Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Living Buddha, Living Christ summary
Thich Nhat Hanh
Explore the common ground of Christianity and Buddhism
25 mins
Table of Contents
Living Buddha, Living Christ
Summary of 7 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 7
Interfaith dialogue can open paths toward peace and spiritual fulfillment.
There’s no single Buddhism. It’s just the opposite, in fact – there are many forms of this spiritual tradition. Just 100 years after the death of Gautama Buddha, the faith’s founding teacher, the tradition split into two distinct schools. A few hundred years later, there were more than 20 different sects.
Yet these schisms aren’t cause for strife. Each faction is but a single flower in the overall garden of Buddhism. Each is beautiful on its own, but together they form a vibrant ecosystem. Moreover, outside the Buddhist garden are other gardens of other faiths, each with its own flourishing flowerbeds.
To become spiritually whole, it’s important to recognize the beauty in all of these blooms.
The key message here is: Interfaith dialogue can open paths toward peace and spiritual fulfillment.
There’s an unfortunate tendency for people of different faiths to regard each other with suspicion or even animosity. Sometimes these tensions come from unfamiliarity. In other instances, they’re fostered by political or social strife. For instance, during the French colonization of Vietnam, Catholic missionaries worked to suppress Buddhism; this pressure drove the two faiths apart needlessly.
Yet if we look beyond these artificial divides, it's clear that both faiths share profound similarities – there are Buddhist elements in Christianity, and Christian elements within Buddhism. This state of deep, mutual connection is called interbeing. By looking closely and studying this interbeing between the two faiths, it’s possible to enrich our experience of both.
In fact, both faiths encourage this type of contemplation. The Christian Psalms urge the faithful to “Be still,” in order to know God’s love. This means practitioners should be tranquil and concentrate on the world around them. In the same vein, Buddhists practice vipasyana, or “looking deeply.” With practice, Buddhists also come to know love by cultivating a calm, relaxed, and contemplative disposition toward the world.
This isn’t the only similarity between these two religions. The teachings of Buddha and Christ convey similar themes of love, acceptance, and understanding, and both offer valuable advice on how to find joy and overcome suffering. Investigating these overlaps helps practitioners of either faith gain a deeper understanding of their own religion. And, even more importantly, fostering a rich interfaith dialogue, one in which both sides truly listen to one another, can go a long way toward healing the divisions that exist in everyday life.
Want to see all full key ideas from Living Buddha, Living Christ?
Key ideas in Living Buddha, Living Christ
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Living Buddha, Living Christ about?
Living Buddha, Living Christ (1995) is a meditation on the surprising intersections between Buddhism and Christianity. This thoughtful text shows the common ground shared by two of the world’s most influential spiritual leaders.
Who should read Living Buddha, Living Christ?
- Christians seeking a new perspective on Christ
- Buddhists looking to enrich their practice
- Anyone wanting to cultivate a deeper spiritual life
Categories with Living Buddha, Living Christ
Books like Living Buddha, Living Christ
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked
Start growing with Blinkist now
28 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers