Catholicism & Buddhism?

[Bennie_P]

Is it true that Catholicism & Buddhism is compatible so that a Catholic could be a Buddhist? The reason I ask is because I have heard people call themselves Catholic Buddhists?

Pax

This is absurd, in no way can a Good Catholic be a Buddhist, or a Buddhist be a Good Catholic.
First of all Buddhists seek to become nothing or blend into “everything” and view God as “everything”. God is the creator and man is created, an individual, a creature. God cannot be both the creator and the created. Our relationship with God is unique, individual, and personal as well as a communual relationship in which God wants to show us His love. In Buddhism the individual is to be desovled to the the point of becoming nothing, how is God going to show His love for one that is nothing? View of what God is and what man is within the two belief systems contradict each other. I repeat the term Catholic Buddhist is an absurdity. I know good Catholics and know Buddhist that are basically good people, but one that claims to be both is delusional(sp) and not either.

 

[Colombe]

This is absurd, in no way can a Good Catholic be a Buddhist, or a Buddhist be a Good Catholic.
First of all Buddhists seek to become nothing or blend into “everything” and view God as “everything”. God is the creator and man is created, an individual, a creature. God cannot be both the creator and the created. Our relationship with God is unique, individual, and personal as well as a communual relationship in which God wants to show us His love. In Buddhism the individual is to be desovled to the the point of becoming nothing, how is God going to show His love for one that is nothing? View of what God is and what man is within the two belief systems contradict each other. I repeat the term Catholic Buddhist is an absurdity. I know good Catholics and know Buddhist that are basically good people, but one that claims to be both is delusional(sp) and not either.

 

[Colombe]

Colombe:
Thanks a lot for your answer, this is so right and correct ! I hope from my very heart that people will stop to be attracted by this religion, I do call it a religion, which took me so much money and time in my life ! It disconnected me from the reality, leaded me to nihilism and I never saw any misery in the Buddha’s eyes which are irritated ! Leave Buddha to the Buddhists, not to the Christians !
Leave occultism to the Tibetans and do not worship idols, stop claiming the receipe of happiness !

 

[SedesDomi]

I hope from my very heart that people will stop to be attracted by this religion, I do call it a religion, which took me so much money and time in my life !

What attracted you to Buddhism?

 

[Bennie_P]

An essay (in reality a book critic) of interest concerning enlightenment…

Get Your Enlightenment Here

Excerpt…

Buddhism deals with personal problems by eliminating the person, not the problem. It tries to fix the human condition by entirely eliminating the possibility of real human beings. In this, it sets itself dead against Christianity, which in contrast to the very human temptations of Buddhism, affirms with the greatest possible energy, the reality of God, human beings, and everything else.

 

[SedesDomi]

An essay (in reality a book critic)…
Excerpt…

Buddhism deals with personal problems by eliminating the person, not the problem. It tries to fix the human condition by entirely eliminating the possibility of real human beings.

The essay fails to grasp what Buddhism is all about:

One of the first stumbling blocks that Westerners often encounter when they learn about Buddhism is the teaching on anatta, often translated as no-self. This teaching is a stumbling block for two reasons. First, the idea of there being no self doesn’t fit well with other Buddhist teachings, such as the doctrine of kamma and rebirth: If there’s no self, what experiences the results of kamma and takes rebirth? Second, it doesn’t fit well with our own Judeo-Christian background, which assumes the existence of an eternal soul or self as a basic presupposition: If there’s no self, what’s the purpose of a spiritual life? Many books try to answer these questions, but if you look at the Pali canon — the earliest extant record of the Buddha’s teachings — you won’t find them addressed at all. In fact, the one place where the Buddha was asked point-blank whether or not there was a self, he refused to answer. When later asked why, he said that to hold either that there is a self or that there is no self is to fall into extreme forms of wrong view that make the path of Buddhist practice impossible. Thus the question should be put aside…

So, instead of answering “no” to the question of whether or not there is a self — interconnected or separate, eternal or not — the Buddha felt that the question was misguided to begin with. Why? No matter how you define the line between “self” and “other,” the notion of self involves an element of self-identification and clinging, and thus suffering and stress. This holds as much for an interconnected self, which recognizes no “other,” as it does for a separate self. If one identifies with all of nature, one is pained by every felled tree. It also holds for an entirely “other” universe, in which the sense of alienation and futility would become so debilitating as to make the quest for happiness — one’s own or that of others — impossible. For these reasons, the Buddha advised paying no attention to such questions as “Do I exist?” or “Don’t I exist?” for however you answer them, they lead to suffering and stress.

 

[Matariel]

Well, if the Buddha (St. Josaphat) is good enough for the Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, and Anglican Church… and is considered a Saint, he’s good enough for me.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think that we should all jump ship and become Buddhists. But, he did the best he could with the limited knowledge he had, morally and philosophically. This is why I consider Buddhism and Zoroastrianism higher than all the other non-Christian and non-Jewish religions. We have saints from both; St. Barlaam and St. Josephat from Buddhism (the Buddha, no less), and Saint Melchior, Saint Kaspar, and Saint Balthazar from Zoroastrianism.

They did the best they could with the limited knowledge of God they had, and, that was good enough for God. They’re saints, after all.

This is kind of like Judaism. They did the best they could with what God revealed to them, even though they didn’t have the full picture yet (i.e, New Testament, Incarnation, Blessed Sacrament… etc.) But they did the best they could.

 

[LilyM]

Well, if the Buddha (St. Josaphat) is good enough for the Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, and Anglican Church… and is considered a Saint, he’s good enough for me.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think that we should all jump ship and become Buddhists. But, he did the best he could with the limited knowledge he had, morally and philosophically. This is why I consider Buddhism and Zoroastrianism higher than all the other non-Christian and non-Jewish religions. We have saints from both; St. Barlaam and St. Josephat from Buddhism (the Buddha, no less), and Saint Melchior, Saint Kaspar, and Saint Balthazar from Zoroastrianism.

They did the best they could with the limited knowledge of God they had, and, that was good enough for God. They’re saints, after all.

This is kind of like Judaism. They did the best they could with what God revealed to them, even though they didn’t have the full picture yet (i.e, New Testament, Incarnation, Blessed Sacrament… etc.) But they did the best they could.

Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar bowed down and worshipped Jesus, offering incense to Him as a sign of His deity. At that point they, definitively, ceased being Zoroastrians, m’dear. No Zoroastrian would worship Jesus as divine.

As for the Buddha/St Josapahat - if he is a Catholic saint it’s because he led a life of heroic virtue by Catholic standards, and it is as a Catholic that we venerate him. Some Buddhists rather pride themselves on Buddhism being a philosophy that doesn’t usually speculate about God or the gods and is compatible, in their view, with other religions, so it’s not inconceivable that he could actually become Catholic.

 

[Matariel]

Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar bowed down and worshipped Jesus, offering incense to Him as a sign of His deity. At that point they, definitively, ceased being Zoroastrians, m’dear. No Zoroastrian would worship Jesus as divine.

Yes, but Zoroaster did well for not having the influence of God’s true religion of the time, Judaism. Catholicism even states that there is truth in other religions, even though it is not the full truth.

As for the Buddha/St Josapahat - if he is a Catholic saint it’s because he led a life of heroic virtue by Catholic standards, and it is as a Catholic that we venerate him. Some Buddhists rather pride themselves on Buddhism being a philosophy that doesn’t usually speculate about God or the gods and is compatible, in their view, with other religions, so it’s not inconceivable that he could actually become Catholic.

There was no way he could be “Catholic” in the modern sense-- he lived way before the time of Jesus. Like I said, he lived a life of heroic virtue, and did the best he could for not having the truth. A saint, no less.

 

[LilyM]

Yes, but Zoroaster did well for not having the influence of God’s true religion of the time, Judaism. Catholicism even states that there is truth in other religions, even though it is not the full truth.

Doesn’t make Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar any the less solidly Catholic. Even THEY moved on from Zoroaster when they knew the full truth, and it is as Catholics that they were sainted.

There was no way he could be “Catholic” in the modern sense-- he lived way before the time of Jesus. Like I said, he lived a life of heroic virtue, and did the best he could for not having the truth. A saint, no less.

Of course Buddha lived before Jesus. St Josaphat, on the other hand, lived in the 3rd or 4th century - that’s AFTER the time of Jesus. So whoever our Orthodox and Eastern Catholic brothers may be venerating, there’s at least that significant difference to suggest that it’s NOT Buddha.

Could simply be an obscure early martyr who mistakenly had some stories of the Buddha’s life attached to him by virtue of sharing the same or similar name (I believe there was more than one person with that name/title, no? Could’ve been mistakenly attached to a Christian martyr, just as the Greeks mistakenly thought that Paul was the God Hermes and Barnabas Zeus, or Hindus think that Jesus Himself came to India and was a yogi ).

Kind of like how some today persist in believing that Barrack Obama is Muslim for little better reason than because his name kinda sorta sounds Islamic.

 

[Matariel]

Doesn’t make Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar any the less solidly Catholic. Even THEY moved on from Zoroaster when they knew the full truth, and it is as Catholics that they were sainted.

Do you know that they did leave Zoroastrianism and become Catholic? I’m not disagreeing with you, just wondering if it’s provable.

Of course Buddha lived before Jesus. St Josaphat, on the other hand, lived in the 3rd or 4th century…

That’s what the unreliable legend says.

… that’s AFTER the time of Jesus. So whoever our Orthodox and Eastern Catholic brothers may be venerating, there’s at least that significant difference to suggest that it’s NOT Buddha.
Could simply be an obscure early martyr who mistakenly had some stories of the Buddha’s life attached to him by virtue of sharing the same or similar name (I believe there was more than one person with that name/title, no? Could’ve been mistakenly attached to a Christian martyr, just as the Greeks mistakenly thought that Paul was the God Hermes and Barnabas Zeus, or Hindus think that Jesus Himself came to India and was a yogi ).

That is interesting… maybe you’re right.

Kind of like how some today persist in believing that Barrack Obama is Muslim for little better reason than because his name kinda sorta sounds Islamic.

Yeah, I really have no idea why, even though he did attend a madrassa in Indonesia, and also his father was a Muslim. But I guess he’s just a liberal Protestant.

Oh wait! We’re not allowed to discuss political candidates.

 

[LilyM]

Do you know that they did leave Zoroastrianism and become Catholic? I’m not disagreeing with you, just wondering if it’s provable.

Like I said, by the act of worshipping Jesus they became Catholic in fact - I doubt very much that having done so they would go back to following Zoroaster.

Yeah, I really have no idea why, even though he did attend a madrassa in Indonesia, and also his father was a Muslim. But I guess he’s just a liberal Protestant.

Oh wait! We’re not allowed to discuss political candidates.

Hmmm, the evidence for most of that would appear to be about as reliable as the evidence that the stories told about St Josaphat are all literally word-for word true

You know what, I went to Catholic primary and high schools - don’t how many of the kids who went through it with me (most of whom had Catholic parents) are still practicing Catholicism in any way shape or form but I can confidently say it’d be precious few. I’d imagine the same is true of Muslim schools as well.

 

[Bennie_P]

The essay fails to grasp what Buddhism is all about:

We don’t need to know “all” about Buddhism in order to “grasp” the main differences between the two beliefs.

As a Buddhist can one say?

We believe (I believe) in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages. (God of God) light of light, true God of true God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And (I believe) in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who together with the Father and the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets. And one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We confess (I confess) one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for (I look for) the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen." What is the creed of a Buddhist? or a short group of paragraphs that sums up a Buddhist beliefs?If they can fit into the above Creed without contradicting the same statement of faith, if ot not then for a Catholic it is a heresy. Oil and water doesn’t blend well, even when you add high heat.

Buddhism has so many paths to follow you wind up just walking around in circles in the dark, never coming to the light. IMHO:shrug:

 

[Ronald_E]

I haven’t read all of the posts but I just wanted to add my association with Buddhism after I got out of the military in 1970 and decided to go to college because I had no purpose otherwise at the time. I was raised Catholic and stopped practicing the faith when I went into the military.
One of my best friends in the military had a degree in psychology and he inspired me to develop an interest in human relationships and self-awareness. So I studied psych at Penn State and for the most part was bored with it. I took courses in Eastern Religion and philosophy and found Buddhism the most interesting because it clearly presented a view of the psyche that psychology at the time did not present. Buddhism gave me a structure to begin to understand the nature of suffering and how our attachments and desires create suffering. I also learned that my identity was the result of genetic, family and social influences which result in the development of a false personality formed in response to internal and external pressure to belong.
Belief at this level of awareness then become programmed reactions and interactions that are the source of interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts that divide us from self and others. Truth could only be known outside of belief and by following the 8-fold path to enlightenment which resulted in the loss of attachment to the identity that was constructed around suffering. It is not the loss of self that takes place but rather it is the loss of a false self that takes place.
However, there was always something missing in my journey through the mindful and insight oriented meditation practices. God showed me without my asking that He is real and that He had used Buddhism to soften up my defenses so He could reveal His Love to me. This took place 5 and a half years ago. Then Jesus led me home to my beautiful Catholic faith where I know that God is Love.
Must go now to work.

 

[Colombe]

I haven’t read all of the posts but I just wanted to add my association with Buddhism after I got out of the military in 1970 and decided to go to college because I had no purpose otherwise at the time. I was raised Catholic and stopped practicing the faith when I went into the military.
One of my best friends in the military had a degree in psychology and he inspired me to develop an interest in human relationships and self-awareness. So I studied psych at Penn State and for the most part was bored with it. I took courses in Eastern Religion and philosophy and found Buddhism the most interesting because it clearly presented a view of the psyche that psychology at the time did not present. Buddhism gave me a structure to begin to understand the nature of suffering and how our attachments and desires create suffering. I also learned that my identity was the result of genetic, family and social influences which result in the development of a false personality formed in response to internal and external pressure to belong.
Belief at this level of awareness then become programmed reactions and interactions that are the source of interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts that divide us from self and others. Truth could only be known outside of belief and by following the 8-fold path to enlightenment which resulted in the loss of attachment to the identity that was constructed around suffering. It is not the loss of self that takes place but rather it is the loss of a false self that takes place.
However, there was always something missing in my journey through the mindful and insight oriented meditation practices. God showed me without my asking that He is real and that He had used Buddhism to soften up my defenses so He could reveal His Love to me. This took place 5 and a half years ago. Then Jesus led me home to my beautiful Catholic faith where I know that God is Love.
Must go now to work.

 

[Colombe]

Likewise !!! Thanks a lot

 

[Colombe]

Merci !

 

[Bennie_P]

…However, there was always something missing in my journey through the mindful and insight oriented meditation practices. God showed me without my asking that He is real and that He had used Buddhism to soften up my defenses so He could reveal His Love to me. This took place 5 and a half years ago. Then Jesus led me home to my beautiful Catholic faith where I know that God is Love.
Must go now to work.

God doesn’t waste any of our experiences if one is truly seeking Him, but many that reject Christ and His Church for a different way, don’t make the full circle back. There is the danger of making claims that one can be a Catholic and Buddhist.

Thanks for posting.

 

[rossum]

What is the creed of a Buddhist? or a short group of paragraphs that sums up a Buddhist beliefs?

The usual short summary of Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths:[The Buddha said:] "Now this, monks, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress and despair are suffering; association with the unbeloved is suffering, separation from the loved is suffering, not getting what is wanted is suffering. In short, the five clinging-aggregates are suffering.

"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the origination of suffering: the craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion and delight, relishing now here and now there — i.e., craving for sensual pleasure, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming.

"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: the remainderless fading and cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release and letting go of that very craving.

“And this, monks, is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering: precisely this Noble Eightfold Path — right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.”

Dhammacakkappavattana sutta, Samyutta Nikaya 56.11
rossum

 

[SedesDomi]

Oil and water doesn’t blend well, even when you add high heat.

True, but both oil and water are composed of only a few basic atoms: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. At the level of the atoms, there is no difference.