity that stands on its own.� If they are not revived mankind will suffer.� He propounds that the meeting of Jesus and Buddha in individuals will help both grow.� And will help understanding grow around the world, between peoples.� In the last two pages he states that the divisions and animosities between religions have a negative effect.� He thinks people of different religions should be free to intermarry and should honor both religions in their relationship and their children.� He believes this kind of attitude will promote understandings between religions.� He ends with the statement:
"You love the apple; yes, you are authorized to love the apple, but no one prevents you from also loving the mango."
I agreed with much of the content of this book.� It was interesting that he didn't mention the option of being a follower of both religions.� He clearly advocates adopting some of the practices of another faith into your own.� He comes back again and again to the idea that one has to put down clear roots into a faith in order to validly participate in it.� I believe I have put clear roots into Christianity in my life.� Those roots have in fact gotten deeper since my study of Christianity has been revived thanks to my interest in Buddhism.� I now feel that I am am putting down roots into both, which is really the same tree or could be said to be the one tree of my own faith.
�As with Living Buddha, Living Christ, I am further empowered by TNH to find my own path within these two faiths.� He emphasizes that it is what YOU think is right that is important.� If you have worked out a way to practice both for yourself, than that is valid for you and may or may not be valid for another person.
November 2, 2007
Most of the books I read more than 2-3 years ago I have only vague memories of. I feel like I just read this one yesterday. It was essentially the sole catalyst for reinvigorating my own faith practice. I cannot explain what a powerful message this is, and the skill with which the author presents it: return to what you know, but most importantly find some sort of practice. In this day and age, growth (spiritual, emotional, or otherwise) is almost impossible without practice. Everything from the tone (nonjudgemental, positive, inclusive) to the dogma teachings (mostly comparisons of Buddhism and Christianity) are excellent. I could go on and on, but you would be much better off spending your time reading this book.
March 21, 2011
A surprisingly humorous read. It's good for stretching your philosophical perspectives.
March 9, 2017
Here Be the Deep Waters
Synopsis: It’s Christmastime, and Thich Nhat Hanh is ruminating about the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity, what brings them together and what would strengthen them as faith systems.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s writings are always a little hard to follow. Sometimes they get too ethereal even for me. But the title was so intriguing, I had to give it a try. As with any of his books, the goal for me was to take away nuggets of truth. So, while it’s unlikely you could form a coherent outline of Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers, there was still so much I took away from it.
I love the peaceful presence of Thich Nhat Hanh for one thing. His commitment to bringing us to the highest ideals. His understanding of human limitations, but his overriding belief that we can be our best selves. I’ve found more wisdom in the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh than I have found at times in those of the authors of my own faith history, further confirming my belief that all religions have something to teach us.
This was a unique book though, and it’s probably best summed up in the last few pages. What would happen if Jesus and the Buddha could sit down and have a conversation? We’d all have different opinions on that, but I bet the world would be a better place for it. Much like the world would be a better place if we could all be more willing to sit down and converse, listen without needing to respond, respect without agreeing, dialogue without fighting.
Synopsis: It’s Christmastime, and Thich Nhat Hanh is ruminating about the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity, what brings them together and what would strengthen them as faith systems.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s writings are always a little hard to follow. Sometimes they get too ethereal even for me. But the title was so intriguing, I had to give it a try. As with any of his books, the goal for me was to take away nuggets of truth. So, while it’s unlikely you could form a coherent outline of Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers, there was still so much I took away from it.
I love the peaceful presence of Thich Nhat Hanh for one thing. His commitment to bringing us to the highest ideals. His understanding of human limitations, but his overriding belief that we can be our best selves. I’ve found more wisdom in the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh than I have found at times in those of the authors of my own faith history, further confirming my belief that all religions have something to teach us.
This was a unique book though, and it’s probably best summed up in the last few pages. What would happen if Jesus and the Buddha could sit down and have a conversation? We’d all have different opinions on that, but I bet the world would be a better place for it. Much like the world would be a better place if we could all be more willing to sit down and converse, listen without needing to respond, respect without agreeing, dialogue without fighting.
May 19, 2020
From the book "Buddha and Jesus are two brothers who have to help each other. Buddhism does need help. Christianity does need help, not for the sake of Buddhism, not for the sake of Christianity, but for the sake of humankind."
February 8, 2009
I gave all my Thich Nhat Hanh books 5 star ratings, but this is my favorite of Nhat Hanh's books. Beautifully written in a way that glorifies both traditions and denigrates neither.
May 10, 2022
I treated this book like a devotional, savoring its spirit and truth. Thich Nhat Hanh will forever be a blessing that lights the way.
June 17, 2024
I didn’t quite finish, but almost. I just couldn’t keep going. It was way over my head and I didn’t feel like I was really getting anything out of it. This isnt a “beginner” Buddhist book. And actually it wasn’t really what I thought it would be anyway, based on the title. So I’m not saying it was bad, necessarily, but it just wasn’t for me.
March 20, 2021
Jesus is like Buddha but with sleeve tattoos and a pack of cigarettes – a more rebellious and potentially angry enlightened dude – yet focused on the same philosophical truths.
I love reading a Buddhist account of Christianity. Like my default interpretation of the world is through English, my default interpretation of religion is through the lens of my childhood religion (Catholic) and the country I grew up in (USA). I enjoy a cross cultural perspective because it resets my standard thinking patterns.
Given the book’s title, I expected more comparison between the two teachers. It was mainly Hanh’s regular meditation interspersed with Jesus/Buddha would approve kind of moments. The Our Father prayer is examined, but again, mostly this is a standard Buddhist meditation with sprinkles of comparison.
I did find several moving passages and good ideas in this book. The first is the idea of unknowing, the second is the idea of presence, the third is that of potential.
Unknowing
“Knowledge is an obstacle to understanding.”
To people who read in order to understand the world this sounds like an attack. What do you mean, I shouldn’t learn? The accumulation of knowledge is important, I find life fascinating and I want to learn about everything that I can. Let me read, my ego shouts in response.
And yet, that distractibility and default mode of seeking facts is a deterrent in the spiritual realm. If you have an idea of God, Jesus, Buddha in your head, it’s important to let it go.
“Let go of God for God” is how Meister Eckhart says this same truth. We have to let go of our default method of thinking (rationalism) and let go of any personal pictures of the divine we have formed in our minds in order to grow in faith.
A mystical vision, be it moving, powerful, and beautiful, is not a permanent truth. If I let my mind settle on a vision or even phrasing of God, that becomes stagnant. I do not grow in faith. This book is a good reminder to let go of images and sink into the present moment where the divine manifests constantly. Mystical visions, when the i dissolves into The Real, are to be treasured but not clung to. This leads to further and deeper contemplations into the nature of The Real.
Presence
Speaking of the moment, what a beautiful reminder to return to breath. Return to the smallest details of life and give them their proper respect.
At each moment, your life can begin anew. That is why each moment is a point of singularity. What I enjoy about this author is reminding you that importance of being mindful, being present. Presence and attention to the moment is the antidote to the blur of screens and the rush of modern life.
Potential
When you are fully present, you realize the full and sacred potential of each moment. There is an image of waves and water he returns to frequently. In essence, waves in the ocean can look one at the other and say, “you are a wave, I am a wave.” This is what people usually do to other people and other objects. It is the horizontal plane.
However, a wave is also water. And water is everything. That is the vertical plane. Basically, the dimension in which the sacred potential is in everything. Be present to see and recognize this plane. Be thankful that you can tap into Nirvana/the Kingdom of Heaven whenever you feel this place. At the core there is always love throbbing, if only we are still enough to feel it.
More than any other message, that’s the main point of his work. To feel peace and divinity and to not get stuck in any word combination that limits your experience. To feel the oneness and to love others is Jesus’ ultimate commandment, and in the end, all truths converge. Not to try to fully comprehend It but to be still and love. The question is can we feel that in the moment.
My question is, can I live the message and sit still to listen instead of just plowing through spiritual books? The path is that of acceptance, contemplation, and stillness, not the path of accumulating knowledge.
Quotes
Fresh air is available to us 24 hours a day. The question is whether we have the time and awareness to enjoy it. 1
If you do not succeed in getting in touch with the horizontal dimension, you will not be able to get in touch with the vertical dimension. 3
The practice of looking deeply reveals to us that one thing is made up of all other things. One thing contains the whole cosmos. 5
If the wave is capable of deeply touching the water, her ground of being, she will transcend her fear, jealousy, and all kinds of suffering. By touching this ultimate dimension, we get the greatest relief. We have to practice in our daily life so that we will be able to touch the ultimate. We can touch the noumenal world by touching the phenomenal world deeply. 9
To the Buddhist, “To be or not to be” is not the question. The question is whether or not you can transcend these notions. 27
Every time you feel despair, anger, or instability, you have to know how to practice going home. Mindful breathing is the vehicle that you use to go back to your true home where you meet the Buddha. 48
In Buddhism, knowledge can be seen as an obstacle. Many people try to accumulate knowledge, and one day they may realize that the knowledge they possess has become an obstacle to their understanding. The Sanskirt word for “knowledge as obstacle” is jneyavarana. To know and to understand are two different things. When you climb a ladder, unless you abandon the lower step, you will not be able to climb to a higher one. Knowledge is like that. If you are not ready to let go of your knowledge, you cannot get a deeper knowledge of the same thing. 58
Concentration is the food of understanding. 63
When you are motivated by the desire to transcend suffering, to get out of a difficult situation and to help others to do the same, you get a powerful source of energy that helps you to do what you want to do to transform yourself and to help other people. That is what we call bodhicitta, the mind of love. It comes from a strong feeling that you don’t want to suffer anymore. You want people not to be caught anymore in that kind of situation. This is a very important beginning. 68
If you are committed to one idea of happiness, then you are caught. You may not be happy all your life. You think that if your idea cannot be realized, then happiness will never be possible. That is why a notion is an obstacle. There are many ways to be happy, but you are committed in only one way. That is why a notion is an obstacle. 75
The Five Faculties [faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, insight] is sometimes described as the five powers. 84
The greatest relief is nonfear (abhaya) and that greatest relief can be obtained by touching nirvana, by touching the ultimate, by touching the Father. 159
I love reading a Buddhist account of Christianity. Like my default interpretation of the world is through English, my default interpretation of religion is through the lens of my childhood religion (Catholic) and the country I grew up in (USA). I enjoy a cross cultural perspective because it resets my standard thinking patterns.
Given the book’s title, I expected more comparison between the two teachers. It was mainly Hanh’s regular meditation interspersed with Jesus/Buddha would approve kind of moments. The Our Father prayer is examined, but again, mostly this is a standard Buddhist meditation with sprinkles of comparison.
I did find several moving passages and good ideas in this book. The first is the idea of unknowing, the second is the idea of presence, the third is that of potential.
Unknowing
“Knowledge is an obstacle to understanding.”
To people who read in order to understand the world this sounds like an attack. What do you mean, I shouldn’t learn? The accumulation of knowledge is important, I find life fascinating and I want to learn about everything that I can. Let me read, my ego shouts in response.
And yet, that distractibility and default mode of seeking facts is a deterrent in the spiritual realm. If you have an idea of God, Jesus, Buddha in your head, it’s important to let it go.
“Let go of God for God” is how Meister Eckhart says this same truth. We have to let go of our default method of thinking (rationalism) and let go of any personal pictures of the divine we have formed in our minds in order to grow in faith.
A mystical vision, be it moving, powerful, and beautiful, is not a permanent truth. If I let my mind settle on a vision or even phrasing of God, that becomes stagnant. I do not grow in faith. This book is a good reminder to let go of images and sink into the present moment where the divine manifests constantly. Mystical visions, when the i dissolves into The Real, are to be treasured but not clung to. This leads to further and deeper contemplations into the nature of The Real.
Presence
Speaking of the moment, what a beautiful reminder to return to breath. Return to the smallest details of life and give them their proper respect.
At each moment, your life can begin anew. That is why each moment is a point of singularity. What I enjoy about this author is reminding you that importance of being mindful, being present. Presence and attention to the moment is the antidote to the blur of screens and the rush of modern life.
Potential
When you are fully present, you realize the full and sacred potential of each moment. There is an image of waves and water he returns to frequently. In essence, waves in the ocean can look one at the other and say, “you are a wave, I am a wave.” This is what people usually do to other people and other objects. It is the horizontal plane.
However, a wave is also water. And water is everything. That is the vertical plane. Basically, the dimension in which the sacred potential is in everything. Be present to see and recognize this plane. Be thankful that you can tap into Nirvana/the Kingdom of Heaven whenever you feel this place. At the core there is always love throbbing, if only we are still enough to feel it.
More than any other message, that’s the main point of his work. To feel peace and divinity and to not get stuck in any word combination that limits your experience. To feel the oneness and to love others is Jesus’ ultimate commandment, and in the end, all truths converge. Not to try to fully comprehend It but to be still and love. The question is can we feel that in the moment.
My question is, can I live the message and sit still to listen instead of just plowing through spiritual books? The path is that of acceptance, contemplation, and stillness, not the path of accumulating knowledge.
Quotes
Fresh air is available to us 24 hours a day. The question is whether we have the time and awareness to enjoy it. 1
If you do not succeed in getting in touch with the horizontal dimension, you will not be able to get in touch with the vertical dimension. 3
The practice of looking deeply reveals to us that one thing is made up of all other things. One thing contains the whole cosmos. 5
If the wave is capable of deeply touching the water, her ground of being, she will transcend her fear, jealousy, and all kinds of suffering. By touching this ultimate dimension, we get the greatest relief. We have to practice in our daily life so that we will be able to touch the ultimate. We can touch the noumenal world by touching the phenomenal world deeply. 9
To the Buddhist, “To be or not to be” is not the question. The question is whether or not you can transcend these notions. 27
Every time you feel despair, anger, or instability, you have to know how to practice going home. Mindful breathing is the vehicle that you use to go back to your true home where you meet the Buddha. 48
In Buddhism, knowledge can be seen as an obstacle. Many people try to accumulate knowledge, and one day they may realize that the knowledge they possess has become an obstacle to their understanding. The Sanskirt word for “knowledge as obstacle” is jneyavarana. To know and to understand are two different things. When you climb a ladder, unless you abandon the lower step, you will not be able to climb to a higher one. Knowledge is like that. If you are not ready to let go of your knowledge, you cannot get a deeper knowledge of the same thing. 58
Concentration is the food of understanding. 63
When you are motivated by the desire to transcend suffering, to get out of a difficult situation and to help others to do the same, you get a powerful source of energy that helps you to do what you want to do to transform yourself and to help other people. That is what we call bodhicitta, the mind of love. It comes from a strong feeling that you don’t want to suffer anymore. You want people not to be caught anymore in that kind of situation. This is a very important beginning. 68
If you are committed to one idea of happiness, then you are caught. You may not be happy all your life. You think that if your idea cannot be realized, then happiness will never be possible. That is why a notion is an obstacle. There are many ways to be happy, but you are committed in only one way. That is why a notion is an obstacle. 75
The Five Faculties [faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, insight] is sometimes described as the five powers. 84
The greatest relief is nonfear (abhaya) and that greatest relief can be obtained by touching nirvana, by touching the ultimate, by touching the Father. 159
January 28, 2008
His simple explanations and presentations of buddhist ideas are extremely well done; however, his comparisons with jesus and christian beliefs are somewhat lacking. I feel like there are a lot of comparisons he misses, and some that he makes are off the mark.
Still, an excellent book if solely from a buddhist perspective.
Still, an excellent book if solely from a buddhist perspective.
February 5, 2012
I dunno man, this book is cute, I guess. I read it when I was going through a Buddhist phase and was hoping that by reading it I would somehow find some spiritual common ground that I could share with my born-again Christian father. This is a fluffy, feel-good sort of book, but it didn't do a lot for me.
February 15, 2013
This is an interesting book on comparative religion. While it does not directly compare Buddhism with Christianity, it delves into where the two unite. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist, whose contemplative nature, gives analysis of the spiritual and what it means to be human. A good read for anyone interested in Religion and Spirituality.
August 4, 2018
Rating is in comparison to his other books that had more depth of meaning for me. I appreciate books like these because I am tired of people fighting over differences and villianizing those with different beliefs and backgrounds. Also, reading short passages at night is a good way to end day with a reflective mindset and resolve to start the next day with more mindfulness and caring.
May 1, 2018
A companion book to Living Buddha, Living Christ. If Jesus and Buddha were walking and met along the road, what might there discussion be?
The most intelligent and comprehensive outline of the similarities and differences between the two religions I've ever read.
The most intelligent and comprehensive outline of the similarities and differences between the two religions I've ever read.
May 16, 2013
I am very fond of everything I have read by Thich Nhat Hahn, and this work is certainly no exception.
His powerful commentary about the existence of suffering as it pertains to the human condition has really stuck with me.
His powerful commentary about the existence of suffering as it pertains to the human condition has really stuck with me.
June 15, 2023
Autant j'apprécie souvent les interviews de Thich Nhat Hanh, autant ce livre est presque illisible ! Le style en est si volontairement simpliste que ça en devient presque pompeux, un comble quand on connaît la sobriété du moine vietnamien !
Read
October 6, 2012I adore all that Thich Nhat Hanh writes...I have also listened to this book (mp3 version)while outside tending my garden for hours...a favorite meditative activity for me:)
January 20, 2021
WARNING- Long review with some excerpts
A good series of lecture-style essays on the compatibility of Christianity and Buddhism from a Buddhist perspective. The author is a Buddhist monk, and the book definitely helped increase my knowledge and a feeling for Buddhist teaching. I particularly liked the constant use of imagery to drive home Buddhist points about the nature of reality, in particular the relationship between waves and the ocean. I also appreciated the idea, articulated from a different spiritual tradition, that your real home is the now. The here. The present. That is where God lives.
The author stresses that there is a common misconception that Buddhism is a teaching of emptiness and Christianity is a teaching of existence. Instead, he puts forward a view that both traditions are in fact similar when seen and studied deeply (and in fact bases most of his comparison on mystical forms of Christianity). This is where I disagree with him. While it is clear he understands his own Buddhist tradition well, he certainly has some gaps in knowledge about the importance of various Christian beliefs and doctrines. So while we get some lovely gems like:
"Faith is not made of notions and concepts. Right faith is nourished by your true understanding, not by the intellect but by your experience. It is true faith. I think that in Buddhist-Christian dialogue, faith is a very important topic of inquiry."
"It is so crucial to remove the notion of happiness. Then you have the opportunity to open the door to true happiness, which already exists inside and around us"
"Don't worry about tomorrow or yesterday, what you need is only today. If you worry too much, you will suffer. This is the practice of living deeply in the present moment. The Kingdom is not for tomorrow, the Kingdom is not a matter of the past. The Kingdom is now"
"Love cannot exist without suffering. In fact, suffering is the ground on which love is born...it is because we are struggling to free ourselves from the grip of suffering...that we learn how to love and how to take care of ourselves and of others... Love is a practice and unless you know what suffering is, you are not motivated to practice compassion, love, and understanding."
and value-neutral but wise sayings like:
"Impermanence is the reality of things in the phenomenal world"
However, he loses me a bit in flirting with the idea that Christianity has to transcend its own teachings (so to speak). While I understand his idea that experience of God trumps teaching, within Christianity, experience and orthodoxy exist together influence each other. The baby cannot be thrown out with the bath water. In Christianity, it is in fact integral that the world is real, that you are real, and that your experience of life as an ensouled being has a special emphasis. To speak of Christians "transcending" Jesus does not make sense. Yes, Christians and Buddhists have similarities up to a point. Both transcend their respective world-views as part of their daily practice. But a Christian will stop transcending to the point of Jesus, while a Buddhist will continue transcending until there is nothing left to transcend. Two interesting approaches, but this is an idea that from my limited understanding demonstrates a real difference between them.
Then again, some of his speeches are incredibly poetic and I am sure I have not fully comprehended them all. And I am by no means not an expert in "the way, the truth, the light" of Christianity. I would be happy to read more from him and on the topic of Buddhist/Christian philosophies.
A good series of lecture-style essays on the compatibility of Christianity and Buddhism from a Buddhist perspective. The author is a Buddhist monk, and the book definitely helped increase my knowledge and a feeling for Buddhist teaching. I particularly liked the constant use of imagery to drive home Buddhist points about the nature of reality, in particular the relationship between waves and the ocean. I also appreciated the idea, articulated from a different spiritual tradition, that your real home is the now. The here. The present. That is where God lives.
The author stresses that there is a common misconception that Buddhism is a teaching of emptiness and Christianity is a teaching of existence. Instead, he puts forward a view that both traditions are in fact similar when seen and studied deeply (and in fact bases most of his comparison on mystical forms of Christianity). This is where I disagree with him. While it is clear he understands his own Buddhist tradition well, he certainly has some gaps in knowledge about the importance of various Christian beliefs and doctrines. So while we get some lovely gems like:
"Faith is not made of notions and concepts. Right faith is nourished by your true understanding, not by the intellect but by your experience. It is true faith. I think that in Buddhist-Christian dialogue, faith is a very important topic of inquiry."
"It is so crucial to remove the notion of happiness. Then you have the opportunity to open the door to true happiness, which already exists inside and around us"
"Don't worry about tomorrow or yesterday, what you need is only today. If you worry too much, you will suffer. This is the practice of living deeply in the present moment. The Kingdom is not for tomorrow, the Kingdom is not a matter of the past. The Kingdom is now"
"Love cannot exist without suffering. In fact, suffering is the ground on which love is born...it is because we are struggling to free ourselves from the grip of suffering...that we learn how to love and how to take care of ourselves and of others... Love is a practice and unless you know what suffering is, you are not motivated to practice compassion, love, and understanding."
and value-neutral but wise sayings like:
"Impermanence is the reality of things in the phenomenal world"
However, he loses me a bit in flirting with the idea that Christianity has to transcend its own teachings (so to speak). While I understand his idea that experience of God trumps teaching, within Christianity, experience and orthodoxy exist together influence each other. The baby cannot be thrown out with the bath water. In Christianity, it is in fact integral that the world is real, that you are real, and that your experience of life as an ensouled being has a special emphasis. To speak of Christians "transcending" Jesus does not make sense. Yes, Christians and Buddhists have similarities up to a point. Both transcend their respective world-views as part of their daily practice. But a Christian will stop transcending to the point of Jesus, while a Buddhist will continue transcending until there is nothing left to transcend. Two interesting approaches, but this is an idea that from my limited understanding demonstrates a real difference between them.
Then again, some of his speeches are incredibly poetic and I am sure I have not fully comprehended them all. And I am by no means not an expert in "the way, the truth, the light" of Christianity. I would be happy to read more from him and on the topic of Buddhist/Christian philosophies.
May 3, 2020
“Buddhism teaches rebirth, many lives Christianity teaches that only this one life is available to you. Buddhism teaches that there is no self, but in Christianity there’s a real self. Buddhism teaches emptiness, no substance, while Christianity confirms the fact of existence.”
And in spite of theses differences Thich Nhat Hahn sees the only difference between the two religions is a matter of preference. You can prefer an apple or you can prefer a mango.
His writings really got me thinking and I always appreciate that. I know a decent amount about Buddhism but was brought up Catholic. Now I believe in a kind of mix of the religions and practice Science of Mind at Center for Spiritual Living.
It’s important to me, even during this pandemic to practice mindfulness. It’s a practice and not a perfect for sure.
Thich Nhat Hanh seems to have a similar belief and says it eloquently.
And in spite of theses differences Thich Nhat Hahn sees the only difference between the two religions is a matter of preference. You can prefer an apple or you can prefer a mango.
His writings really got me thinking and I always appreciate that. I know a decent amount about Buddhism but was brought up Catholic. Now I believe in a kind of mix of the religions and practice Science of Mind at Center for Spiritual Living.
It’s important to me, even during this pandemic to practice mindfulness. It’s a practice and not a perfect for sure.
Thich Nhat Hanh seems to have a similar belief and says it eloquently.
November 11, 2023
"The encounter between different traditions can help to renew every tradition. And this is what we hope for in the twenty-first century. We know that peace cannot exist if religions are always in conflict with each other. If we want to stop the conflicts between religions, we have to start the dialogue between different traditions with an open attitude. We know that religion has been the cause of war in so many centuries."
A look at how religious traditions can deepen and learn from one another. And an argument for deepening one's roots (familial, cultural, and spiritual) while remaining open to diverse perspectives and the opportunities for connection, understanding, and growth.
"Understanding is a process. It is a living thing. Never claim to have understood reality completely. As you continue to live deeply each moment of your daily life, your understanding grows as does your faith."
January 6, 2019
Thich Nhat Hanh himself sums up the transcendent value of this work on page 98 "as I see it, if there is a real encounter between Buddhism and Christianity, there will be a very drastic change within the Christian tradition, and the most beautiful jewels in the tradition will be able to emerge. If you can bring into Christianity the insight of interbeing and of non-duality, we will radically transform the way people look on the Christian tradition, and the valuable jewels in the Christian tradition will be rediscovered."
If you are interested in exploring non-duality consciousness from a Christian perspective, look for work on contemplative prayer and centering prayer. Authors include Richard Rohr, Cynthia Boureault, and Thomas Keating.
If you are interested in exploring non-duality consciousness from a Christian perspective, look for work on contemplative prayer and centering prayer. Authors include Richard Rohr, Cynthia Boureault, and Thomas Keating.
August 28, 2022
A reread for me, as are many of this amazing monk's works, Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers shows the overlap potential of Buddhism and Christianity. On the Ven diagram, the intersecting properties are understanding, truth, and love.
If anyone is looking for an introduction to this gentle, spiritual guide's teaching, this book is as good as any place to start.
If anyone is looking for an introduction to this gentle, spiritual guide's teaching, this book is as good as any place to start.
September 24, 2022
This was an island of calm and serenity in my hectic days. Talks at Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village mindfulness center in France during end-of-year holidays comprise most of the books. He find the points of agreement between Jesus and Buddha and the religions they inspired rather than the points of disagreement. Ah, if only . . . I would have given it a 5 for it's wonderfully balanced and soothing presentations, but there is repetitiveness, and familiarity distracted from mindful reading. Obviously, I need his lessons! :-]
June 5, 2024
loved this one! only thing keeping it from 5 stars is the somewhat less than totally logical structure, though i think that's to be expected from what is essentially a transcriptiton of a sermon/lecture.
really interesting stuff about the intersection between christianity and buddhism, and how the two traditions can work together for a better world. as someone who was raised (broadly speaking) in the christian tradition, but have found my spiritual home in the teachings of the buddha, this book gave me some valuable perspectives and ways to feel at home with both.
really interesting stuff about the intersection between christianity and buddhism, and how the two traditions can work together for a better world. as someone who was raised (broadly speaking) in the christian tradition, but have found my spiritual home in the teachings of the buddha, this book gave me some valuable perspectives and ways to feel at home with both.
February 13, 2020
Thich Nhat Hanh brings Christians and Buddhists together in an understanding of the beautiful message and path both their spiritual founders taught and continue to teach.
Parts of this beautiful book are difficult for the Western mindset to follow but worth struggling through.
A gift to anyone who has found their way to both Jesus and Buddha.
Parts of this beautiful book are difficult for the Western mindset to follow but worth struggling through.
A gift to anyone who has found their way to both Jesus and Buddha.
January 5, 2022
I am forever reading and re-reading this book. Thich Nhat Hanh's approach to faith and what it means to recognize the sacred in each and every one of us is beautifully stated. He guides the reader through some very abstract concepts by utilizing his vast knowledge, personal experiences, stories, and metaphors.
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