Christians sometimes find aspects of Buddhism helpful as they strive to put their own faith into practice. This has certainly been the case for me. In particular I have been helped by Buddhism’s emphasis on 1)embracing and cherishing each precious present moment, and 2)replacing anxious grasping for certainty and security with trust and surrender. It’s never complete of course but even a small bit of progress in these “ways” of daily living can increase our peaceful, joyful trust in God.

I see a happy congruence between Buddhism and Christianity, especially in the practice of gratitude and compassion and the way that leads to a passion for justice. It is pretentious of course to try to sum up a venerable faith system in a paragraph. But I’ll make bold to try. Perhaps it can at least open the door and lead us towards further exploration and deeper inter-faith enrichment.

One way (there are others) to sum up the tenets of Buddhism is as follows:

• All life involves suffering. There is suffering among life’s joys.
• Mental/Emotional Suffering is the result of craving and grasping.
• To lessen this suffering, lessen craving and grasping.
• To decrease craving and grasping, CULTIVATE A QUIET MIND…
• …through simple and non-violent living, with GRATITUDE for each breath.
• GRATITUDE leads to COMPASSION and a commitment to JUSTICE!

Here’s how this can fit rather well with the efforts and aspirations of a Christian:

• Suffering is inevitable but it’s made much worse…
• …when fear/greed/grasping/division result in anxiety/depression/violence.
• Jesus modeled TRUST in “the way” of inclusion, sharing and love.
• That trust moves us away from anxious grasping towards calm gratitude.
• GRATITUDE leads to COMPASSION and a commitment to JUSTICE!

A Buddhist is being amazingly “Christian” if her quiet mind and peaceful living promote a kingdom of peace, love and justice for all. A Christian is being quite “Buddhist” if his trust in God, his casting his care upon the Lord, results in a quiet mind, a non-violent, inclusive life-style, and the compassion that motivates seeking justice!

Are there ways in which you find yourself anxiously grasping for absolute certainty? Or trying to “worry” your way into perfect safety?  Do you sometimes find you need to  distance or exclude others in order to feel OK about yourself?  Sometimes it’s not a bad idea to examine your life for the “crave and grasp” factor. Gently notice it when it is present. Breathe!  Be mindful!  And let your quiet mind be open to the Christ!