Believing in Buddhist teachings while still being a Christian

Exactly what I'm saying...Buddha was not a God, he was a man who found enlightenment through practicing Yogi. He simply started to teach his values to others, to be good to one another (which all Religions state) and be good to thyself. His quotes are everywhere because it promotes self awareness. So basically, I don't consider Buddhism a religion, more like a spirtitual journey. Those who do believe Buddhism as a religion are usually actually practicing Hinduism.

I distinguish between Religion and Philosophy in the following manner. Religion is a set of established practices which have as their basis some form of dialectical reasoning which serves as the "Philosophical Basis" or Philosophy of that religion. For instance a Hindu who goes to a temple and offers a specific ritualistic form of worship is practicing Hindu Religion. If the same person is contemplating on why did he do that worship/ritual in the first place and then moves on to to look at the basis for temple worship itself, then he is making an effort to study Hindu Philosophy. Over a period of time he might progressively drop more and more of the "recommended practices" and dwell on the "essence". When this happens, he is graduating to Philosophy from Religion. Thus Buddhism could be a religion as well as a philosophy. Just as Hinduism is a Way of Life, a Religion, or a Philosophy, depending on which point of development one is at. I do not agree that one who holds Buddhism as a religion is practicing Hinduism. The similarity of beliefs or some of the practices like, say, idol worship may look similar but the basis is not the same. Yeah, there may or might have been some cross-fertilization due to their having been common-cradle religions. This is because concepts have become hopelessly mixed up as time rolled by and one or the other of the religions/philosophies had been in ascendancy, at different points of time.

wow thats sad..... go ahead make up as much stuff as you want i will be laughing my butt off when your burning in hell

Thank you... It is an honour to read such words from a remarcable person (I'm also familiar with your posts)

Wow. So it seems I have been following your path of comments and this one impressed me the most. Very well thought out and communicated. My opinion, religion by definition is a personalized set or institutionalized system of attitudes and beliefs. To be Christian or Buddhist is all about you and your beliefs. If you can find a group that you feel comfy with to practice and live your ideal life, doesn't matter what others say. Live your life, not someone else's.

Shalom Adoniah, I'm jewish too. At least I was boran jewish and I consider myself culturally jewish, but my spirituality is more aligned to taoism, buddhism and wicca. You are right that orthodox jews would think these paths incompatible, but my opinion is that everyone's path is unique and we each have to find the one that works, and just feels right for us.

sorry, that was meant to be 'born', not boran.

hi sixclix, your post jumped out at me as I am into taoism too, (as well buddhism and wicca to some extent), despite having being born jewish. I think that they can be compatible and that it's possible to follow more than one path at once. A person's spirituality is very much a personal thing, and everyone's path is unique. We just have to find the one that works for us.

Right. What most religions preach is the same, which is love and respect for your fellow men. I follow what teaching is right regardless of religion. I was actually into wicca before and a lot of other pagan stuff but I always remained a Christian. Religion fascinates me. Taoism helps you in becoming one with yourself and the universe, that's why I'm heavily into it. Have a good one.

deemazing, I just wonder if you really know and understand what you are talking about. In your initial post - you had openly declared that you believe in the Buddhist teachings. Care to expound the term "Believe" in your very own words? Care to explain what you mean by saying about finding oneself, enlightenment and all that you "BELIEVE" in the Buddhist teachings? Is there any difference when you believe, that you may be serving? I am sorry that I do not agree with you that stretching calisthenics are anything to do with Yoga. Believe me they are miles apart. Furthermore, I just marvel how you can actually further associate sleep with meditation and in turn associate that with Yoga. I do not know about you but with what I have read I really ask that you try and sort out this confusion at your end. In the very words from the Psalmist, let me tell you about Christian meditation: "I will meditate on your precepts, And consider your ways. I will delight myself in your statutes. I will not forget your word." -- Psalm 119:15-16 Out of this, Christians do not get just get enlightenment BUT "If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you." -- John 15:7 Yes, a close and intimate relationship with our awesome God. To meditate on God's word, you think about it over and over, filling your mind and even your mouth with it. Not abandoning yourself and will as advocated in your form of meditation that you are practicing, for how can one find oneself when you are in total abandon and oblivion? I really would like to encourage you to look into or rather really have a look into what you are getting yourself into. In my previous, I have already seek that you seek alternatives to Yoga and yet your oblivion is really beyond me. Care to reread what you have posted so far? We have choices in our lives and I am sure that there are other ways to achieve a healthy lifestyle e.g. eating right, getting enough rest, sleep and moderate administration of appropriate exercises. Is there no joy and exercise in walking by the beach or park and meditating on God's words? Is there no joy, to share these moments with your love and/or child as you engage in these activities? Rather than going into a state of oblivion in your meditation? Who is going to share those moments with you? You are spot on when you say and reckon that Buddha is not God but do you know that Buddha taught that the question of God's existence is meaningless? Buddha believed in reincarnation. He taught that every evil thing we do ties us more tightly to the cycle of rebirth. Buddhist teachings include dedication to meditation. However, their form of meditation involves emptying one's mind of all content and learning to drift away from a consciousness of this world. Thus, it is part of the process by which a Buddhist frees oneself from ones attachments to this world and the cycle of reincarnation. Buddhism is indeed a religion and like all religions it stands against sin and immorality, but it ignores the issue of God's existence and our need for redemption as stressed by Christianity. To the classical Buddhist, to attain nirvana is simply to be out of existence. However, this process will have no answers about the ultimate meaning of existence and by denying the ultimate meaningfulness of life, Buddhism provides its followers with little motivation to conquer evil or to work for justice. I do not know what are the very contradictions that you had found in your previous encounters and experiences with the mentioned 3 Baptist churches but have you truly asked yourself if they are behaving and teaching against what you are familiar and devoted to - the Bible? Are they so wayward from the word of God? Or, there are some different perceptions on marriages for below legal age groups? Or some other para legal issues? I am not going to criticize anyone here, but I think you should be clear what is to God and what is to men and the legal system. You just need to be clear with the line, for churches are like any other establishments will need to conduct themselves within the implemented legal system. These systems do have fallacies and contradictions too. In conclusion, I just like to remind you that God confronts us with the need to become right with Him and to introduce a new order into the world, an order He called "the kingdom of God." Take care.

Buddha is not a God. What don't people understand about that? I am not serving any Buddhist master, I am meditating because that is what helps my stress level. Meditation has been proven scientifically that it is healthy for you, so how about you consider it more of a fitness thing than a Religion. How do we follow the word of God when every church deciphers it differently? As I pointed out, 3 Baptist church's in my area all had different views of what is morally right and wrong. How can I trust a Church to tell me what is right and wrong when they can't even come together in their OWN RELIGION to preach the same thing? What is wrong with Yoga and Meditation? Do you ever stretch your muscles, that is yoga. Do you ever go to sleep, that is Meditation. I am not a poser because I practice a healthy process of meditation. I am not a deep meditator, I do not go into the Chakras and all of that. I simply believe that the moral teachings of Buddha are correct, to be good to one another and thyself...which is the same in every religion. I can go to 6 churches today and find out by one that I'm not supposed to be married before 21 years old, and another will say that you are okay to marry as long as you are in love. I do not believe the religious philosophy that man on Earth passed on from one to another. And on another note, why are there so many forms of Christianity? Which one is right, which is wrong? In the end, we all believe in a higher power, GOD. We believe in an afterlife. That is what it is, believe what you want to believe is good or bad but why follow an organized cult? A cult doesn't have to be a place that teaches bad practices...you are told to follow specific rules or you will not be allowed in Heaven, but every one of those forms of Christianity has a different view, and again as I pointed out the 3 Baptists churches, all the same religion, have different views. The thing is I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe in Afterlife. I also believe in staying healthy in my mind because confessing a sin isn't going to make me sane again from all the bad things that have happened in my life. I have anxiety, I was told by a professional that the way to overcome that is through Meditation....what is wrong with that? And I happen to agree with Buddha that we should be good to one another, Buddha, who isn't even a God.

as long as I know, that God more know about eveyrthing. Only God have right please people heartfelt worship. The Religion just facilitate the ways. Then people can choice what compatible for them. The difference created so that we can be wise and attensional each others.