Introduction

A question was left on my talk page back in March, in response to my adding user boxes for both Presbyterian and Buddism to my User page. User:TimNelson wrote, "How can you be a Presbyterian Buddhist (ie. I thought they were mutually exclusive)? Just interested :)" I have been trying to decide the best way to put my beliefs into words, and this is what I have come up with. This document was written over the past 6-7 months, but the beliefs conveyed in it have been formed gradually over the past 5-10 years.

Hi Tim, thanks for asking. I don't believe that Buddhism and Presbyterianism are mutually exclusive. I will attempt to convey the main idea here:

How can I be a Presbyterian Buddhist?

The Label

First I must deal with the label that was given. Is a Presbyterian Buddhist the same as a Buddhist Presbyterian? If one day I met a man who was blind and a jogger, I might call him a "blind jogger" or a "jogging blind person." The first label implies that he is a jogger who happens to be also blind, just as he might also be a "tall jogger" or a "fat jogger." If I instead called him a "jogging blind person" I might be implying that he is blind, and happens to be jogging right now. The same man might also be a "cooking blind person" or a "sleeping blind person" at other times in his life. So, if being a jogger and being blind are equally relevant to the man's personality, then either label fits. However, if one or the other is more relevant, the choice of label is important. I consider myself to be primarily a Presbyterian (Christian who follows Presbyterianism if you want to get technical), who practices his beliefs by following Buddhism. Therefore I prefer the label "Buddhist Presbyterian" over “Presbyterian Buddhist.”

The Basic Idea

The simplistic way to explain my belief is that I believe that the Kingdom of God, which Jesus referred to in the New Testament, is what Buddhism calls Enlightenment. In the New Testament, Jesus describes the Kingdom of God in many ways. For example, He says that it is within people ( Luke 17:20-21), that it is somehow achieved through, or at least connected with, understanding ( Mark 12:34), and is available to those who put the will of God into practice ( Matthew 7:21). When comparing the description of the Kingdom of God to the Buddhist concept of Enlightenment, I came to the understanding (belief) that they were one in the same. I believe that Jesus Christ may have been a bodhisattva, enlightened, and chosen by God to assist all of humanity into the Kingdom of God.

In practice I attempt to follow the Way of Christ ( John 14:5-6) through the Middle Way of Buddhism. The Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold path are my guide, and Jesus is my example. As a Presbyterian, I confess that I certainly do not know everything about the nature of God, and I allow for the possibility that I may be wrong. Since Buddhism is a non-theistic religion (some say it's a " philosophy" and not a religion at all) I see no conflict between the two (i.e. they aren't mutually exclusive).

The Four Noble Truths from a Christian Perspective

The Four Noble Truths are fundamental beliefs of Buddhism, and are sometimes translated like this:

1. Suffering exists in life. A Christian might say this as “Evil exists in the world.”
2. Suffering is caused by craving (attachment). A Christian perspective of this might be something like, “Moral Evil exists because we are selfish beings.”
3. To eliminate suffering, eliminate craving. The Christian version is like, “Evil can be conquered,” or, ”Evil has no power over the righteous”
4. To eliminate craving, follow the Eight-Fold Path. Christians would say, “Righteousness comes from following the Way of Christ.”

The Eight-fold Path

So now the Eight-fold path must be defined. These fall into three categories, and are defined like this:

Wisdom

1. Right View

2. Right intention

Ethical Conduct

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

Mental Discipline

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

This is my understanding of what each means and how it is compatible with the Way of Christ.

1. Right View - This refers to understanding. Understanding is referenced throughout the Bible, with great emphasis on its importance. Men are praised for their understanding, and when asked about parables, Jesus says that understanding is a secret that belongs to those in the Kingdom of God.
2. Right Intention – This is also said as “right thought” and refers to the focus of our will. Jesus says that a slave cannot follow two masters, and that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. It is attachment to our worldly possessions, and our focus on attaining them, that leads us astray.
3. Right Speech – This tells us about lying, gossip, and abusive speech. The laws of Moses instruct us to refrain from lying, and Paul's writings in Romans, 2 Corinthians, and Timothy specifically condemn the practice of those who gossip.
4. Right Action – Also called “Right Conduct.” Jesus taught us to put our faith into action. Simply believing in God seems to be insufficient, as we are told that even demons believe in God.
5. Right Livelihood – this refers to living in such a way that your actions don’t hurt others. For example, we shouldn’t practice slavery, or be racist. Some would go as far as including the selling weapons that others will use to kill people or animals. This is used to support vegetarianism by some (not me personally) and the Peacemaking movement in the Church is one way that Christians put this into practice.
6. Right Effort – This refers to our thoughts, and how we should keep our minds free of thoughts that would impair our following of the path. From the Christian perspective, we have Jesus’ example of a man thinking of adultery being equally guilty to the man who actually commits adultery.
7. Right Mindfulness – Buddhists understand this as keeping our minds alert to how our thoughts, feelings, and body work with one another. If we try to ignore our feelings, we will allow them to control our actions. Jesus seemed to be perpetually aware of his situation, and supremely insightful about the needs of God’s people. This reminds me of the proverb about removing a speck in a brother’s eye while still having a log stuck in your own eye. Without self awareness, we are ill-prepared to take on the world.
8. Right Concentration – This together with Right Mindfulness is the motivation for Buddhist meditation. Sometimes Christians pray in an effort to talk with God, but sometimes we pray just to listen for God. The “still, small voice” of God comes to us when we concentrate on our prayer, instead of the distractions of our life.

Concluding Remarks

That is my understanding of how the two fit well together. I have been told that the author Thich Nhat Hanh has written several books on this topic that I would be interested in, including Living Buddha, Living Christ. I independently came to these beliefs after learning about what Buddhists really believe, but have since learned that there are a lot of Christians who believe in some form of Buddhism. Philosophy calls this sort of belief, where more than one religion offers some version of the truth, " Religious pluralism," or "Cafeteria Pluralism" as it was called in my introductory Philosophy class. In fact, the last paragraph of the Buddhism section of the wikipedia article on religious pluralism specifically mentions Christianity as not mutually exclusive with Buddhism, so it's hardly a new idea. :)

I welcome feedback, criticism, refutation, or any discussion by anyone interested in this topic. Please add that on the Talk page, and if you convince me or help me refine my views, I'll update this page.