Q: Is it possible for a professed Christian to also take a Buddhist vow? I am a very committed Christian, indeed an ordained person, and yet there seems a compatibility and congruence in my understanding of the teaching of Jesus and that of the Buddhist path of spirituality which would allow assent to both, and practice of both Buddhism and Christianity, as they are pointed toward light, the path of truth, love, and freedom. ne of the teachers in my life has been Thomas Merton, a Catholic priest and monk, and a practitioner of Buddhism.

A: Of course, there are many common elements among all major world religious traditions.  Therefore, I believe, at the intial stage one person can practice both Buddhism and Christianity simultaneously, and perhaps some other religions as well.  I think that is very good.

But the question is when one reaches further.  Then it is like in the field of education: when one becomes a specialist, then one has to choose one particular field.  In the further practice of Buddhism, when one reaches a certain stage, the realization of emptiness is one of the key aspects of the path.  The concept of emptiness and the concept of an absolute Creator, I think, are difficult to put together.  On the other hand, for the Christian practitioner, the Creator and the acceptance of the Creator as almighty, is a very important factor within that tradition in order to develop self-discipline, compassion, or forgiveness and to increase them in one’s intimate relationship with God.  That’s something very essential.  In addition, when God is seen as absolute and almighty, the concept that everything is relative becomes a little bit difficult.  However, if one’s understanding of God is in terms of an ultimate nature of reality or ultimate truth, then it is possible to have a kind of unified approach…

As to one’s personal religion, I think this must be based on one’s own mental disposition.  that is very important.  So I tell people that as a Buddhist monk I find Buddhism is most suitable to me.  This does not mean Buddhism is best for everyone.  That is clear.  For other people, the Christian, Muslim, or  Jewish tradition, a tradition which is based on Creator theory, is more effective, that’s certain.  So it is very, very important to follow religion according to one’s own mental disposition.

…Generally speaking, I think it is better to practice according to your own traidtional background, and certainly you can use some of the Buddhist techniques.  Without accepting rebirth theory or the complicated philosophy, simply use certain techniques to increase your power of patience and compassion, forgiveness, things like that.

…An important thing to remember is that once you change your personal religion, there is a natural tendency, in order to justify your newly adopted religion, to take a critical view toward your previous religion.  This is very dangerous.  Although your previous religion may be unsuitable or ineffective for you, at the same time, millions of people may still get benefit from that tradition.  So we must respect each other’s individual rights.  If it is their belief, and millions of people get their inspiration from it, we must respect that.  And there are many reasons to do so.

~ The Dalai Lama, Healing Anger

Snow Lion: Ithaca, 1997. pp 69-71.

So…egg nog, anyone??

In general, Newtown is a Philadelphia tributary.  We cheer for the Eagles, Phillies and Flyers, draw conclusions about a person’s moral fibre based on a preference for Geno‘s or Pat‘s, and take curious pride in the wide selection of TastyKakes exclusively available in the 2-1-5. So when I decided to attend college in NYC, I knew I was turning my back on 18 solid years of Philly-pride heritage and, at the time, I was thrilled. Like 7.2 trillion other unoriginal, angsty teenagers, I couldn’t wait to get away from my not-so-small small town and embrace life in a big city.

I loved it. I hated it. Blah blah blah — that’s a different post.

The real fascination for me is “going home again.” They say it can’t be done but really? Who are they, anyway? Of course, the logic is that you go out into the world and change in drastic, soul-shattering ways that prohibit you from returning home and being the same “you” that left.  The interesting thing is that no one but you knows about all your newfound depth and improvement, so everyone treats you exactly as they did before.  Not shockingly, this puts a big cog in your personal development wheel and several things happen at once:

1. You revert back to being exactly who everyone expects you to be
2. You are silently mortified by the realization that you haven’t actually changed at all
3. You project your self-mortification onto everyone else & commence yelling about the audacity of whoever MOVED YOUR EFFING TOOTHPASTE without written consent, which they obviously needed even though you haven’t lived at this address — let alone brushed your teeth here — in 5 1/2 years. It’s still listed as your permanent residence for tax purposes, IS IT NOT?!

Breathe.

Part of the trouble with going home again is realizing that, for all our evolution, we never transform completely.  We retain the capacity to be who we were, even if it’s not who we want to be anymore. Returning home means going to the place where you made all your juvenile mistakes, the place where you can’t fool anyone with romantic notions about your past or grand statements about your sparkly-bright future.  Going home again means letting your family do its job: namely, cutting through all your bullshit and showing you who you really are.

Because here’s the thing: there’s no substitute for going home.  You can tout phrases like “My friends are my family” or “Friends are family you choose yourself” — but really? No. Your family is your family, and home is wherever they are. Go there with your whole, open heart and know that what you’ve been given to work with is probably exactly what you need. Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche wrote: “Abstractly caring about others is not enough.  The most practical and immediate way to begin sharing with others and working for their benefit is to work with your own domestic situation and to expand from there.”

Go home this holiday season. Remember to do all the chores that have been held in escrow for you in your absence, offer to clear the dishes after dinner, and try not to be such a ninny about who you “really” are. Your family knows already, and loves you anyway.