Bibliofreakblog

Going Home: Jesus and the Buddha as Brothers by Thich Nhat Hanh

I love Thich Nhat Hanh.  I really do.  But there’s something about reading a book, and thinking, haven’t I pretty much already read this in his other books? that gets annoying.

Such happens for prolific, philosophical writers.

This book was put together from sermons and writings by Thich Nhat Hanh around Christmas time, at Plum Village, France, the monastery/retreat where he lives.  I guess the Christmas angle is the difference between this book and say, Living Buddha, Living Christ.  Chapter three, which is entitled Let the Child Be Born to Us, illustrates this.

If you’re not familiar with Thich Nhat Hanh, it’s a pretty good introduction.  Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk from Vietnam, who has adopted Jesus as, what he calls, his spiritual ancestor.  He is not a Christian.  He is still a Buddhist.  In fact, he advocates staying in one’s own religion.  But he does believe in sharing ideas and that Christianity and Buddhism have a lot in common.

However, like I said, there is nothing here that can’t be found in his other books.  Perhaps I would like this one more if I’d read it first.  It actually seems rather rudimentary in presenting Thich Nhat Hanh’s philosophy.  

A lot of the same things are there: Spiritual ancestors, mindfulness, the meaning of ritual, the Eucharist.

Actually, there’s a great bit on the Eucharist.  It’s nothing new, but it’s still well written:

“Even though Jesus gave us the bread, we still eat the idea.  The bread that Jesus handed to to you, to us, is real bread.  We only try to eat the word bread or the notion of bread.  Even when we are celebrating the Eucharist, we are still eating notions and ideas.  ’Take, my friends, this is my flesh, this is my blood.’  Can there be any more drastic language in order to wake you up?  What could Jesus have said that is better than that?  You have been eating ideas and notions, and I want you to eat real bread so that you become alive.  If you come back to the present moment, fully alive, you will realize this is real bread, this piece of bread is the body of the whole cosmos.
     If Christ is the body of God, which he is, then the bread he offers is also the body of the cosmos.  Look deeply and you notice the sunshine in the bread, the blue sky in the bread, the cloud and the great earth in the bread.  Can you tell me what is not in a piece of bread?  The whole cosmos has come together in order to bring to you this piece of bread.  You eat it in such a way that you become alive, truly alive….Eat it mindfully.  Eat it in the presence of God.  Eat it in such a way that the Holy Spirit becomes an energy within you and then the piece of bread that Jesus gives you will stop being an idea, a notion.”

There’s another nice passage about listening to church bells in the same meditative way you listen to gongs at a Buddhist temple, but I’ve quoted enough here, I think.

 
Buy Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers on Amazon

If you like this book/author, you might like:

(my reviews in blue)

Thou Art That  by Joseph Campbell
Lamb  by Christopher Moore 
Deep River  by Shusaku Endo 
Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra
Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment by Deepack Chopra
The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore  by Deepak Chopra
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels (translator)
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Persig
The Yoga of Jesus: Understanding the Hidden Teachings of the Gospels by Paramahansa Yogananda 
History of Religious Ideas, Volume 2: From Gautama Buddha to the Triumph of Christianity by Mircea Eliade
Yoga: Immortality and Freedom  by Mircea Eliade
The Good Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus by The Dalai Lama
The Collected Poems of Thomas Merton by Thomas Merton
The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions by Karen Armstrong
Buddha  by Karen Armstrong
Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings by Marcus Borg
Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha by Jack Kerouac
Searching for God by Francis L. Gross
The Gospels with Salt: Jesus Wildman-Jesus Woman: Meditations on the Gospels by Francis L. Gross
Siddhartha  by Herman Hesse
Dakota by Kathleen Norris

Other works by Thich Nhat Hanh:

Living Buddha, Living Christ  
Chanting from the Heart: Buddhist Ceremonies and Daily Practices 
A Rose for Your Pocket: An Appreciation of Motherhood 
Cultivating the Mind of Love 
Hermitage Among the Clouds: An Historical Novel of Fourteenth Century Vietnam 
Being Peace 
Calming the Fearful Mind: A Zen Response to Terrorism
Call Me By My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh
Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World
The Dragon Prince: Stories and Legends from Vietnam
Breathe, You Are Alive: The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing
Friends on the Path: Living Spiritual Communities 
A Pebble for Your Pocket by 
Buddha Mind, Buddha Body: Walking Toward Enlightenment
Finding Our True Home: Living in the Pure Land Here and Now
The Blooming of a Lotus: Guided Meditation Exercises for Healing and Transformation
Each Breath a Smile 
The Energy of Prayer: How to Deepen Your Spiritual Practice
Stepping into Freedom: An Introduction to Buddhist Monastic Training by Annabel Laity
The Art of Power
Taming the Tiger Within: Meditations on Transforming Difficult Emotions
Understanding Our Mind: 50 Verses on Buddhist Psychology
Teachings on Love
Joyfully Together: The Art of Building a Harmonious Community
No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life 
Peace Begins Here: Palestinians and Israelis Listening to Each Other
The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra
Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice
The Long Road Turns to Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation
Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha
The Stone Boy and Other Stories 
Under the Rose Apple Tree 
Keeping the Peace: Mindfulness and Public Service
Transformation and Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness
The Hermit and the Well 
Thundering Silence: Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Catch a Snake
The Raft Is Not the Shore: Conversations Toward a Buddhist/Christian Awareness
Touching Peace: Practicing the Art of Mindful Living 
True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart
Present Moment Wonderful Moment: Mindfulness Verses for Daily Living b
Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life 
The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation
The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology 
The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Diamond Sutra
Peaceful Action, Open Heart: Lessons from the Lotus Sutra
Master Tang Hoi: First Zen Teacher in Vietnam and China 
Love in Action: Writings on Nonviolent Social Change 
Two Treasures: Buddhist Teachings on Awakening and True Happiness
Opening the Heart of the Cosmos: Insights on the Lotus Sutra
The Sutra on the Eight Realizations of the Great Beings: A Buddhist Scripture on Simplicity, Genrosity and Compassion 
Interbeing: Fourteen Guidelines for Engaged Buddhism
A Taste of Earth: And Other Legends of Vietnam
Thich Nhat Hanh: Essential Writings
A Lifetime of Peace: Essential Writings by and about Thich Nhat Hanh
Freedom Wherever We Go: A Buddhist Monastic Code for the Twenty-first Century
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go: Waking Up To Who You Are
The Sun My Heart
Be Free Where You Are 
Fragrant Palm Leaves: Journals, 1962-1966
Answers from the Heart: Compassionate and Practical Responses to Life’s Burning Questions
Calm, Ease, Smile, Breathe by Logan Payne
For a Future to Be Possible: Buddhist Ethics for Everyday Life 
Interbeing: Fourteen Guidelines for Engaged Buddhism
The Path of Emancipation: Talks from a 21-Day Mindfulness Retreat 
Touching the Earth: Guided Meditations for Mindfulness Practice
I Have Arrived, I Am Home: Celebrating 20 Years of Plum Village Life
Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames
The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching
My Master’s Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk 
Our Appointment with Life: Discourse on Living Happily in the Present Moment 

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