Posted on 01/22/2006 6:26:02 PM PST by Coleus
Zen master tells curious to embrace a new faith
RIDGEWOOD - The two-hour lecture at the Old Paramus Church Education Center began with several minutes of silent meditation. And for many who attended, participating in meditation was a first step in understanding the basic teachings of Buddhism and Eastern philosophy. "All attempts at mutual education are important to help us grow," said Robert Kennedy, the noted Jesuit priest and Zen master. "It widens our vision."
Kennedy Roshi, as he is known to Buddhists, was the key speaker at Saturday's event, which was attended by more than 100 people of varied faiths. It examined immortality, salvation and schools of thought in Buddhism and Christianity. It is the third lecture in a series to promote the understanding of Buddhism and Eastern thought sponsored by the Dhamma-Chakra Society of New Jersey. Kennedy is a practicing psychotherapist and retired chairman of the theology department at St. Peter's College in Jersey City. After being ordained a priest in the Jesuit tradition, he also studied Buddhism for many years and in 1991 was installed as a sensei, or teacher, of Eastern thought.
Saturday's lecture focused on many aspects of Eastern philosophy as well as Christian theology.
"I think the Buddhist and Christian traditions are both magnificent and both give wonderfully poetic metaphorical examples of what is inexpressible," Kennedy said. "I don't think the metaphors can be reduced to each other but that makes it all the better. Everything is not reduced to one way of looking at things."
Kennedy praised the strong outreach among Catholics and Jews to Buddhism.
"I don't think Buddhism is interested so much in learning from us, but they are open to us," said Kennedy, who holds doctorates in theology and psychology and is the author of "Zen Gifts to Christians" and "Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit." "I think we're coming to appreciate each other on a practical level as in marriage."
Parviz Dehghani is a Muslim who has been married to his Buddhist wife for 25 years and attended the lecture as both religious scholar and admirer of Kennedy as a Zen master. The lecture allowed the public to understand the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity, Dehghani said. "This lecture gives people a different direction in their own faith," he said. "It gives them a sense of enrichment in their own beliefs and a different way of looking at what they have been believing all along and through their lives. If Buddhism can enhance them to be a better Christian or Muslim, that's what it's all about."
Kennedy studied with Yamada Roshi in Japan, Maezumi Roshi in California and Glassman Roshi in New York. Glassman installed Kennedy as sensei and conferred the Inka, or final approval, on the cleric in 1997 that elevated him to master, or roshi. John LoGiudice of Paramus is a practicing Catholic who came to the lecture with several family members and friends to gain more knowledge of Buddhism. "I gained an insight of how the Buddhists and other cultures think and from what I gather - with Buddhism being an older culture - perhaps they are a little bit more advanced spiritually," LoGiudice said. "It's a journey. We're trying to learn more about it."
Spinach Man = Popeye the Sailor Man. An old cartoon figure.
Whereas a Christian says, "Convert to Christianity, or Jesus will kill you."
Whereas a Jew says, "Convert to Judaism, or God will kill you."
Whereas a Muslim says, "Convert to Islam, or I will kill you." ;)
Is my answer in post 100 wrong, or are we both right.
Yes to both. Last I heard, it takes two Zen Buddhists--
One to screw in the light bulb, and one NOT to screw in the light bulb.
Hello,
I went to the retreat house this guy hangs around in with the Protestant organization I work with.
I personally felt very (and obviously) uncomfortable with the tone of the place.
For instance they had a beautiful pre-concilor Chapel on the second floor and chose instead to have their daily Mass in a parlor on folding chairs.
I half way expected a knock on the door from a Jesuit in a Kimono offering me a Spiritual Hi-Colonic.
Oh, how the mighty Jesuits have fallen........
Oh. I've never heard him be called by that name.
Very true, and this is probably why Zen gets confused as a religion--that, and people who think that it is merely another name for Buddhism.
A better explanation of what I said earlier about "Zen not being a religion," is that Zen does not resemble Western religions. It does resemble Taoism, and Buddhism, but you don't have to believe in Buddha or the Tao to practice Zen faithfully, among other differences.
When I say there are similarities, I don't mean that Buddha and Christ grew up together and studied the same belief structure before shaking hands and going their seperate ways...not that you said anything to this nature...
Yes, these are significant differences, but they relate to the afterlife. Just because two people have different ideas about Hevean, doesn't mean that they can't work for the same thing on earth while they are here.
Preaching for peace and the renouncement of material needs are not trivial coincidences, nor are the intentional seperations from society(Jesus, obviously, went to the desert; Buddha to the forest), and the three trials each underwent before finding their ultimate enlightenment-- especially when you consdier the vast differences between Buddhism and Christianity.
The similarities are in the spirit of the preaching, not the technical, point by point instructions each gave, considering Buddha and Jesus had very different views concerning, well, quite a bit.
Great arguement. I forgot that everything that isn't Christian is mumbo jumbo.
Oh, now I see. Everything is everything and I am what I am are absolutely unsimiliar, like oil and water.
It seems strange, today at least, that Islam used to be the religion that would allow non-believers to live once they took over an area--with a healthy tax upon the non-believer, of course. "Christians" used to be the ones doing most of the slaughtering.
How things have changed.
..."there are some serious problems if they feel they need to go to Buddha to augment their faith. Christ is more than sufficient."
True, Melvin, you can't really be a Christian without believing in Christ as your savior. But Kennedy's lectures don't seem to be about accepting Buddha at the right hand of Christ. He's simply examining, far better than me, hopefully, the similarities between two of the world's most popular religions.
I went to the retreat house this guy hangs around >>
where is this? Jersey City, Morristown or Long Island.
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/quizzes/jcs4.htm
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt2art2.htm
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt2art3.htm
Para. 454: The title "Son of God" signifies the unique and eternal relationship of Jesus Christ to God his Father: he is the only Son of the Father (cf. Jn 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18); he is God himself (cf. Jn 1:1). To be a Christian, one must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (cf. Acts 8:37; 1 Jn 2:23).
Para. 465: The first heresies denied not so much Christ’s divinity as his true humanity (Gnostic Docetism). From apostolic times the Christian faith has insisted on the true incarnation of God’s Son "come in the flesh" (Cf. 1 Jn 4:2-3; 2 Jn 7). But already in the third century, the Church in a council at Antioch had to affirm against Paul of Samosata that Jesus Christ is Son of God by nature and not by adoption. . . .
Para. 450: From the beginning of Christian history, the assertion of Christ’s lordship over the world and over history has implicitly recognized that man should not submit his personal freedom in an absolute manner to any earthly power, but only to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Caesar is not "the Lord" (Cf. Rev 11:15; Mk 12:17; Acts 5:29). "The Church . . . believes that the key, the center, and the purpose of the whole of man’s history is to be found in its Lord and Master" (GS 10 § 3; cf. 45 § 2).
Para. 467: The Monophysites affirmed that the human nature had ceased to exist as such in Christ when the divine person of God’s Son assumed it. Faced with this heresy, the fourth ecumenical council, at Chalcedon in 451, confessed: . . .
We confess that one and the same Christ, Lord, and only-begotten Son, is to be acknowledged in two natures without confusion, change, division, or separation. The distinction between the natures was never abolished by their union, but rather the character proper to each of the two natures was preserved as they came together in one person (prosopon) and one hypostasis (Council of Chalcedon: DS 302). 470:
what's that you say?
That is what Christians believe, that each individual can do nothing to save themselves. Christ, however, instructed us to take up our crosses and follow Him, which was His invitation for us to offer our sufferings to the Father united to His sacrifice, through Him, with Him, and in Him.
I agree. It has great technique. I think Vipassana is perhaps even better.
I came to the Church through buddhism. It was a great transitional spirituality from atheism/agnosticism for me. I think it can be the same for many in the West.
I would very much like to see that.
Not incompatible, IMHO, but different. Christian contemplation (=meditation in buddhism) has an intent. A striving. Buddhist meditation does not. (Some would argue with this saying you cannot be meditating at all unless you have some striving.)
However, the basic preparations are quite similar. Purity (basically identical), discipline (the same), concentration (very helpful in both.) Compassion at the center of reality (very similar in both).
But, there is the emphasis on intent in Christian contemplation. And also in Christian contemplation, hopefully, there is the constant realization that while your presence is required, God's reaction is His alone.
In buddhism this is lacking, the existence or non-existence of a diety is left open (at least in many branches).
I gather that the Christian monk is neither a gnostic nor an agnostic. The Buddhist monk seems to be one or the other, or both.
As for the Buddhist monk, a diety could be a manifestation - I'm thinking of Tibetan here - or would likely more often be closer toward gnostic or agnostic as you said.
What is interesting, in this context, is what the Buddha taught about the ground of being - that it was compassionate. I.e., being is not absolute nothingness, but is grounded in compassion. So, if you conceive of God as being, the ground of being, and God's prime attribute as compassion; then, whether Buddha was or a buddhist monk achieving buddha mind is agnostic?
Well, in a way, perhaps not so.
MHO of course. Thanks very much for your reply.
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