PoM's Lumina Libri book collection: "Living Buddha, Living Christ (English, 240 pages, Hardcover, 1995)

"[Thich Nhat Hanh] shows us the connection between personal,
inner peace and peace on earth."
--His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Nominated by Martin Luther King, Jr. for a Nobel Peace Prize, Thich Nhat Hanh is one of today’s leading sources of wisdom, peace, compassion and comfort.

The 20th anniversary edition of the classic text, updated, revised, and featuring a Mindful Living Journal. Buddha and Christ, perhaps the two most pivotal figures in the history of humankind, each left behind a legacy of teachings and practices that have shaped the lives of billions of people over two millennia. If they were to meet on the road today, what would each think of the other's spiritual views and practices? 

Thich Nhat Hanh has been part of a decades-long dialogue between two great contemplatice traditions, and brings to Christianity an appreciation of its beauty that could be conveyed only by an outsider. IN lucid, meditative prose, he explores the crossroads of compassion and holiness at which the two traditions meet, and he reawakens our understanding of both. "On the altar in my hermitage," he says, "are images of Buddha and Jesus, and I touch both of them as my spiritual ancestors."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this popular work Hahn, a Vietnamese Zen monk, offers some parallels between Eastern and Western spiritual practice in an accessible style that will please general readers.

Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, author of more than 70 books, is truly a universal spiritual teacher whose mission is to translate Buddhist precepts into language everyone can understand and to explain the practice of mindfulness in terms of contemporary life. These efforts are in keeping with the Buddhist belief in open-mindedness and the acceptance of change, as is Nhat Hanh's recognition of Jesus as "one of his spiritual ancestors." As he carefully compares key aspects of Christianity with Buddhism, Nhat Hanh distinguishes between the historical and the living Jesus and Buddha, celebrates common ground shared by their teachings, and explicates important differences. His ability to see beyond dogma is in sharp contrast to the rigidity of certain Christian perspectives, a contrast Nhat Hanh discusses with respect and urgency. If there is to be understanding, compassion, and peace in the world, spiritual teachers must learn to honor the "jewels," or "best values," at the heart of diverse traditions, and to keep their own alive by interpreting them in light of the here and now. Donna Seaman

Review

"Thich Nhat Hanh is a holy man, for he is humble and devout. He is a scholar of immense intellectual capacity. His ideas for peace if applied, would build a monument of ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity." 
—Martin Luther King, Jr.

"He shows us the connection between personal, inner peace, and peace on earth."
—His Holiness The Dalai Lama

"The message: Peace, love, and compassion are central to the teachings of Buddha and Christ, and people of both faiths should be tolerant of one another."
—The Washington Post

From the Back Cover

Buddha and Christ, perhaps the two most pivotal figures in the history of humankind, each left behind a legacy of teachings and practices that have shaped the lives of billions of people over the course of two millennia. If they were to meet on the road today, what would each think of the other's spiritual views and practices? Thich Nhat Hanh has been part of a decades-long dialogue between the two greatest living contemplative traditions, and brings to Christianity an appreciation of its beauty that could be conveyed only by an outsider. In a lucid, meditative prose, he explores the crossroads of compassion and holiness at which the two traditions meet, and reawakens our understanding of both. "On the altar in my hermitage", he says, "are images of Buddha and Jesus, and I touch both of them as my spiritual ancestors".

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Twenty years ago at a conference I attended of theologians and professors of religion, an Indian Christian friend told the assembly, "We are going to hear about the beauties of several traditions, but that does not mean that we are going to make a fruit salad." When it came my turn to speak, I said, "Fruit salad can be delicious! I have shared the Eucharist with Father Daniel Berrigan, and our worship became possible because of the sufferings we Vietnamese and Americans shared over many years." Some of the Buddhists present were shocked to hear I had participated in the Eucharist, and many Christians seemed truly horrified. To me, religious life is life. I do not see any reason to spend one's whole life tasting one kind of fruit. We human beings can be nourished by the best values of many traditions.

Just as a flower is made only of non-flower elements, Buddhism is made only of non-Buddhist elements, including Christian ones, and Christianity is made of non-Christian elements, including Buddhist ones. We have different roots, traditions, and ways of seeing, but we share the common qualities of love, understanding, and acceptance. For our dialogue to be open, we need to open our hearts, set aside our prejudices, listen deeply, and represent truthfully what we know and understand. To do this, we need a certain amount of faith. In Buddhism, faith means confidence in our and others' ability to wake up to our deepest capacity of loving and understanding. In Christianity, faith means trust in God, the One who represents love, understanding, dignity, and truth. When we are still, looking deeply, and touching the source of our true wisdom, we touch the living Buddha and the living Christ in ourselves and in each person we meet.

In this small book, I shall try to share some of my experiences of and insights into two of the world's beautiful flowers, Buddhism and Christianity, so that we as a society can begin to dissolve our wrong perceptions, transcend our wrong views, and see one another in fresh, new ways. If we can enter the twenty-first century with this spirit of mutual understanding and acceptance, our children and their children will surely benefit.

About the author

Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022) was​ a Vietnamese Buddhist Zen Master, poet, and peace activist and one of the most revered and influential spiritual teachers in the world​. Born in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. His work for peace and reconciliation during the war in Vietnam moved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. In Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh founded Van Hanh Buddhist University and the School of Youth for Social Service, a corps of Buddhist peace​ workers. Exiled as a result of his work for peace, he continued his humanitarian efforts, rescuing boat people and helping to resettle refugees. ​In 1982 he established Plum Village France, the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe​ and the hub of the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism​.​​ Over seven decades of teaching, he published a hundred books, which have been translated into more than forty languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Riverhead (September 12, 1995)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1573220183
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1573220187
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.7 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches

• Amazon's Best Sellers Rank: 
  - #94,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  - #66 in Chakras (Books)
  - #80 in Comparative Religion (Books)
  - #205 in Spiritualism